Appreciative inquiry: The men are headed to the duck woods
One of the most exciting things about our congregation’s year of discernment is the fact that appreciative inquiry conversations are bubbling up in lots of different places. For the past couple of years the Christian Men’s Fellowship has been essentially dormant with the exception of occasionally helping out with the fellowship dinners of the church. Seeing the energy that has risen up in the choir loft following the gathering at the Hickory Log, the men of the church decided that they wanted to get in on the act as well.
On Sunday evening, February 28, a couple of men from our congregation organized what was billed as the First Christian Church Men’s Caucus. As an ice breaker we had a straw poll and discussed some of the issues coming up in the presidential primary. Of course, there were more than enough snacks to go around and no one left hungry. We were even joined by some men who have not recently, if ever, been a part of the Christian Men’s Fellowship.
The biggest part of the night, however, was “caucusing” about the future of the men’s ministry of our church. We talked about the history of CMF, and how we got to where we are today. In the past the men of the church met for monthly gatherings on Saturday morning at the Airways Cafe. As the years went on, the generation that founded the group began to pass away, and the Saturday morning gathering began to fizzle. Eventually a monthly Tuesday night gathering was added to the agenda. It worked for a while, but it too has dwindled over the years. What has remained has been a work group that handled dinners and other special projects around the church.
During our conversation, a great deal of appreciation was expressed for the generations of leaders who gave so much to the men’s ministry. However, it was also recognized that as generations have changed, there is a need to do things differently. The caucus gave us the opportunity to do just that.
We mentioned the things that we most appreciated about previous versions of the men’s ministry. Among those things were fellowship, the opportunity to get to know the men in the congregation, and to be able to serve our church. We recognized that sometimes men are more comfortable talking about certain subjects in the company of other men. Some men also mentioned how profound an impact similar groups have had on our lives in the past.
The desire of the group was to bring the best of those traits forward into the life of our men’s group today. We brain stormed some of the best ways to do exactly that. We looked at the men we have in our church now, and at the interests and talents that they possess.
We also made a point of recognizing the thing we did not want to become. We do not want to be a group that only gets together to work and serve. Although service is a natural part of the Gospel, it should not be the only time we get the men of the church together. Prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and intentional relationship building have to also be part of the equation. In recent years, many of those pieces have been missing. Without those parts of the equation, the work had too often become drudgery rather than discipleship.
Instead of immediately taking on new service projects, the men of the church decided that we need to first get reacquainted. We need to rebuild the relationships that have somewhat frayed over the years. Through a deliberate time of “boldly doing nothing” we will allow ourselves to meet, fellowship, and make space for the Holy Spirit to direct us when the time is right. Sabbath is a part of the Christian life we often forget. The men have decided to reclaim that in the company of other men. Over time the relationships will deepen, we will reconnect, and become once more the group that God is calling us to be.
The first of these gatherings will happen a month from now. On Sunday evening, April 3, we are going to gather in the duck woods for a cookout, time of prayer, and fellowship. There is a high likelihood that we will all come back smelling like a campfire. Personally, I am already preparing myself for the humiliation I will receive at the billiard table in the lodge.
It will be exciting to see how these gatherings develop. It was encouraging to see the men of our congregation come together and share their hopes and dreams for the group. There is energy and passion there. There is a deep hunger for the chance to connect with fellow Christian men. The Holy Spirit is at work here. Men of First Christian Church, come out to the woods next month and see what God is up to.
