Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/92

Contributor - Ralph de Groot

Title - Men's Ministry in the Church

Topic - Men

By Design

Some time ago my wife and I went for a late evening walk. It was a clear, still night with thousands of stars and almost a full moon. As we were beholding it all, we recited some Scripture which praised God for His wonderful works. We see three characteristics in God's design for creation: it is functional, purposeful, and beautiful. One could say that these are God's "Trade Marks". These three trade marks are visible everywhere, even in His Church. Matthew 28 tells us about the Church's function, Revelation 19 tells us of her ultimate purpose and Ephesians 5:27 mentions her beauty.

God also designed men; men designed in His own image, men to serve His Church. The young and old, breadwinner and pensioner, all taking an active part, for in God's economy there are no dropouts. It is important for men to understand, that by God's design, men are burdened with the headship of the human family and to be the spiritual leaders of both the family and the church. (I Cor. 11:3 and Ex. 20)

In this day and age, cultural forces are at work to change God's design but the basic truths of the Scriptures are not subject to, nor changeable by, culture.

Weak Churches

Someone has said that we have weak churches because we have weak families; we have weak families because we have weak fathers. It is difficult to separate the family and the church. A strong father will also be a strong leader in the church. It is not likely that you encounter strong church leaders who are weak fathers in their families. A man may genuinely argue that God has not given him any leadership qualities. He just goes out to work to earn a wage and leaves the rest up to his wife. And as far as the church is concerned? Well, call me when you need to paint the Sunday School room. To teach a class? You must be kidding. By God's design every man has been given a level of leadership capability. If that were not so, then God's Word is unreliable and the questions asked when we became church members and when we had our children baptized, are unfair.

A Three-Fold Problem

The reasons why I think many men are not actively involved in the church are: (1) Indecision, (2) Flawed perception, and (3) Failure to paint the picture.

Indecision

To take up the cause of Christ is a deliberate conscious decision. Many fail to do this because of indifference or becoming side-tracked in their Christian life. Paul in I Cor. 15:9-11 rates himself the least and unfit but through God's mercy he was forgiven and the grace of God flowed through him, enabling him to be obedient and to be partial to the cause of Christ. God's grace which is so well illustrated here by Paul enables us also to be obedient disciples taking our part in kingdom work.

Flawed Perception

Many men perceive the giving of leadership in the church to be something that they could never do. If Christian leadership is interpreted as being an expert in all areas all the time, or whenever one is involved in a committee or organization, one must be the chairman or president, then indeed the perception is flawed. A Christian leader is a doer of God's Will with a servant's spirit and his leadership is revealed by how the motivates others to use their free time wisely. God also provides us with so many words of encouragement as in Ps. 37 he says: "The steps of a man are from the Lord, and establishes him in whose way he delights, though he falls, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord is the stay of his hand".

Failure to Paint the Picture

Most churches fail to provide a strong, coordinated, deliberate church program; a program containing God's "Trade Marks", clearly spelling out it's basic function and purpose, and explaining what is expected of the members. A Christ-centred program of such importance will be our cause in life for which we are willing to die. There is no need to be preoccupied with the third "Trade Mark", that of beauty. Any church successfully carrying out her basic function and purpose, God will adorn with beauty for "all to see". Outsiders will feel attracted and will praise God... and many will be added to that Church. If we fail, the reverse is true. Scripture tells us that we will lose our influence and be trodden under foot by man. (Matt. 5:13)

Measuring Stick

In closing I would like to leave the men with this question: Are you doing your part? Here is a good measuring stick. Suppose that you were to transfer the amount of time which you are presently spending on the Lord's work in your church, to another activity, would you be successful in that activity? If you were to spend that time painting the house, would the house get painted? If you were to go fishing, would you ever catch a fish?

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