Most men’s ministries mean well. They organize breakfasts. They plan retreats. They host fun and “manly” events. They schedule speakers. They keep many men busy.

But after years of activity, very little actually changes. The same men struggle with the same sins. Homes remain spiritually cold. Leadership pipelines stay thin. Churches wonder why momentum never lasts.

The problem is not effort. The problem is aim.

A men’s ministry that does not clearly know what it is training men to become will always drift into shallow activity. Attendance replaces obedience. Activities replace discipleship. Comfort replaces conviction. Men leave encouraged or inspired for a moment, but unchanged for a lifetime.

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with BBQs, breakfasts, shooting pool, fishing, or doing guy things together. In fact, men should probably do more of those things with solid Christian brothers. Shared life matters. Laughter matters. Camaraderie matters. But those things cannot be the center of gravity for a men’s ministry. Fellowship is a tool, not the mission. If hanging out or just having “clean” activities for the guys to do becomes the goal, discipleship quietly disappears. A men’s ministry built mainly on activities will produce busy men, not spiritually mature men.

Therefore, Scripture never tells the church to simply gather men. Scripture tells the church to make disciples. That means training men to live, think, lead, repent, and obey in very specific ways to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is what every men’s ministry should be training men to do.

1. Train Men To Take Responsibility For Their Own Walk With God

The first and most basic failure in many men’s ministries is this: men are subtly trained to outsource their spiritual growth. They rely on the group, the leader, the church, or the event to carry them spiritually.

Scripture never permits this.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

Every men’s ministry should be training men to open their own Bible, pray on their own knees, confess their own sin, and pursue holiness personally. A man who cannot feed himself spiritually will never be a leader, no matter how many events he attends.

The goal is not dependence on the ministry. The goal is dependence on Christ.

2. Train Men To Know and Obey Scripture

Men do not need more inspirational talks. They need the Word of God. Many men’s ministries avoid Scripture because leaders fear it will feel too heavy or intimidating. The result is predictable. Men remain shallow, biblically illiterate, and easily swayed by culture.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Men must be trained not only to read Scripture, but to obey it. Knowledge without obedience produces pride. Obedience without knowledge produces confusion. A healthy men’s ministry trains men to submit their lives to the authority of the Word.

3. Train Men To Lead Their Homes Spiritually

One of the clearest responsibilities God gives men is leadership in the home. Yet this is one of the least trained areas in men’s ministry. Men are often assumed to know how to lead spiritually, even though many were never discipled themselves.

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Men need training in how to pray with their wives, teach their children, set spiritual rhythms, guard their homes from sin, and model repentance. If a men’s ministry is producing active churchmen who neglect their homes, it is failing at its most basic task.

4. Train Men To Fight Sin Seriously

Many ministries talk about sin in vague terms. Men nod. Everyone agrees that sin is bad. Nothing changes.

Scripture treats sin as all-out warfare.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” (Colossians 3:5)

Men must be trained to identify sin, confess it honestly, flee temptation, and pursue holiness aggressively. This includes lust, anger, pride, laziness, bitterness, and passivity. A ministry that avoids confrontation produces men who avoid repentance.

5. Train Men To Practice Repentance and Humility

Many men equate strength with never admitting fault. Scripture teaches the opposite. A godly man is marked by repentance.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

Men must be trained to confess sin, ask forgiveness, and turn away from pride. This includes repentance before God, wives, children, and other men. A men’s ministry that does not model repentance will produce men who hide.

6. Train Men To Live in Brotherhood, Not Isolation

Isolation is one of the greatest threats to Christian men. Many attend church faithfully yet remain unknown. Men’s ministries often mistake proximity for brotherhood.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Men must be trained to build honest relationships, speak truth to one another, pray together, and carry each other’s burdens. Brotherhood does not happen automatically. It must be intentionally cultivated.

7. Train Men To Serve the Church Faithfully

Men are not spectators. They are servants. A healthy men’s ministry trains men to use their gifts for the good of the body.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Service should flow out of spiritual maturity, not replace it. Men should serve from strength, not burnout.

8. Train Men To Make Other Disciples

A men’s ministry that does not reproduce will eventually die. Every man should be trained to disciple someone else.

“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

This does not require a seminary degree. It requires faithfulness, humility, and obedience. When men are trained to disciple others, the ministry multiplies naturally.

Why This Changes Everything

When men’s ministries shift from events to training, everything changes. Homes grow stronger. Churches grow healthier. Leaders emerge. Younger men mature. Faith becomes active rather than theoretical.

Attendance numbers may drop. Commitment levels will rise. That is a trade worth making.

A Final Word To Men’s Ministry Leaders

You are not called to entertain men – you are called to equip them. That work is slower. More tedious. Less glamorous. But it produces fruit that lasts.

Train men to obey Christ. Train them to lead their homes. Train them to fight sin. Train them to love Scripture. Train them to disciple others.

If you do, you will not just build a men’s ministry. You will help build men who can stand firm in a generation that desperately needs them.