There are “350,000 churches in America with about 38,000,000 men, but only about 6,000,000 of them have been discipled,” according to Patrick Morley.  A casual glance in most congregations on a Sunday morning indicates a need for churches to be strategic in reaching out to men, leading them to Christ, and equipping them to be servant leaders in their homes, church, and community.  A solid men’s ministry strategy will involve outreach to men and the following are a few ideas to get you started.

Wild Game Suppers - Guys enjoy eating good food and sharing their stories.  Wild Game Suppers are one of the more popular ways for churched guys to invite their un-churched friends to an event where they will hear a guy speaking to guys and also get to hear the gospel.  I enjoy attending and speaking at these events.  You always hear great stories and get to taste some interesting meats.  Check out the link on our site for more information about planning a wild game supper.

Golf Tournament – This takes some careful advance planning and promotion and many churches make this an annual event.  Plan a four man scramble where two guys are regular church members and two guys are not members of your church for each four man team.  This will encourage your men to invite others from outside the church to participate.  I’ve participated in one of these at my church and had a great time.  My scramble score is always better than when I keep my individual score.

Attend a sporting event – Baseball is in season.  Plan on attending a Traveler’s game as a group.  You’ll have some good opportunities to build relationships as you travel and at the game.  Encourage your men active in church to invite someone from work or a neighbor to attend.

Four Wheeler Riding - This event is not conducive to much talking but guys don’t talk much anyway.  Plan a 4-wheeler ride along with a cookout after the ride and guys will connect over the meal.

Father-Son Events – Consider planning a father-son event.  Work hard on reaching those dads who drop their kids off at church on Wednesday nights but never darken the doors themselves.  Have dads hand out flyers as the kids are being dropped off.  Enlist some men to visit their home and personally invite them to participate.  Most will be more likely to attend an evening event or a day event than an overnight event.

Service Projects – Look for opportunities to serve others in your church and community.  Identify some needs of people (lawn mowing, tree trimming, basic auto maintenance, etc.)  Enlist men for some specific projects and encourage them to find another friend outside the church to help with the project.

Create your own event – The potential of different outreach events are numerous.  Gather a few guys around a grill one evening and brainstorm some ideas.  Consider some of the suggestions below as you plan an outreach event for guys.

Consider the following in planning an event . . .

Know your context: It’s important to understand the needs and interests of men actively involved in your church and those that aren’t involved.  Unsure, then just ask.  Your context will often determine the types of outreach events you plan.

Recognize your target: Men have different hobbies and interests.  Different events will target and reach different men.  Make sure you balance your events to reach the variety of men in your community.  (Acts 1:8)

Identify your purpose: Just about any event can be an outreach event but make sure you discuss your purpose and goals for the event.  An event without a purpose is meaningless and just tends to waste peoples time.

Plan together: If one person plans an event, then it is sure to have some missing elements.  Involve a team to plan an event and you will have a variety of ideas that have the potential to reach a greater variety of men.

Promote creatively: There are a variety of ways to promote.  Older ways include powerpoint, posters, flyers, and mail outs.  Newer ways of promotion include Facebook, email, web page, blogs, and probably some new mediums by the time you read this article.  These promotion avenues are necessary and viable but no one promotion scheme can replace personally inviting someone you know to attend an event.  Most people will ultimately attend because of some relational connection they have.  (Philemon 6)

Evaluate: If your first event flops, then don’t give up.  Evaluate what you did well and what needs work.  Learn from your mistakes and make improvements for the next event.  (Proverbs 24:32)

Follow up: When a man visits your church make sure you capture their contact information and be intentional about contacting guys by phone, letter, and a personal visit.  Guys really do want to go somewhere where everybody knows their name and are glad they came.  Men will notice you care about them personally when you touch base with them following an event or visit to your church.

Ben Phillips is the Family Ministry Team Leader for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.  He would be glad to work with you and men in your church to help them become spiritual leaders in their home and church.