The Families Need Men

If we want healthy churches, we ought to have healthy families. The whole cannot be healthy if the parts are not healthy. Churches are not made of individuals alone but of families. Although many churches offer programs for families, many do not really disciple and equip families to function according to God's design.

In the same way, healthy churches need strong male leadership grounded in the word of God; healthy families need strong men leading them and a solid culture of family worship.

Married men need to wake up to the fact that they are the pastors of their families. And no one can truly pastor any flock without knowing Scriptures deeply and living a life based upon it. For this reason, theological study and a life of deep devotion are not only for pastors but for every man. The pursuit of holiness and a blameless character is not only for pastors but for every man.

Every man is called to represent Jesus Christ in their home. Men, your family is your first ministry; your family is your little church that God gave you to pastor; your family is your battleground. And one day, you will stand before God and respond for how well you have led your family.

Men, God has entrusted you a wife and children (if you have) to take care of them for Him and for you to lead them into a flourishing life - mainly spiritually. And your family needs you. If you "accept" or not this function, it does not matter; if you are married, the responsibility is in your hands, and you need to do something about it. And if you neglect this responsibility, the people you claim to love will suffer. 

Now, if you are not married, this is not a pass for you to do whatever you want with your life. If you're single, you need to start preparing today to be this godly man for the family God might give you. Even if you never have a family, the single has the calling to use his time and energy to serve the Lord in ways that would give the married man a more challenging time. 

And lastly, we need to raise our boys to be these men in the future. Families have been raising men to be good workers, to be rich, to be happy. But we need primarily to raise our boys to be godly men who will, in the future, lead their families well. 

One of the essential requirements for a man to be a pastor in the church is for this man to lead his family well. If the families fail, the churches fail. If the families have no qualified leadership, the church will have no qualified leadership. Without qualified leadership, churches will grow sick and problematic, not having the impact the church should have in society.

May God have mercy on us and raise men who are humble to recognize their shortcomings and who are willing to walk this path. 

Nino Marques