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It’s About Men Becoming Mature Disciples in the Local Church
Journeymen Men’s Discipleship is a set of tools and support to help pastors and men’s ministry leaders accomplish their mission of making disciples, particularly of the men in their church and community.
The tools are a set of dynamic discipleship training small group courses for men. The support is a Journeymen staff person available to assist in training leaders and launching any number of Journeymen small groups, giving birth to an ongoing, multiplying ministry of men discipling men within the local church. If you are a pastor or men’s ministry leader, please read on, then also see the “For Pastors and Men’s Ministry Leaders” page. (Click the link at the bottom of this page.)
We Help Men Become Spiritual “Journeymen”
The “Journeymen” concept is meant to give men a better idea of what it means to follow Jesus and practical instruction for how they can do that.
Men Putting Faith Into Practice
A “Journeyman” is someone skilled in the craft of building. He is typically trained on the job as an apprentice with hands-on instruction from a more experienced builder. He then becomes highly skilled and able to build with confidence under the encouragement and accountability of a master builder. We help men become spiritual “Journeymen,” building their lives, their families, and the Kingdom of God.
Our aim is not just teaching what the Bible says. We expect men to live like they believe it. The Journeymen studies are not merely academic, they are more like faith training. Each lesson has a straightforward, challenging, personalized application section designed to lead men to live lives consistent with God’s Word.
Men with a Strong Spiritual Foundation
In Matthew 7:24, 25 Jesus uses the concept of a man “building his life” like building a house.
He contrasts a wise man and a foolish man. Both of them heard Jesus’ words but the foolish man did not put them into practice. It was like building his house on only sand, without a firm foundation. Then, when the storms of life and death came his house was swept away. But the wise man put into practice all that Jesus taught, building a spiritual life foundation that not only withstood the storms of this life but also prepared him for the next.
It’s too easy for men today to care only for the “curb appeal” of their lives. Too often they are allowed to live within a facade of religion without the substance of Christ-like character. We teach men to put their faith into practice. We help them establish a strong foundation of biblical perspectives, purposes, and spiritual disciplines. Then we teach them to “frame” the rest of their lives with living faith in all of God’s word.
Men Engaging in Authentic, Accountable, Fellowship
In order for men to truly apply what they learn and take new steps of faith, we cannot live in isolation or in the anonymity of larger groups. We invite men into small groups of three to six men so that we truly get to know and care about each other. We get close enough to know what each of our struggles are and whether we are trusting God or not. It’s about getting real with each other. From the start, each man promises to be used by God to encourage his brothers and to push them forward in their faith journey. We train men to be accountable to each other for their obedience to God’s Word. We ask each other to hold us accountable to whatever steps of faith and obedience God shows us from His Word each week.
Men Practicing Spiritual Discipline
Paul exhorts Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7b, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” We are not shy about calling men to be disciplined in the life habits that help them pursue God. That’s why we call the lessons “faith training.” They help men commit to purposeful life routines that include time with God in His Word, prayer, active spiritual leadership at home, and initiating relationships with non-Christian friends to lead them to Christ and into the Church.
Men Becoming Skilled with God’s Word
Our families, our churches, and our communities desperately need men who know God’s Word. In 2 Timothy 2:15 the apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to think of himself as a workman for God and the Scriptures as his tools. Just like Timothy, we commit ourselves to become certified, “approved” by God Himself as trained, reliable, “journeymen” tradesman of truth. We pursue God in His Word. We apply diligent training in order to make straight and accurate cuts when applying the Word of God to all of life. We help men develop the life habits of reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word, listening for what He has to say to us and then living by it.
Men Living with Jesus’ Character and Living for His Cause
According to Romans 8:29, we are destined for a common purpose, to become like Jesus, to be conformed to His image. The Journeymen faith-training lessons are aimed squarely at helping men live with Jesus’ character and live for Jesus’ cause. We commit to a lifestyle of devotion, love, and sacrificial service. We take on His mission as our own and commit our time, talents, and treasure to serve His purposes in this life. We learn to seek and save the lost, to spiritually lead our own families, and make disciples of others in our church and community. Our commitment is to finish our lives reflecting the very image of Christ with godly maturity and eternal, kingdom-building purpose.
Men Loving God
Ultimately, Journeymen Men’s Discipleship is about leading men to love God. The lessons are balanced between learning about and living in the profound depth of God’s love for us, and then simply responding to that love with the gratitude, devotion, and life commitment that He deserves.
You can Start a Journeymen Men’s Discipleship Group or Ministry in your Church.
Contact Joe Nordstrom about getting a Journeymen Group or Ministry started.
To learn more about the JOURNEYMEN Discipleship Resources visit the Discipleship STUDIES and TRAINING pages.
Read testimonies of men involved in this ministry, visit the JOURNEYMEN Stories page.
For a special word to Pastors and Men’s Ministry Leaders click here.