Book Peter to speak.
Pastor,
Thank yo for taking time to consider this message. Whether or not you are compelled to book me to speak, I pray this letter will be useful in your effort to go make disciples. While some of this information will be known to you, some of it won’t. So consider it in full context before moving on or moving forward.
There’s so much noise, so much distraction, so much interference to the efforts of the church to go make disciples. And as you already know, the data says people value the church less and less every year. Membership and attendance are both down double digits in the last 20 years.
Look, there’s no doubt there’s a reason Jesus is coming back. But that doesn’t change the mission in the meantime…
…go make disciples of all the nations.
I’m not here to say there’s a path to reverse the global trend. But I believe there is opportunity to make waves. There has to be, because Jesus isn’t back yet. I believe the path to making those waves comes in the hearts and minds of men.
But discipling men has become more and more difficult. Men are different than they were even a generation ago. But there’s one thing in the life of men that hasn’t changed.
They work.
Despite all the attempts of the world to soften men, silence men, distract men, minimize men…they still go to work.
And that makes for opportunity to make waves.
Why?
First, work is something big that we all have in common. Even though it’s a big topic, with all sorts of variations, it’s easy to understand. And even though it’s a big topic, it is still specific. It serves as a relatable context for equipping men to go make disciples.
Second, the workplace represents a largely untapped, overlooked mission field. While there are some men serving on some level as salt and light, few are bold. This problem is compounded by a vacuum in Scripture-informed discipleship guidance, purposed for the workplace. Most of the discipleship we see or hear about these days pales in comparison to what we read in Acts and the epistles. There needs to be more boldness, particularly by men, in sharing the good news of the Gospel in the marketplace.
Third, the culture has moved right on past cancel culture to something more chilling. And christian men were are reeling from it. The were already reeling before 2020, even strong believers. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest it’s even worse now. Men are afraid. Christian men are afraid. There’s too much heads-down-and-don’t-get-fired meekness from men in the marketplace right now.
As a result, work is largely disconnected from a man’s faith in Christ. For most men who consider themselves “christian”, living their faith in the workplace is a private exercise in prayer and good behavior. True disciples of Christ are troubled by this private way.
But they don’t really know how to consider Scripture for practical application. Eventually, they see work as a grind, as unfulfilling, as a big thing that lacks depth in spiritual meaning.
That’s the beginning of something we call The Loop. Success or failure, it doesn’t matter. Work, sooner or later, grinds men into a place where the unfulfilling nature of it leads feeds a desire to cope with pleasures steeped in sin.
They cope in excess. Maybe it’s hobby time, numbing out on TV, drinking, adultery, drugs. Maybe it’s gambling or electronic gaming. Maybe it’s eating. Maybe it’s golf. Whatever it is, it’s excessive. Then the coping leads to mind trash (disappointment, doubt, despair).
The mind trash leads to a mind slide (festering, suffocation, temptation to cope more). The loop motors on drawing a man further into a kind of quicksand. The harder they try to get out, the deeper they sink. And the consequences of the loop…man…what a whip. Crushing debt. Physical health problems. Broken relationships. Enmity with God. A deeply troubled soul.
While not all men are caught deep in the loop, in reality, the situation is like an iceberg. (I know, another illustration to describe what’s going on here. Hope they are helping.) There are far more men in The Loop than we can see.
And they need help.
So why the local church?
God makes it clear in Scripture that the church is His people and place for discipleship.
The church has a captive audience creating a low barrier to entry for affecting change at scale (sans waves).
Another reason why the church…let’s take a peek into my story for that.
I became a believer at 13, grew in my faith for nearly a decade. But when I entered the workplace, I was not equipped to be bold for Jesus within it. Let me be clear, ultimately that’s on me. And there was definitely personal, spiritual drift that contributed to me being unequipped.
Nonetheless, I was overwhelmed by the marketplace, and how work was defined within it. God didn’t give up on me, but there was a relentless tension between Sunday and Monday, so to speak.
For two and half decades, I was surviving in the marketplace, even when I was succeeding…especially when I was succeeding. Yes the church was there for me. And I did grow in my faith. But my worklife was a huge part of my world ,and it was mostly disconnected from my faith. In time, I found my way into the loop. Again, that’s on me, not the church.
Still, the church and para-church ministries had (have) a blind spot. They provide teaching on the basics of christian living and practical application in my personal life. But there was very little equipping for being bold for Jesus in the marketplace, how God defined work, or how to be a steward rather than an owner.
God is God and what he did with me is nothing short of a miracle. Yes this is only one story. But remember the iceberg. My story is just the one you are seeing at this moment. The berg is real pastor. There’s more to the story. But right now, the important thing is that Inflooent came to be.
And you are reading this with an opportunity to meet an unmet need with the men you shepherd. Helping solve this unmet need is our mission…
…to enrich the experience of work among men of influence by equipping them to be bold for Jesus in the marketplace.
We both understand, as pastor, you have many things to consider and prioritize. So, if you have been praying for a breakthrough for your church, this may be the tip of the spear. Inflooent is not the answer. Jesus is always the answer. Nonetheless, he Inflooent can be an instrument He uses to activate men to go deeper in His Word, drawing nearer to Him, making disciples,
If you’d like to visit about bringing me in to speak to your men, please use the calendar below to schedule a conversation. We can explore what makes sense for you and your men.
In Christ,
Peter A Snell
Founder
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