The following three core principles underlie the sharing and camaraderie found in a dynamic men’s fellowship group:
The Sharing is the Teaching – the Teaching is the Sharing
Fellowship in groups is a bottom-up, rather than a top-down, experience. Fellowship doesn’t depend upon structure or authority. It doesn’t require the presence of a priest or minister in the role of teacher of spiritual director. The learning comes from the sharing of life experiences in the presence of Jesus and the light of the Gospels.
In sharing our story with others and in listening to the experiences of others, we come to know more fully who we are. The fellowship setting doesn’t provide answers to problems – it facilitates giving our problems over to Jesus Christ for resolution. The fellowship process helps us to focus more intently on the events of life and to see God’s plan in everything. We come to realize through sharing that nothing is coincidence.
Your Weakness is your Strength
In the fellowship setting, we share our failures as well as our victories. We thank the Lord for our success, and we ask Him to help us in overcoming difficulties. Many men have come to know Jesus out of an experience of failure – in acknowledging our inability to cope with circumstances on the basis of our own abilities. A significant conversion experience born out of desperation is an occurrence in the lives of many men. To acknowledge human limitation and dependence upon God for everything in life is the beginning of wisdom and the start of a new creation – to be born again into abundant life!
Your Crisis is Your Gift
God uses all things for the good. (Romans 8:28) The education of a young man is a process in which talents are identified and developed. A personality is formed, a healthy ego grows, and a measure of self-reliance is nurtured. However, if this process takes place in the absence of any significant relationship with God, a “mid-life crisis” is likely to occur. For many men, this crisis can be converted into a life-changing moment by giving it over to the Lord. Fellowship groups are familiar with this experience and can help men struggling with the problem to find the solution in the gift of freedom that Christ purchased for us on the cross.