Let the Other Guys Do All the Work

Let the Other Guys Do All the Work

By Steve Sonderman









I will never forget my first Promise Keepers conference in Boulder, CO in 1993. What a sight, walking to lunch and seeing all the smoke from the grills frying the chicken and steak. I honestly thought there was a fire on the campus. I guess, in a way, there was!

I will never forget when Bill McCartney lit a single candle, passed it on to Dave Wardell and eventually on to all 50,000 men in the stadium, signifying unity in the Body of Christ. I will never forget the hundred men coming home to Milwaukee energized and equipped to make a difference at their home, church, workplace and world.

Since our first conference in ‘93 we have taken hundreds and hundreds of men to conferences all over the Midwest; Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Milwaukee. One of the best parts of these events is that someone else does all the work; all you have to do is show up and allow God to work in the lives of your men. Over the past fourteen years there are a number of things we have learned regarding how to maximize the Promise Keepers experience.

I. Have a Coordinator
Whether you are taking twenty men or five hundred men to a PK conference, you need a coordinator to handle all the details of the trip. This man should be very strong in the area of administration and will need to delegate to a team of men. This team will be responsible for publicity, travel arrangements (bus, plane, car pooling, hotels, etc.), registration and follow-up.

Read the other steps to take to maximize your Promise Keepers experience this summer (and bring a friend!)

Steve Sonderman is Associate Pastor of Men’s Ministry and Leadership Development at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI.




Photo credit

Six major reasons men attend a Promise Keepers conference

Based on research from exit surveys of PK attendees, there are six major reasons men attend a Promise Keepers conference:



1 – Worship: The PK music engages the heart of man and provides the opportunity to worship in a corporate setting of thousands of other men, which creates a unique, often life changing experience. The vocal range of the songs is pitched toward deeper voices, thus the singing is different than the typical mixed-gender, female oriented church setting.

2 – Fellowship: Taking the time to travel and attend with other Christian men allows men to focus on spiritual matters in the company of fellow pilgrims. The unity of purpose and aligned attitudes of the men accommodates an enhanced awareness of God’s presence. Men, typically isolated, are spiritually and personally refreshed by participating with a multitude of men pursuing their faith.

3 – Speakers: Men need to be challenged and directed without feeling guilty. National authors, leaders and speakers address guys directly, with exceptional candor, often telling personal stories of struggle, defeat and victory. Men want to hear from strong men, and Promise Keepers events, while they are not gatherings of perfect men, do challenge men with authority and integrity to strive to the next level of holiness within the 7 Promises (with the help of the Holy Spirit).

4 – Evangelism: PK offers men the opportunity to bring their sons, family, friends, and co-workers to a “non-church,” non- threatening environment where they can hear the Gospel Message in a masculine context, taking them beyond a desire to just “do better.” Such environments for men to encounter their Heavenly Father and the grace of Jesus Christ are RARE!

5- Connectivity: An innate desire in all of us is to belong to a cause that is bigger than ourselves. PK offers men the opportunity to become part of the greater work of God through the men’s movement.

6 – Experience: The challenge to set aside the time to go, the adventure of the road trip, the magnitude of the event, and the support of wives create a catalytic event, a milestone on life’s journey for men that has a remarkable and lasting impact.

- Rick Wright | Promise Keepers

10 Ways to get your buddy to a PK Event

1. Buy him a ticket. When you tell a guy that you already dropped some money, he is more likely to come… and you can get a group discount for groups of 10 or more.

2. Tell him you’ll take him to lunch on Saturday afternoon after the conference. Guys almost never pass up a free lunch. We actually decided to end the conference by 1:00 so you can do just that.

3. Ask your buddy if he understands his wife’s heart. When he’s done laughing, tell him we’ve got a whole section on just that. He’ll leave the event with new eyes for his wife, and surprisingly enough, his wife might be attracted to him as well.

4. Show him the promo DVD and give him a brochure. Don’t have one? Call 866.PROMISE and we’ll send you one. (OR view the video here)

5. Take a road trip to the conference. There’s nothing quite like cramming five guys in a car filled with junk food, and great conversation. Map? We don’t need no stinkin’ map.

6. Ask him if he thinks Noah’s Ark is real. He’ll probably say something like “well, not really… maybe. It’s kind of a far-fetched story. I’m not sure what I believe.” We’re not saying that our main speaker, Bob Cornuke, found Noah’s Ark, but we’ll show you some pretty amazing things that will challenge your buddy (and you) to decide…

7. Tell him you’ll buy him a PK hat. It’s not really bribery, because once your buddy experiences PK, he’ll probably want to buy one for himself, and his son, and his cousin, Bruce.

8. Tell your buddy that Reggie Dabbs is the Emcee and that alone is worth the effort.

9. Blindfold him, put him in the car and say, “There are 14,999 guys waiting for you down at the Nashville Arena. It’s my job to make sure you don’t let them down.”

10. Ask him to go with you. (sounds too simple, huh?)

Facts and Realities

FACT: Promise Keepers has reached over 5 million men since 1990 with 89% ministry recognition among evangelicals.

FACT: There are currently over 40 million men yet to hear the PK message and there are over 22 million boys in the "Y" generation.

REALITIES:
There are now over 80 men's ministries nationwide

In Sunday Services: 61% female, 39% male

90% of young men being raised in church will leave

90% of men say they believe in God

83% of men call themselves Christians

Only 33% of men attend church

Few churches are able to establish or maintain a vibrant men's ministry

Men want to meet in:
- Bible studies once per week
- Local communities four times a year
- National conferences once a year

If the man in the house is a Christian, there is a 93% chance the rest of the family will become Christians