PART 1 – ORGANIZATION  

I.  HOW WE SEE OURSELVES:

What is Advent Men?

Advent Men is a Christ-centered, relationship-based, network of men’s ministry leaders that seek to educate, equip, and empower other men to succeed and lead in all areas of life.  Advent Men are designed and powered by God!

Who are Advent Men?

ADVENT means the arrival or appearance of a much anticipated person, thing, or event.  So, Advent Men are simply ordinary men who are totally committed to an intentional journey to becoming extraordinary men of God.  To be an Advent Man you must be “ALL IN”!

What is VISION 2020?

Vision 2020 is a strategic 10 year plan for building a strong men’s ministry in the Southern Union.

CLICK HERE for more details

II.  HOW WE IDENTIFY MEN 

Spiritual – The Stages in a Man’s Discipleship Journey

  • Drifting
    • Social Media and Online Assessments
    • Recovery Groups
  • Casual
    • “Taste & See… Come & See”
    • Attending Large Momentum Events
  • Invested
    • “Follow Me”
    • Involved in Discipleship Groups
  • Committed
    • “Abide and Be Fruitful in Me”
    • Guide/Mentor/Coach… Discipling Other Men

Chronological – The Stages in a Man’s Life Journey 

  • Cornerstone (12-24)
    • Chief Characteristic – Identity
    • Season of Life – Spring
  • Bondstone (25-44)
    • Chief Characteristic – Strength
    • Season of Life – Summer
  • Keystone (45-64)
    • Chief Characteristic – Influence
    • Season of Life – Fall
  • Capstone (65+)
    • Chief Characteristic – Wisdom
    • Season of Life – Winter

Relational– The Relationships in a Man’s Life Journey 

  • Marriage – Prepare-Enrich, Symbis, Marriage Retreats
  • Fatherhood – Rite of Passage, Father’s Blessing
  • Mentorship – Personal guidance and investment in a younger man
  • Discipleship – Teaching other men to walk with God
  • Friendship – Intimate relationships that provide strength and joy

“Rolational” – The Roles a Men Must Play to Succeed

  1. Spiritual – Priest and Prophet
  2. Relational – Friend and Lover
  3. Physical – Warrior and Worker
  4. Mental – King and Counselor
III.  HOW WE REACH OUT TO MEN

With Online Assessments (Under Development by Blueprint for Men)

  • Filters for age, marital status, family situation, etc.
  • Will help men move from the valley (world of mediocrity) to the start of the climb
  • Cohorts that meet weekly for 1.5 hours – fee required
  • Seasoned leaders needed for each cohort
  • App (in development) to support cohorts and leadership teams

With Social Media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.to get our message out to the larger audience

With Personal Invitations to events, small groups, mentoring

With Strategic Events such as

  • Annual Men’s Conventions/Retreats – full weekends
  • Regional Rallies – Sabbath afternoon/evening events engaging many churches
  • Regional Leadership Training/Certification – full weekends or stretched out
  • NAD Men’s Ministry Day of Prayer – 1st Sabbath of September
  • Father’s Day – Sabbath service to acknowledge and challenge dads
  • S.U. or NAD Men’s Conventions every 5 years starting in 2021
IV.  HOW WE BUILD MEN

With Online Resources

With Age & Stage Specific Training 

  • Childhood (1-11)  – Adventurer Honor + Pathfinder Honor (to be developed)
  • Adolescence (12-17)  – Rite of Passage + Father’s Blessing (to be developed)
  • Young Adult (18-25) – Manhood University (to be developed)
  • Marriage – Prepare-Enrich, Symbis, Marriage Retreats
  • Fatherhood – Rite of Passage + Father’s Blessing (to be developed)
V.  HOW WE REBUILD MEN
VI.  HOW WE BUILD LEADERS
  • NAD Men’s Ministry Leadership Certification – cruise, weekend immersion, or webinar
  • NAD Men’s Ministry Leadership Online Certification
  • Leadership Academy – Weekend immersion or video conferencing for local church men’s ministry leaders
  • Regional Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + quarterly gatherings
  • Conference Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + annual gathering
  • Individual Leadership Coaching – face-to-face or video conferencing as needed
  • Southern Union Leadership Council – Monthly video conferencing + annual gatherings
VII. HOW WE CONNECT
  • The Advent Men website serves as a landing page that serves
    • serves to promote our message, events, training, resources
    • serves as a directory of conference and regional leaders
    • serves to communicate with videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.
  • Virtual Leadership Groups that meet via video conferencing
  • Emails that are sent out weekly to update progress

PART 2 – BUILDING A MOVEMENT

STEP #1 – BECOME AWARE OF CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Men’s Ministry Challenges

  • Vision             No long-range plan
  • Church           Weak pastoral support and conference leadership
  • Focus             Mostly limited to large events with next steps missing
  • Finances        Severely underfunded
  • Leaders          Unsupported and untrained
  • Resources      Very limited through our denomination
  • Networking      Disconnected and isolated
  • Event               No Southern Union Convention

Men’s Ministry Solutions:

  • Vision              VISION 2020 – A 10-year Plan
  • Church            Blueprint for Men to network and build leadership
  • Focus               Wide spectrum of events, small groups, and individual
  • Finances         Together we can fund Men’s Ministry
  • Leaders           Empowered, trained, and networked
  • Resources        Continual adoption and development  of resources
  • Networking     Regular communication and engagement
  • Event                Southern Union Convention
STEP #2 – BECOME A STUDENT OF MEN’S MINISTRY AND MEN

Before you get off and running I strongly recommend that you get some education. Starting a men’s ministry and leading other men is something that takes personal equipping so start reading, listening, and watching. Build a library for men!

STEP #3 –  KNOW YOUR SOUTHERN UNION MEN’S MINISTRY TEAM
  • START HERE.  Schedule a 15-minute call with Marty Miller to join a focus group that fits your schedule, experience, and interests. Marty can be reached at 423-322-8491
  • NEXT CONNECT.  Join a men’s ministry focus group that meets regularly via video or audio conference calls so that we can make progress.
STEP #4 – BECOME A MEN’S DICSIPLESHIP LEADER
  • Every leader should lead one men’s discipleship group
  • Every leader should mentor at least one man
  • This is essential to men’s ministry leadership development
  • LET’S ALL COMMIT TO THIS!
STEP #5 – GET CERTIFIED AS A MEN’S MINISTRY LEADER
STEP #6 – PROMOTE MEN’S MINISTRY THROUGH
  • Articles and advertising in the Southern Tidings and conference publications & websites
  • Flyers and posters for all churches
  • Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.
  • Regular emails to all men’s leaders and pastors in the Southern Union
  • Podcasts, blogs, devotionals, videos, etc.
  • Conference level annual conventions and retreats
  • The NAD Men’s Ministry Day of Prayer – 1st Sabbath of September
STEP #7 – PLANNING THE SOUTHERN UNION MEN’S CONVENTION
  • The Southern Union Men’s Leadership Council is laying plans for this right now!  Anticipated date is Spring of 2023… stay tuned as details develop.
STEP #8 – FUNDING THIS MOVEMENT OF MEN: 
  • If all 8 conferences in the Southern Union contributed only $1 per man we would have approximately $100,000 to support our men’s ministry efforts!   Together we can fund this movement of men!