Part 4 of the BE AN AMBASSADOR Series.
One of the ventures God has led Noble Warriors to this year has been something we could not have predicted, planned, or seen on the horizon at the beginning of 2022. Yet, God has placed us where the growth and opportunity to train men is unpredictable and unprecedented. We praise God for allowing us to do his work through the prayers and financial gifts of our supporters.
When you join us as a monthly partner, you become an Ambassador for Training Future Pastors to “Act Like Men.”
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13
The Behind-the-Scenes Story
Mike followed the call to pursue his doctorate at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), not knowing the additional plans the Lord had in store for him to minister there. God placed him there in the right place, at the right time, for such a time as this.
At the same time, two men on campus had recently begun implementing the “Elder Initiative.” Dr. Mark Liederbach, Senior Professor of Theology, Ethics and Culture, Dean of Students, and Vice President for Student Services, and Drew Ham, Director of Discipleship & Spiritual Formation, set the goal to see every male graduate leave with the qualifications to be an elder in a local church.
Four key elements of the Elder Initiative are to help men understand:
- They are created male.
- To become intentionally man.
- To be appropriately masculine.
- To be unapologetically manly in the culture.
Mike saw what they were doing and immediately approached them with Noble Warriors materials emphasizing the same things.
The Initiative
The men began asking, “How can SEBTS and Noble Warriors align their efforts to multiply their endeavors?”
Mike has made himself available for discipleship with students and catalyzing men’s ministries in local churches, and the men at SEBTS are helping him facilitate relationships around campus.
He is connecting with current and future local church pastors across the southeast region of the U.S. to train men and help with training missionaries who will have a global impact.
He has participated in “Man School” – the public gathering of men on campus to help men understand the elements of the Elder Initiative.
He is multiplying discipleship based on 2 Timothy 2:2. “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
“Mike has boundless energy, optimism, and enthusiasm,” says Dr. Liederbach. “(It’s) a strong part of what he adds to student life here, and particularly with gathering and mobilizing men to be thinking about how to minister to our culture for the next couple of decades.”
For the next couple of decades!
Noble Warriors ministry values every opportunity to serve one man, one pastor, one church.
Through the initiative with SEBTS, these opportunities are amplified as we serve young men who are being called into ministry. They will begin their vocations knowing the impact of launching or leading a church by investing in men. Our prayer is that we will be able to serve and resource these future pastors and missionaries for years to come as God moves them into their ministry assignments.
Our Growing Need
The initiative at SEBTS is one of the most crucial tasks we’ve undertaken in 2022.
“Understanding a biblical view on both sexuality and gender is quickly being lost. We needed to recover a biblical view of manhood.” Dr. Mark Liederbach, SEBTS
A railroad track on a level plain extends into the distance for as far as the eye can see. Up close, the tracks are parallel, running alongside each other on the same course. Further into the horizon, the tracks begin to merge in the distance, growing closer and closer together.
Noble Warriors and SEBTS are laying parallel tracks with complementary goals of training men in biblical manhood. Only God knows where they will lead. We are obligated to ride the rails for as far and as long as He will take us.
It comes with a cost. We cannot go alone. For those of you who are with us in this call to equip churches as they equip men to walk with Christ and lead well, this is one of our most pressing needs. We are equipping not just one church but an untold number of churches in the future, both locally and globally.
It is no accident that Mike is placed there now.
It is no accident that the school is prioritizing teaching men.
It is no accident that they had just started Man School.
It is no accident that God brought us together.
It is no accident that our tracks are aligned.
He has a plan and a purpose that is above all we can ask or think. Commitment to God’s standards of what it means to “act like a man” doesn’t just happen by default. It requires deliberation, intentionality, and effort. As we walk in obedience, each step requires time and money.
Will you support us so we can continue laying down the tracks God is putting before us?
Will you give a one-time donation by December 31? Will you join us as a monthly partner?