Our goal with men’s team ministry is to provide consistent and effective years-long service to people in our churches and communities with long term needs, such as the widowed and single parents. To do this, we emphasize three unique qualities of Christ’s love: identification, commitment and sacrifice.
When it comes to the question of whether or not there is ever a situation when a men’s team ministry should stop serving a care receiver, the answer I give is that yes, there are situations when a team can stop serving a care receiver, and even should stop serving a care receiver.
For example, a single parent, widow or widower may remarry. In this situation, there is obviously no more need to provide a team for the care receiver. Or the care receiver’s circumstances may change in other ways. A relative may move to town and become involved with the care receiver on a regular basis. Or a care receiver may move into an assisted care facility. (If this happens, it would still be appropriate for the team to remain in regular contact with them, but devote their time and energy to another care receiver.)
I’ve written about these types of situations in the past, but there are two more sets of circumstances that I’ve never mentioned before. The first is where a care receiver claims to be a Christian but engages in overt sin. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 5.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral peoplenot at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
This passage has direct application for our ministry. If a team is serving someone who claims to be a Christian and yet is engaging in overt, “highhanded,” sin, then the team needs to stop its service and explain to their care receiver why. By continuing to serve someone who claims to be a believer but is living in open rebellion against God, the team is publicly condoning their behavior.
The second situation that I haven’t dealt with before is where a care receiver misrepresents themselves to the church. Usually potential care receivers within the church are well known. But sometimes the church knows very little about potential care receivers from the community. In these situations, a team may find out the true nature of their new care receiver’s circumstances only after working with him or her for a few months. Here too, the team should feel free to drop their care receiver if they discover that they have been deceived.
It’s true that the love of Christ demands commitment to our widowed and single parents. But that commitment must be balanced with biblical wisdom and honest confrontation.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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One thought on “Should a Men’s Team Ministry Ever Stop Serving a Care Receiver?”
I agree with this post. “Commitment must be balanced with biblical wisdom and honest confrontation.” Thanks