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Imagine spending months creating a vision, filling key leadership roles and then establishing your first group of dads and sons meeting together. Now what? Are you finished?
No, you’re not finished. Now, it's time to talk about keeping the journey going. Once you get a group started, you must be ready to know when you'll break, when you'll return, and how you'll keep the journey going.
The goal of the Manhood Journey groups is to have a group of dads and sons who continue to meet over some span of time. Initially, they connect during this six-session experience. Hopefully, they enjoy it so much they want to do it again (and again...). Consider some of the following techniques to ensure that your group gains and keeps momentum along the journey.
Take breaks
If your group gels quickly and everyone has a positive experience then it may be tempting to keep meeting every week. Under some circumstances, that might make sense. However, in most cases, it will cause the group meeting to become a chore. Meet for the length of a module—six weeks or sessions, then take a two- to four-week break. This rhythm will help you build and keep momentum.
Annual or quarterly outings
Look for opportunities to serve or play together a few times per year. This might be a holiday outing, going camping, hosting a cook-out or seeing a game together. It can be any occasional event that allows the group to connect without a major agenda.
Charting your course
Embarking is the module that all groups start with. After that, each group can chart their own path. We recommend that in the last week of each Module, you get the group's input on which module they would like to do next. If you can invite them into the “module selection process,” you'll have stronger buy-in moving forward.
On the boat, off the boat
Ideally, you will have a core group of guys who are part of the group for the long haul. But, you can let guys float in or out of the group in between modules. Try to keep the group fixed during any given six-week stretch; but, use the breaks in between to allow new members to join, or let over-scheduled guys take a break.
Want to learn more? This is just a snippet of what's in our Church Leader Survival Guide. Snag it for free for more details on equipping you and your church on how to engage dads well and make more disciples.
This post is the final in a series of 4 survival tips for helping church leaders engage dads. Read the third in this series here, “5 vital tips for church leaders to engage dads.”
Photo source: istock
 | Kent Evans is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Manhood Journey. He is married to April, his wife of 22 years and has five sons ranging from ages 4 to 20. He is the author of Wise Guys: Unlocking Hidden Wisdom from the Men Around You. Learn More » |
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