{"id":49601,"date":"2025-03-25T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/?p=49601"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:24:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T21:24:38","slug":"investing-in-men-to-invest-in-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/investing-in-men-to-invest-in-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in men to invest in others"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. JOHN\u2013First Baptist Church of Port St. John<\/a> has seen firsthand the value of investing in men. This year marked the fourth annual Men on Fire conference, a gathering designed to equip Christian men through worship, instruction and prayer while challenging them to embrace God\u2019s calling in their lives.<\/p>\n

The conference, which began in 2021 under the leadership of Pastor Andrew Carrington, was birthed out of a desire to strengthen men\u2019s ministry and discipleship. Citing statistics that show men\u2019s spiritual engagement lags behind women\u2019s, Carrington emphasized the importance of intentional investment. According to a 2022 Lifeway Research<\/a> report, \u201cThere\u2019s a 5-point gap between men (15%) and women (20%) who attend religious services at least weekly. That\u2019s less than half of what it was in the early 1980s.\u201d Additionally, women are 10% more likely to spend time alone with God daily and 6% more likely to read from the Bible or a devotional.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen\u2019s ministry isn\u2019t as active as it used to be,\u201d Carrington said. \u201cStatistics show that if a dad comes to faith, it changes the entire family. We need men to lead\u2014not just in their churches but also within their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

“We\u2019re investing in men so they can invest in others.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n Andrew Carrington<\/strong>
\n pastor, First Baptist Church of Port St. John\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\nA Focus on leadership and discipleship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike many men\u2019s events that emphasize outreach or evangelism, Men on Fire is focused on leadership development and discipleship among Christian men. The theme for 2025,\u00a0Men Mentoring Men, underscores the ongoing goal of equipping men to invest in others beyond their immediate families.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event was streamlined into a one-day format, featuring three times of worship and four teaching sessions alongside three breakout discussion groups. The main speaker, Roger Howell, led two of the four teaching sessions. Other speakers included Jim Johnson, a local pastor, and Darren Schock, a chaplain from the local jail ministry.<\/p>\n

Strong attendance and lasting impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s conference saw 122 men in attendance, representing 11 churches. Participation has grown annually, reflecting the increasing demand for men\u2019s discipleship.<\/p>\n

At the close of their time together, men were encouraged to complete a survey identifying at least one person they could pray for or mentor. \u201cWe\u2019re calling men to look beyond their immediate families and ask, \u2018Who do I need to invest in?\u2019\u201d Carrington explained.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Men of all ages gather for the Men on Fire conference at First Baptist Church of Port St. John. Coming out of the men\u2019s event, attendees are challenged to commit to pray for or mentor at least one person.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Follow-up efforts include monthly men\u2019s meetings at the church to continue discussions and provide accountability. Several families have joined First Baptist Port St. John as a direct result of this ministry, including a current co-director of the conference who first attended four years ago and is now on track to serve in church leadership.<\/p>\n

Partnerships strengthen conference\u2019s reach<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Men on Fire conference has received support from the Florida Baptist Convention,<\/a> with Patrick Coats, Florida Baptists\u2019 East regional catalyst<\/a>, overseeing the partnership. Additionally, the Brevard Baptist Association<\/a>, under the leadership of Jerry Thornton, helped promote the event and extend its reach beyond the local church.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Carrington and his team are committed to deepening the impact of the conference, ensuring that men are not just attendees but active participants in discipleship and leadership within their churches and communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just hosting a conference,\u201d Carrington said. \u201cWe\u2019re investing in men so they can invest in others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. JOHN\u2013First Baptist Church of Port St. John has seen firsthand the value of investing in men. This year marked the fourth annual Men on Fire conference, a gathering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":50586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,48,11,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-developing","category-region-east","category-expanding","category-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67848,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49601\/revisions\/67848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}