Vision New England seeks to put men in their proper place at home and in church

A New England ministry is seeking to reseat men in their biblically-ordained roles in both the home and the church.

A New England ministry is seeking to reseat men in their biblically-ordained roles in both the home and the church.

Vision New England, founded in 1887 for furthering the work of Christ in the New England states through evangelism, discipleship and celebration, holds regular men’s meetings, called “Iron Sharpens Iron Conferences” that seek to awaken men to their biblical roles in the family and church.

The conferences seek to assist local churches in building men’s ministries that help men to recover a biblical understanding of gender roles in both home and church.

“The primary challenge of ministering to men is theological,” said Brian Doyle, director of men’s ministries for Vision New England. We no longer embrace the man as the head of the household and as a leader in the church.

“We are trying to reach men at the grassroots level—through the local church. We want to teach them and provide them with tools to help them be leaders in the home and church.”

Doyle finds that many pastors lack biblical convictions on gender roles in the home and church. The conferences and workshops also seek to assist pastors in working through issues of gender and how they apply to leadership in the local church.

While many men may serve on a church committee or a board of deacons, few of them take seriously their responsibility to serve as the spiritual leadership in the home, Doyle said. The conferences also seek to awaken men to their responsibility in teaching the Scriptures to their homes through regular family devotion and Bible study.

“At the workshops we try to give men tools such as good, solid books that teach them to be the spiritual head of the home,” Doyle said. “If you give a man a tool he will use it, so we try to do that.”

Last year, Vision New England held two Iron Sharpens Iron Conferences and it will hold five this year. The conferences feature nationally-known speakers.

Randy Stinson, executive director for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Woman, spoke at the first conference of 2004, held Feb. 28 in Burlington, Vt.

“The Vision New England conferences are an excellent place where men can go to hear biblical teaching about their unique, God-given roles,” Stinson said. “Brian Doyle has done an excellent job coordinating these conferences and has been a great encouragement to CBMW.”

To learn more about Vision New England, its ministries, as well as Iron Sharpens Iron Conferences and seminars, please see their website.