Strategic Plan

 
Executive Summary
 
To achieve a greater sense of spiritual formation through disciple - making in adherence to the Great Commission mandate, we strive to develop a ministry to men that will disciple men in and through the gospel to be like Jesus Christ. Our mission is to grow men in Christ by meeting with men, ministering to men and mobilizing men.
 
Introduction
 
A Commitment to the Great Commission through Encouragement, Exhortation, Edifying, and Evangelizing Men in the Mid - South

There is a great need for a Christ centered discipleship ministry to men who are currently lost, or wandering in the spiritual wilderness of our culture. There is a great need to exhort elect covenant leaders in the Mid-South who either through disobedience, or a lack of salvific faith are not living up to the realization of the spiritual Promised Land, that is, a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is a great need to encourage men to come out of their spiritual wilderness. There is a need to have mentors walk with them, in and through their own wilderness tests and trials. There is a great opportunity to challenge growing Christian men to seek new frontiers, by leaving their own Egypt. There is a need to encourage men to go from sin's captivity, through times of testing to a greater sense of God's kingdom promises.
 
Memphis has many large and vibrant churches. Many of these same churches have men's programs, and in a few outstanding cases, large didactic settings for Bible Study. The need at present is to target specific ways to encourage men to move beyond the larger context to those small group settings that allow for truthfulness, transparency, and genuine sharing. In addition, there is a great need to target key leaders who are not Christian.
 
Few men avail themselves of this, or have the facility to initiate these settings. For one reason, like personal evangelism, it is threatening.  It pushes beyond one's comfort level. It involves the possibility of change.  It also may call into question how much one is doing that it is only explained by the blessing and hand of God.
 
The Holy Spirit is pleased to use small group discipleship settings to get beyond the cultural veneer of stoicism and resistance. Most men, especially "boomers", have seen their World War II fathers' model granite silence in spiritual matters. Few men, including ministers, have experienced Great Commission discipleship that allows the safety and freedom that comes from conformity to Jesus Christ.
 
Men have great responsibilities to love their wives as Christ loved the church. They have the mandate to provide for their households. They are to disciple their children, and raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Add to that list several hundred other Scriptural admonitions and it becomes heady and daunting stuff. Especially if one tries to do it in the energy of the flesh. Many are ill-equipped to stay focused on a daily God dependency.
 
Most men are hungry for significance, angry about their station in life, lonely in relationships, and tired and cynical about the wallop that the joy of the gospel can abundantly provide.
 
The answer is an intentional ongoing challenge to churches, and to specific business and professional leaders to meet, to pray together, and to get in small friendship cell and accountability relationships, and to allow the Word of God to transform and renew their lives. Discipleship and evangelism, the follow - up to large settings is minimal in the best of churches. Therefore we are called Discipling Men, Inc.
 
Bio of Donovan K. Riley
 
Reverend Donovan K. Riley
Reverend Donovan K. Riley is the son of the late Colonel Frederick F. and Eleanor Riley. Don was born in Washington, D.C. He lived in Tokyo, Japan, and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 8 years of age. He attended the Campus School and graduated from Elizabeth Messick High School in 1967. In 1975, he graduated from Memphis State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. In 1981, he graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Chicago, Illinois with a Masters of Divinity. Prior to seminary, he served as youth Minister at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He served for 3 years as Director of Junior High Youth at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, and served for 8 years as Minister of Evangelism and Assimilation. Don served a year at Park Cities Presbyterian Church as Minister of Evangelism and Discipleship.  He then served a year at Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he was instrumental in planting a church.
 
Don is currently Executive Director of Discipling Men, Inc. He is excited about seeing men grow in Christ. Don is active with the Boy Scouts and has served as Director of Relationships and Chaplain for the Chickasaw Council. He is currently Scoutmaster of Troop 86 at Second Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee.
 
Don is married to the former Susan Thomas, who is a pre-op recovery room nurse at Germantown Surgery Center. They have a son, Daniel, who works in software programming in New York City. He graduated from Evangelical Christian School where he played football and lettered four years and went on to graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Daniel is an Eagle Scout of Troop 86.

Review of Similar Ministries
 
Local Ministries:
There are few ministries in the Memphis and Mid-South that address growing men in Christ in and through small groups. DMI is geared to that end.
 
The Men's Fraternity ministry meets weekly at Crichton College and offers teaching in a large group setting. The strength of the ministry is that it has excellent curriculum. The weakness is that there is little emphasis on small group sharing. In fact, the best work pertaining to small groups in and through the Men's Fraternity has been done through DMI Board member E.W. Golden.
 
"The Great Adventure" and "the Quest for Authentic Manhood" is another name for the same curriculum that the Men's Fraternity is using from the North Little Rock Bible Church. Again, it has excellent curriculum. The teaching is in a large group setting, with small group participation done according to the commitment to small groups of the particular church that uses the curriculum. Currently, First Evangelical Church and Hope Presbyterian Church use this method.
 
CLC stands for Covenant Life Curriculum, a Nashville based ministry that recruits 12 men to invest in approximately $300.00 worth of materials to go through their system. The material is Biblically sound. The weakness is that it has too large of a group to manage. Men can hide in a group that large.
 
The Barnabas ministry is a one person ministry that entails one-on-one mentoring. The strength of this ministry is that the mentor is very knowledgeable, and godly. The weakness is there is no emphasis either on evangelism or small groups.
 
Nationally
Man in the Mirror Ministry. This Orlando, Florida based ministry is led by Pat Morley who wrote the Man in the Mirror, an excellent resource for men. They have an excellent website:  http://www.maninthemirror.org/
The ministry is very strong, and an excellent model for DMI. The PCA denomination is currently working with this ministry to bring it denominational wide. Weaknesses, too few to comment.
 
Promise Keepers. A national ministry that has done a great deal to bring the gospel and principled Biblical commitment to many men. It has attracted literally thousands to their stadium events. I have attended two such events. Coach Bill McCartney started this ministry and has been blessed and also challenged. The ministry went through a significant downsizing and almost went under due to over extension of it plans and resources. http://www.promisekeepers.org/#
 
Top Gun Ministry: http://www.topgunministries.org/ is a ministry out of the Elmbrook Church in Brookfield Wisconsin. This ministry has great influence because of its excellent resources.
 
Situation Analysis
Strengths and Weaknesses of Competitive Ministries vs. DMI
 
Why is this Ministry Needed?
 
Jesus said in Luke 10: 2, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
 
There are few ministries in the Memphis and Mid-South that address growing men in Christ in and through small groups. DMI is geared to that end.
 
The emphasis of the "Men's Fraternity" is a large group setting, the emphasis of  "The Great Adventure" is a large group setting, the CLC curriculum is geared to twelve in a group which is too large for proper sharing and intimacy in shared relationship, plus the cost is prohibitive for many, and the Barnabas ministry is geared for one-on-one ministry.
 
The national ministries do not emphasis small groups and end up duplicating what large churches such as Second Presbyterian Church, Bellevue Baptist, First Evangelical, and Christ Methodist Church are already doing. These churches teach a large number of men in a large group setting. The emphasis of getting men together just for and with men is outstanding. It can be very passive in that the men listen, and go on to work. The vertical emphasis is outstanding as far as Biblical knowledge; however the personal interaction is minimal at best.

Ministry Goals

Meet with men in small groups, facilitate small groups, initiate small groups, and serve as a consultant to ministers who oversee small groups.

 
Minister to men through devotional e-mails, teaching, men’s retreats,  individual counseling and discipling.
 
Mobilize men locally for a major work project, mobilize men and take at least two trips internationally where we are mobilizing men to serve in a larger sphere of missions.
 
To bring on an administrative assistant to work part time in the office.
 
To begin to write curriculum for men to be used in small group settings.
 
To have a Web site that serves as a community bulletin board for men’s events and men’s projects.
 
Discipling Men Consultancy – Impact a number of churches in through the formation of small groups within their churches.

a.    Develop a relationship with new churches that lead to the start up of small groups
       within these churches.
b.    Work throughout the year to mentor, encourage, and help the leadership to
       maintain momentum of these groups.
 
Long Range Goals    

Three Years
 
One Full Time Staff:  Ministry Trained
One Administrative Assistant
One Full Time Secretary

One Book Published

One National Seminar Attended
One International Trip
One Study Group Trip Abroad

Three Corporate Chaplaincies Established

Six Months of Funding In Place
  
Five Years
 
Two Full Time Staff:  Ministry Trained
One Administrative Assistant
One Full Time Secretary
 
One Book Published
 
One National Seminar Attended
Two International Trips
One Study Group Trip Abroad
 
Five Corporate Chaplaincies Established
 
Six Months of Funding In Place
 
Ten Years
 
Three Full Time Staff:  Ministry Trained
One Administrative Assistant
One Full Time Secretary
 
Three Books Published
 
One National Seminar Conducted
Three International Trips
One Study Group Trip Abroad
 
Ten Corporate Chaplaincies Established
 
One Year of Funding In Place
 
 Overall Plan of Ministry

To Meet this need we propose the establishment of a 501c3 non-profit ministry as outlined below:

a.  Establish a full time executive director who has an encouraging, evangelistic heart to follow
     the Great Commission in making and nurturing new disciples in Jesus Christ.

b.  Establish a vibrant ministry that addresses and specifically enhances the churches of the
     Mid-South in meeting these needs.

c.  Work with and through a Board of Directors to carry out a measurable plan that establishes small
     groups, evangelizes key business and professional leaders in the Mid-South, and encourages
     churches to increase their commitment to these same Great Commission goals and objectives.
 
It will be a Great Commission ministry to encourage, to edify, to exhort, and to evangelize other men. This discipleship ministry is to encourage men to have fellowship together in small groups. This ministry is to edify men by building them up through participation in personal and corporate worship. This ministry is to exhort men to truthful relational transparency, and accountability. This ministry is to reach other men in specific and relational evangelism through the gospel for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

This ministry will be prayerfully accomplished by the grace and power of God through one on one contacts, through setting up small accountability groups, through establishing mentoring relationships, through men's outreach evangelistic events, through specific business, professional, educational, service, and social evangelism opportunities, through newsletters, through corporate Bible studies, through radio, and through the multi-faceted new ways God will direct.
 
The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28 : 19, 20 :  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

DESIRED OUTCOMES
 
a.    The presence of a servant with an evangelists heart who consistently and frequently contacts,
        and calls on business and professionals leaders to reach them for Jesus Christ.

b.    The realization that, according to God's grace, a number of men come to a saving faith in Jesus
       Christ.
 
c.    A significant number of new small group initiated, encouraged, and set up through this ministry.
 
d.    The opportunity to serve as a consultant to area churches to promote small groups, discipleship,
       and evangelism among men.

e.    A network set up among current twelve step groups, specifically, Faithful and True, that 
       encourages them to meet in greater Biblical discipleship and accountability.

f.   The possibility of offering chaplaincy services to area corporations, offering counseling, grief
      management, and hospital visitations.
 
g.   The establishing of marketplace Bible studies meeting specifically within the corporation,
      business, or professional settings.
 

MINISTRY AND POSITION TITLE
Discipling Men, Inc.
Executive Director
 
POSITION CONCEPT
To direct and coordinate a discipleship ministry to men in and through a large network of business and professional leaders in the Mid-South.

CANDIDATE CRITERIA
a.    Excellent background, training, and proven experience in teaching and leading discipleship and 
       evangelism ministries.

b.    An enthusiastic commitment to extend the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in and through the
       good news of the gospel.
 
c.    A person who has had extensive experience starting, and maintaining small group relationships.
 
d.    Masters or doctorate degree in theology or Biblical studies.
 
e.    A person who is committed to work in and through the local church to compliment and not
       compete with her mission and ministry.

f.    A person committed to the personal disciplines of worship, prayer, and Bible study to the end
       that they acknowledge that apart from Jesus they can do nothing.

g.    A person willing to be totally accountable to the Board of Directors and the ministry relative to
       their own walk with the Lord.
 

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
 
a.    To call on business and professionals leaders to reach them for Jesus Christ.

b.    To set up new small groups that serve to disciple men in transparent, accountable, but
       encouraging relationships.

c.    To frequently contact, call on and meet with area churches and ministers to help them facilitate
       such groups within the context of their own church setting.
 
d.    To call on, meet with, and encourage Christian leaders to grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus
       Christ, and in the process begin to target future Great Commission prospects.

e.    To attempt to establish marketplace Bible studies in corporate settings.
 
f.    To establish a strong Faithful and True network that helps uniformly to take these support
       groups to a greater sense of Biblical discipleship.
 
g.    To establish a strategy with the Board of Directors on creative and fresh ways to reach men in
        the Mid-South for Christ.
 
h.    To establish men's evangelistic outreach events in and through area churches.
 
STAFF ORGANIZATION

a.    The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.
 
b.    The Executive Director works in and through other spiritual leaders for ideas, resources, and
       collaboration.
 
c.    Future staff members will report to the Executive Director.