A Few Good Men
It’s one thing to talk about vision and touching the next generation for Christ. It is quite another to see it happen. If we are convinced that men are important to lasting ministry, then how will that look in the life of the church. What’s a Pastor, or for that matter, a godly layman, to do to begin to make it happen?
There are practical things to get the ball rolling. While we cannot help but long for a church full of passionate men with a heart to be a spiritual leader, the reality is that in most churches it is not so. The place to begin is with the few ( or maybe one) you have. Jesus Himself had many followers, but He apparently spent the bulk of His time investing Himself in the twelve. In fact, He often said things that thinned out the crowds while using the same words to challenge His closest followers to a stronger commitment.
So whether you are in a very large church or a smaller congregation, there must be time for the few. One must never purposefully ignore any of the people of God. But to affect the next generation, the spiritual leader must invest himself in the few, (or even the one) who show any hint of passion for the gospel and gospel living. This may begin with setting aside a time to get together for prayer, but it certainly does not have to end there. It is, however, a good starting point for enlarging the vision of the spiritually minded and for sharing a burden for our children, our children’s children, and beyond.
Let us not be so short-sighted as to think such activity should only include fathers of young children with their lives out in front of them. This could, and even should, include married fathers to be, single men with a heart for God who may or may not have spiritual leadership at home, grandfathers and grandfathers to be. It may even be an older single man with no prospects for marriage but a genuine passion for Christ and His church. Hunger for God and Commitment to His truth, no matter how faint, are signs of spiritual maturity and the potential for a broad, gospel-centered kingdom vision. And no Pastor or spiritual leader can go wrong investing there (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Charles Cavanaugh
