Over the course of the last ten years, I have had the incredible privilege of working alongside and partnering with some amazing men:
- John – a retired executive from a major car company, is now investing in a group of high school boys. He leads a small group from freshman to senior year and instills in them the foundations of what it means to follow Jesus and live their lives for Him.
- Randy – in his 70s, for the past 30 years has gone three times a week to prisons around the state to lead bible studies for men.
- Bob – now in his 80s, has led over 22 men’s groups through the No Regrets two-year discipleship experience. He has invested in hundreds of men over the past 40 years and is still going strong.
- Steve – while serving as the president of his company, and with the help of his wife, launched Wheelchair Whitetails. They spend every weekend of the fall taking disabled men and women on guided whitetail deer hunts.
- Dave – took early retirement so that he could serve 20-30 hours a week as a non-paid staff member leading the No Regrets Conference team.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to each of you and so many other men I know who are taking all of the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has entrusted to you and using them for Kingdom Expansion. May your tribe multiply 100X.
Leaders: the sleeping giant of the church is men in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. There is a gold mine of gospel energy ready to be awakened and mobilized for Kingdom impact. On average, 35% of people in the church are Boomers, and they are providing 70% of the funding for the American church. One in five have increased their church attendance since COVID because they have more time, are more aware of life’s brevity, and are looking for a place to belong and make a difference. Over the years, they have accumulated an incredible amount of wealth. I am not talking about financial wealth, though maybe they have. I am talking about vocational, ministry, and relationship experience, spiritual wisdom, intellectual knowledge, and perspective on life.
Here are four principles I have learned over the years to awaken and mobilize this group of people:
- Give them a vision: Men want to be a part of something bigger and grander than themselves. Jesus left us with the greatest mission in the world, one that should get us up in the morning and keep us up at night. One with eternal ramifications, that can literally change the trajectory of a man’s life, marriage, family, and world. Whether it is a one-on-one meeting or in a large-group setting, you will want to help them see what God is doing around the world.
- Give them opportunities: Men will not be mobilized by just reading about something, but rather by rolling up their sleeves and doing something. Men are action-oriented, and the best way to mobilize is to give them low-level probes to try different things. Things like tutoring students, building homes for the homeless, launching a food pantry, helping start micro businesses in a foreign country, sitting on a board for a local non-profit, etc., are all things that will allow them to get in the trenches and really dig deep. Keep in mind, these are people who have a great deal of talent and experience, and we need to think beyond standard church serving opportunities because they want to move mountains.
- Align them with their brokenness: If their heart is being broken by something in society, there is a good chance it is also breaking the heart of God. As we help them identify what is breaking their heart, it will fuel their discovery of God’s purpose for them and move them from the pew and into the game. Alan Redpath, in his commentary on Nehemiah, said, “You will never lighten the load until you feel the pressure on your heart.” Our role is to help them identify what is breaking their heart.
- Define reality for them: One of the things I hear the most from men at this stage of life is, “I have done my part, and now I deserve a break; it is someone else’s time to serve.” In these conversations, I try to help them understand that the aftertaste of affluence and privilege is boredom. You can only play so much pickleball and golf before you will be bored to death and look for something more meaningful and significant. It is then that we can remind them that Ephesians 2:10 says we all have a work to do, and that work does not stop at age 65, but rather God desires to use us until the day that we die.
Friends, when I look into the future, I see so many men with so much potential, sitting on the bench, just waiting to catch a vision for what God is doing around the world, and waiting to be mobilized to be on the solution side of things. Don’t take yourself out of the game, but instead, jump in head first and seek to go all out for His glory until the very end.
For the Cause that Counts,
Steve
