The World Still Needs Faithful Men by Bryan Craig

Bill McCartney, the National Championship coach of the Colorado University Buffaloes and the founder of the Promise Keepers movement, died on January 10 of this year. It is interesting to me that I did not hear about it on the news, even on ESPN, but one of my mentors who was very involved in the PK movement told me about it. I also find it interesting that as time goes on, more and more, when I mention the PK movement, I stare at a lot of blank faces who don’t know what I’m talking about.

The PK story is an amazing story of revival in America that started with a humble yet passionate man, who was very successful and loved the Lord, but realized he was failing as a husband and a father. And he looked at many of these athletes he was coaching and saw the affects of fatherlessness. Coach Mac began a battle cry for men to start stepping up to be the spiritual leaders of their families and their generation. He was convinced that this would turn the tide on family health and would begin a revival that would strike down the evil that seemed to control the world. He truly believed MEN were the key.

And Coach McCartney practiced what he was preaching, as he retired from coaching football at the pinnacle of his career to pursue this calling from God to rally men. And a few years later, when his wife Lyndi fell ill, he stepped down from this ministry he loved to be a Promise Keeper to his wife and take care of her. He truly was a great man, and my mentor, who knew him very well, says “it was never about him.” 

It started with a few thousand men gathering in an arena in Boulder, CO, then moved to the football stadium with 20,000 men. Then a spark hit the nation and men from all over the country made a pilgrimage to Folsom Field in Boulder, filling the stadium, and starting a movement. This started in 1990 and by 1996, PK rallies were being held in the largest NFL football stadiums in the country and one million men attended. In 1997 they held a Day of Prayer, called “Stand in the Gap” (pictured above), where over one million men gathered at the National Mall between the Capitol building and the Washington monument, falling on their faces to pray for this nation, for families, for men. The theme verse was:

 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

I was one of those million men at a PK rally in 1996 and I was on my face in Washington DC with the million men there, as well. I was an eyewitness to something truly amazing.  This was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life, and it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking.  Up until that point, I thought that I would be a faithful man if I went to church regularly, perhaps served on some committee, attended a Bible study and was a pretty good guy.  As I listened to some of the best Christian male speakers at the time talking about what it meant to be a man of God, I was cut to the heart.  I realized that they were describing a lifestyle that I knew nothing about.  I was determined to figure it out.

The problem is that at that time, no one seemed to be able to show me how you become that man.  We had accountability groups of men who would meet weekly to talk about how we were doing with Bible reading, prayer, marriage, parenting, but it almost became a measuring of how I was doing compared to the other men.  Our focus was on the wrong bar.  And I loved these guys, but honestly, it didn’t bear much fruit.  It wasn’t until I met Rocky Fleming and heard about this process of going “vertical” rather than “horizontal”, where we assess our life in the Light of our Savior, the King of Kings, our Lord, who came to show us the way and who sent His Spirit to guide us even now.  For the first time in my Christian life, I saw a pathway to become the man I longed to be.

I believe Promise Keepers was a Revival or an Awakening of men in this country.  I believe many of these men who attended, like me, have found Influencers and this ministry has continued what God started in developing men to be the spiritual leaders of their families.  And now they have a process that shows them how to become a man who looks like Jesus and a tool to help other men in their lives.

I want to say that I celebrate how Influencers has expanded to reach women and couples and youth.  But I also want to say that I still believe what Coach McCartney believed.

The World Still Needs Faithful Men

When God gets hold of a man, it changes marriages, it changes kids in that household, it changes workplaces, churches, communities, cities, nations.  It’s true.  This statement in no way diminishes the huge contribution of Christian women throughout history, but:

• There is something about a man falling in love with Jesus and starting love His wife the way Jesus loves him.

• There’s something about a man who abides with Jesus and begins blessing his children instead of cursing them.

• There’s something about a man who lives out his faith at work unashamedly, with integrity, passion, purpose, and love.

• There’s something about a man whose identity is in Christ, whose wounds are healed, whose insecurities are nailed to the Cross, who walks in peace, humility, and contentment.

• There’s something about a man who has crucified his worldly nature and sees his resources as belonging to the Lord, generously helping those in need and ministries who need support.

• There’s something about a man who is a servant leader, serving his family and others rather than serving himself.

Think about the situations in your own family and your sphere of influence, with all sorts of stories and complications and struggles. Could a man who is involved in those situations make a difference if he was abiding in Christ and leading like Jesus?  I think you will find that the answer is YES.

So, this blog calls out specifically to all you men out there who are involved with Influencers.  God is still looking for a few faithful men who will surrender their lives to Him, walk with Him, serve Him and help other men do the same.  This is part of the reason Influencers was founded, and it remains a strong calling. 

The Lord needs you, your family needs you, your church needs you, your community needs you, other men need you.

Let’s continue the work of a humble, passionate man, Coach Mac, who is barely remembered but affected millions of men for Christ by just being faithful.