God is always at work! What is He doing in your life?
Send your testimonies to editor@cmamen.org.

NEWS
Annual National Leadership Meeting, Feb 6-8, 2009 in Atlanta GA.
The leadership team and national leadership forum (district coordinators) took the following actions:

• Endorsed the five year “Go Strategy” to facilitate men’s ministry in our districts.
• Laid plans for General Council in May 2009 in Louisville, KY.
• Addressed ways to improve communications with our districts.
• Discussed ways to improve funding the ministry
• Endorsed extending the national director’s term of office to March 31, 2010.
• Endorsed a bylaw establishing the process for recommending national director candidates to the Vice President for Church Ministries.
• Appointed four men to serve on the search committee for national director.

On February 7, the forum heard presentations on discipling men in the 21^st century, disciplemaking in the Southern District, the C&MA Men’s addendum to the Blueprint Seminar, the Coaching Handbook, and doing everything to the glory of God.

The Gender Gap. Pew Research Shows Differences in Religious Practices. The Pew Foundation did a huge study last year - The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. New analysis of the data keeps getting done, and a recent review was titled: "The Stronger Sex - Spiritually Speaking." Below are some of the results, identifying male and female religious practice and belief:

• Affiliated with a religion: Men: 79% Women: 86%
• Pray at least daily: Men: 49% Women: 66%
• Religion is very important in their lives: Men 49% Women: 63%
• Certain belief in a personal God: Men: 45% Women: 58%
• Attend worship services weekly: Men: 34% Women: 44%

Of course, the news here isn't just the gap between the sexes. The fact is, we live in a country where there's almost a 50/50 split in belief in a personal God. If God doesn't know you and doesn't care about you, it does change your viewpoint, doesn't it?

Surprised by these statistics? There's more here. Discuss this with your men's group or leadership team. How should we respond as the church? As Christian men?

Go to the No Man Left Behind blog and comment on this research.

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH
South-Atlantic District
(http://sadcma.com/Ministries/CMAM/CMAMen.shtml)

Men’s ministry opportunities across the South Atlantic District are available and exciting. We want our focus to be centered on service through spiritual leadership, evangelism, discipleship and service. C&MA Men’s leadership in the local church is critical and tools and ministries are available to lead and guide men in practical ways through proven approaches and methods. Our annual retreat is our "signature" event, providing “tool sharpening” ideas that can assist and “jump start” men in their local ministries. More than 500 men attend our retreats. Our fall retreats have been strategically themed: Holiness (2007), Spiritual Leadership in the Home (2008), Evangelism (2009), Discipleship (2010). The leadership team is preparing for the 2009 retreat on Evangelism with Josh McDowell and Crawford Loritts. We are discussing ideas for incorporating different types of audio/visual media into the retreat. We plan to introduce men to Blueprint training during the retreat weekend, for those who are not already aware, and offer multiple seminars on topics that resonate with men of the 21^st century. Our men are involved in construction projects and support a fleet of vehicles that we make available to missionaries on home assignment. The vehicles are provided through donation and our men fund vehicle maintenance through periodic “mug dumps” in our churches. For more information, contact Bob Sackmann at 919-387-7361.

What is God doing in your men’s ministry?
Let us know at editor@cmamen.org.

PERSONAL TOOLKIT

New on the Bookshelf: Anger Reconciliation by James Offut. Is anger tearing down your life? Do you struggle to express your anger? There is Hope For You! Learn positive anger expressions that will strengthen your relationships. Through the book "Anger Reconciliation" you can learn practical Christian ways to resolve and even find peace in your conflict situations.

Learn more at www.angerispositive.com or purchase on Amazon.

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT

Tool: One to One Discipleship. A new department in Equipping the Man in the Mirror will give you a new tool to use in discipling men one to one. From the column:

Discipling another man, sometimes called mentoring, can be difficult to sustain. It takes a few weeks to get to know each other. You talk about the usual job or family stuff but then, it's time to move to spiritual things. Now what? How do you get beyond, "This was how my week went. How can I pray for you?"

That's where Equipping the Man in the Mirror comes in. What better way to mentor a man in his faith than to help him get into the regular study of God's Word? In the April/May/June edition you'll find a plan for using the Equipping magazine as a tool for a one-hour weekly mentoring and accountability meeting. Click here to start your subscription now.

Equipping Leaders (Go to Man in the Mirror for more details)

Equipping Your Men

• 2009 Iron Sharpens Iron National Men’s Conferences - 36 across the nation in 2009. Check for one near you.
• Man in the Mirror Seminar Calendar