By Ron Patrick
President, Men’s Discipleship Council
Overview
A new Men’s Discipleship Council (MDC) was approved by the Disciples Home Mission Board. This new organizational structure allows us to bring together a reasonably sized group of people to develop and promote the ministries of Disciples Men with a greater diversity of perspectives.
Our Rationale
The General Conference of Disciples Men (GCDM) is the long standing program arm of the Office of Disciples Men. The GCDM consisted of the President of Disciples Men for each Region and the Regional staff person responsible for Men’s Ministries in each of the Regions. The Director(s) of the Office of Disciples Men served as ex officio members. The GCDM was led by an Executive Committee made up of elected officers and appointed representatives from National Convocation, Obra Hisipana, and North American/Pacific/Asian Disciples (NAPAD).
Over the years fewer and fewer regions have maintained functioning Disciples Men’s groups at the regional level, and many regions do not have a staff person assigned to resource Disciples Men. To be effective a new approach was required.
These realities, along with the COVID pandemic, prompted the Executive Committee of GCDM to gather for a retreat in March 2022 to discern and develop a new structure for Men’s Ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The new Men’s Discipleship Council is the result of that effort.
This new organizational structure allows us to bring together a reasonably sized group of people to develop and promote the ministries of Disciples Men with a greater diversity of perspectives. The new Men’s Discipleship Council (MDC) was approved by the Disciples Home Mission Board at its November 2022 meeting.
What’s New
Each of the five Regional geographic clusters will have three representatives on the MDC (no more than on person from each Regional cluster to be a clergy person). In keeping with our prior structure, National Convocation, Obra Hisipana, and NAPAD will each have two dedicated seats on the MDC. It is our intention to fill the 15 cluster representative seats with men who also represent the diversity in leadership priority of the DOC. In addition, there will be one dedicated seat for an indigenous representative nominated by the Center for Indigenous Ministries.
The Executive Committee of the GCDM also wanted to ensure that the MDC was intentionally including perspectives from across the denomination.
We hope this new structure will enhance the ministry of Disciples Men, but also be a support to the wider church.
The Five Touchstones of Disciples Men (loving, serving, faithful, compassionate, and Christ-like) are the foundation upon which the Men’s Discipleship Council will develop its ministries.
Click here to get a copy of the new organizational structure.
Disciples Men is a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and proud to be a part of Disciples Home Mission.
