Adult Ministries of The Wesleyan Church exists to inspire and encourage every adult to become more like Jesus Christ,
  leading a daily Holy Life focusing on our Heads, Hearts, Hands and Habits.

January 2008: In this issue...

Are You Set Apart for Life?

SetApart 2007 was AWESOME!  The International Wesleyan Youth Convention held over Christmastime had a major impact on thousands of lives in The Wesleyan Church. The theme of the convention was to come away from our four days together and make choices for God that would live out a holy life on a daily basis.  Over 1,600 middle and high school students alone made that decision.  Other themes under the holy living banner of the convention dealt with serving the world and sexual purity.  It was a great time of focus on and commitment to Jesus.  Remember, today's high schoolers are quickly becoming tomorrow's adults.

And we need to continue to improve our adult ministries.  Ministry is not just for children and youth.  While there is no competition between the three, the fact remains; no one has arrived in their spiritual walk yet.  We all must keep growing toward and learning from Christ.  Matthew Kelley recently wrote these words about holy living.  The great confusion that is torturing the Church and weakening our faith surrounds one question; What is holiness?  The falling attendance at church, the marginalization of the Church by our secular culture, and our failure to reach the youth are all caused by our inability to communicated clearly the answer to this question, What is holiness?  Modern men and women have simply become disoriented.  We have lost our way.  By putting aside the goal of the Christian life; the call to holiness; we have lost sight of the great Spiritual North Star.  The North Star is the only star in the sky that never moves it remains constant, unwavering, and therefore is truly a guide.  If we are to find our way, we must rediscover the great Spiritual North Star.

Jim

~Dr. Jim Dunn
General Director
Director of Adult Ministry Division
Spiritual Formation Department
The Wesleyan Church

Ministry for Men

The following is an excerpt from A Look in the Mirror, by Patrick Morley.

Why can't we ever sustain momentum in our men's ministry?  Whenever we seem to create some good momentum, it inevitably peters out.

"Sustainability" easily ranks as the #1 challenge to men's ministry.  Many churches  even entire denominations - have become an albatross around the pastor's neck.  Guess what?  It doesn't have to be that way.

Here are a number of strategies to help you sustain momentum.  These ideas will not seem like "a magic wand."  Plenty of ideas will help you win a sprint, but these ideas will help you go the distance.  Remember, you need long term sustainability because it takes a long time to make a disciple.

1.  All-Inclusive:  Change your church's perception of men's ministry:  Which ministries get the most resources?  The ones perceived to produce the greatest impact.  Redefine "men's ministry."  How many men do you have in your church?  Count them.  That's the size of your men's ministry!  Help your pastors, elders, deacons, and program directors understand that if you have 100 men, then the size of your men's ministry = 100.

Think big!  Your men's ministry is probably much bigger than your church leadership has been thinking.  Don't think of your men's ministry as a small group of your most committed men.  Six men meeting on Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. does not a men's ministry make.  Men's ministry is "everything we do in our church that affects men."  Have a plan to disciple every willing man in the church - ushers, parkers, choir, Sunday school teachers, elders, deacons and pew warmers - right where they are.

"All-inclusive" men's ministry is a whole new worldview, so you will have to hammer away.  But, once your leadership sees the possibilities of discipling all your men into leaders, there will be no turning back.

Next month we'll look at another challenge.

~Dave

Marriage & Family