The Men's Excellence Project
A work in progress...
Below a recent post I made mention of a men’s program my brother, Joe, and I are starting to put together.
I got enough interest in my inbox to think it might be worth sharing the idea more broadly and gauging the amount of interest the idea might raise.
The planning is still in the early stages, but this is a rough outline of what we have in mind:
These will be 2-3 day intensives located in Middle Tennessee, with possible expansion to other locations if there is demand for it. Our aim is to strengthen men in the categories of their:
spiritual walk
health
work and finances
relationships
We will have brief talks on topics, but most of the time will be spent for workshops on specifics in which every attendee will be expected to participate, identify their own strengths and weaknesses, and develop actionable items and goals for follow-up.
For the spiritual matters, we will focus on basics such as having a devotional walk with God, leading family devotionals, and participating in the church, but we will also challenge men to own their struggles. Among other issues, pornography addiction will be addressed as it plagues over half of churchgoing men. That and other sins will be put under the microscope to help each man put their idols to death. My brother, Joe Wilkie, will be lending his experience as a licensed therapist and addiction expert to help men who have acute struggles in such areas.
For health, we will look at the importance of taking care of the body and how healthy eating and physical exercise contribute to mental and even spiritual health.
For work and finances, we will discuss where each one stands and discuss ways to be stable in providing for a family and contributing to the church. We will probably have experts in entrepreneurship and finances help with this part. This and health will be minor parts of the intensive but important nonetheless.
For relationships, we will again gauge where each man stands and help them pinpoint ways to grow as husbands, fathers, boyfriends, singles, or whatever phase of life they find themselves in. We believe virtuous, competent men decisively leading Godly families is the key to restoring the home and society, so this will be a significant focus.
This will not be a lectureship, seminar, or retreat. The key difference will be that the intensive is not a one-and-done event, but a starting line.
As the intensive wraps, the men will be assigned to small accountability groups that will meet weekly (ideally in person, but likely through video chat in most cases). The challenges identified at the intensive will help each man set goals, and the group will bring men together to push each other and provide accountability for continued growth.
One of the session leaders will guide the meetings for the first 3-5 weeks until the group has the hang of what it is supposed to look like. We will then turn it over to the men to sustain their own meetings.
The aim of this is to have continued support to strive to achieve the goals that were set at the intensive. Ideally, each man will come away with a group of brothers who will “sharpen iron” together and make sure the intensive isn’t another “in one ear and out the other” lecture event.
This is the true key to growth.
We believe we have some wisdom to offer, and we’ll bring in others who can address topics in which we don’t have as much expertise, but the real growth will come from the continued fellowship and accountability of brothers who are also striving for excellence. Being part of such a group changed our lives, and we believe every man interested in growth can supercharge their efforts if they don’t have to go alone.
We haven’t determined a cost yet, as the response we get will probably help give us a clearer idea of expenses—where to book lodging, food, other logistics. It would not be inexpensive to put on such an event, but we would aim to be frugal to keep costs within reason. Lodging, meals, and the continued accountability groups would be part of the cost. We’d have to charge enough to cover those costs, plus compensate those who lend their expertise.
So, as these events start to take shape, here’s what we need:
If you’re interested in attending, let us know. And, tell us where you’re located so we can get a sense of the most efficient places to target for intensives.
If you’re in church leadership and think this sounds like a good idea, tell your men about it and encourage them to take part. And, consider sponsoring the project by either donating towards “scholarships” to send men or toward an intensive so we could lower the cost per man.
Pray for the idea and that if it’s in God’s will that He would open the doors to make this come together and bless many men, families, and churches.
I’m excited about this idea maybe more than any other thing we’ve done over the years. It is my firm belief that the only path to reversing the decline in the home, the church, and the society is by developing as many virtuous, competent, strong Christian men as possible. This is the best way to start.
To express interest or ask any questions, email me at jack@focuspress.org or drop a comment below.
Notes
I mentioned my brother, Joe - many of you know him, others may recognize him as the resident therapist on Think Deeper Podcast. Now he’s bringing his unique view of therapy here to Substack - so go join his mailing list!
Times are very tough at Focus Press right now. I won’t bore you with the details, and this is not a financial solicitation, but I’d like to ask for your prayers. Thanks, and thanks to all who read, share, and interact!