January 2025 was a watershed month on so many levels. For Cindy and me, we kick off a year that will celebrate my 80th birthday on March 3rd and our 60th anniversary on July 3rd. As exciting as those markers are, we are also experiencing a new and deep revival taking shape in our country. Personally, I am sensing God preparing me for perhaps the most important time in my 35 years of ministry.
January 10th brought me to New Life Christian Fellowship in Tooele, Utah, a community just outside of Salt Lake City. I spoke to a group of men’s leaders and their wives on Friday night, a men’s luncheon on Saturday and then three church services that Sunday. This first trip of 2025 put an exclamation point on 35 years of full-time ministry. Let me explain.
Pastor Mark Runyon first contacted me about a year ago. He said he read a chapter I wrote directed to the Sr Pastor in a book titled How To Disciple Men. In that chapter I outlined the importance of the Sr Pastor’s role for effective ministry to men. He told me that it truly resonated with him and asked if I would come and speak at a men’s event he was planning. He later told me that my reaction surprised him. Rather than accepting his invitation I challenged him to take a different course.
In the chapter I outlined that making disciples is a process and not a series of events. I suggested that he take 6 months to a year preparing for his ministry to men and start with identifying 10-12 potential leaders to mentor and train up to become discussion leaders for a weekly men’s gathering. I also suggested a couple of books he should take these men through to get to know them and form a well bonded core team. I suggested that they all need to first become to one another what they expect to reproduce in those you serve.
I then suggested that when his core team is in place that would be the time to plan out what their ministry to men will look like and shared our proven weekly On Target Institute model. I told him that when he had all the pieces in place and wanted to pull the trigger, that would be the time to bring me out if he wanted me to help kick it off.
Well, that is exactly what he did and now six months later I find myself in his living room with about a dozen men and their wives to talk about what is about to happen as they start their ministry to men. It was an awesome time together encouraging these men and their wives about the significance of what they are about to embark upon.
The next day they had a men’s luncheon scheduled advertising the kickoff of their new weekly men’s ministry gathering. About 100 men came and I had the opportunity to share what a disciple looks like and encourage these men to pursue becoming The Man God Intended. About 25 of them asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.
On Sunday I had the privilege of sharing in three services and encouraging the entire church regarding this new ministry. During the third service there was a significant number of people who were coming from various recovery programs, and I felt the Lord prompting me to end with a special illustration that led to another 25-30 precious souls coming to our Lord. I am sure you can understand how wonderful this time was.
I got back home that Sunday night late and truly exhausted. The next morning in my quiet time with God I broke down and entered a time of deep weeping. I thought, maybe I am just emotional and very tired right now, but those thoughts quickly changed to a deep sense of gratitude for what God did and what He was showing me. This truly was an exclamation point on 25 years of developing, testing and tweaking an approach to ministry to men for the local church.
What is so special about this is the sense that I did not just go to speak at another event, rather, I was part of something much greater and was leaving behind a well-planned process that will insure men will grow.
On a deeper level this experience revealed what I believe God wants me to focus upon in this fourth quarter season of my life. He reminded me the other day of the rich experiences He has allowed me to have over all these years. I have literally been blessed with ministering to and with thousands of pastors from all over the world. It has produced in me such a deep love and appreciation for these men.
As of this writing I am formulating what I believe our Lord wants me to focus on moving forward. I know I am to complete our one-year Journey series, but the bigger idea is taking the form of ministering to and encouraging Senior Pastors as we co-labor with them for the souls of men. I will be sharing more soon about what this will look like, but for now—please rejoice with me for what God is doing. He is so good.
In closing I want to encourage you to get a copy of our latest book now available on Amazon or in our on line store.
A Message From Vince
This brief 12-minute video is a lead-in to our module two of the Men On Target curriculum dealing with letting go of our past.