Your meetings can motivate
By Mark Lubbock
“They help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
––Isaiah 41:6
When men gather for fun, the atmosphere changes; they let down their guards and enjoy one another’s company.
Too often men’s meetings are boring.
Here are a few ways to make meetings fun, helpful, and effective.
- Provide pre-meeting time for conversations. Provide a pre-meeting time with coffee and donuts or a meal. The Holy Spirit will provide some surprises during this unstructured time of casual conversations.
- Use time efficiently. Business meetings are necessary but structure them in a way that makes the best use of everyone’s time. Create committees to hammer out details prior to the meeting. Distribute reports electronically before the meeting and avoid reading them aloud. Use the time with the full group for making final decisions based on committee recommendations.
- Create a time to share experiences. Set aside a portion of the meeting for men to share experiences in small groups –– it’s a Wesleyan practice that also allows men to get to know and affirm one another. Limit the time to three minutes per man. This will not detract from the general meeting.
- Share the vision. Keep the mission and the vision at the forefront of every meeting. Sport teams and strong organizations do a great job of reminding members why they exist. Help men understand they exist for a larger purpose. They are a part of something important and rewarding.
- Underscore progress. Help your men see how they are progressing along the way to their stated goals. Men want to participate in an organization that is achieving something, and they are likely to invite friends to join them.
Blessings,
Mark Lubbock, a certified men’s ministry specialist and a deployed staff member of the General Commission on UM Men
mlubbock@gcumm.org