When Men Awaken, the Church Advances

January always carries a certain weight.

It is not just the turning of a calendar; it is a moment of recalibration. A collective pause. A sacred breath where hearts ask questions that schedules often silence: What kind of year will this be? What kind of people will we become?

Across the Church, I believe we are standing at such a threshold. For years, we have prayed for renewal, contended for transformation, and longed to see lives formed deeply, not just inspired briefly. And yet, history reminds us of a consistent truth: when God moves powerfully in the life of His people, He often begins by awakening us to responsibility, to presence, and to purpose.

Not dominance. Not bravado. Ownership.

When men are formed, and not merely informed, families stabilize, churches strengthen, and communities shift. When men learn to carry both conviction and compassion, truth and tenderness, courage and humility, the Church does not need to manufacture momentum; it begins to advance naturally.

This is not a call only to men. It’s for pastors who labor faithfully and wonder how to cultivate deeper engagement. For leaders who feel the strain of sustaining vision without shared ownership. For churches longing to see faith lived out consistently beyond Sunday.

Healthy men do not draw attention to themselves. They create environments where others flourish. As we step into this new year, my heart is not fixed on programs or platforms, but on formation; the quiet, often unseen work of shaping men who know who they are in Christ, understand their role in the body, and are willing to stand in the gap when faith demands courage.

Something is stirring across our association. We may not be able to name it yet, but we can feel it. A readiness. A holy dissatisfaction with shallow faith. A growing desire for substance, brotherhood, and purpose.

January is simply the beginning. And beginnings matter because they set direction. May this be a year where men do not merely attend church, but become the Church in their homes, their communities, and their daily lives. And may the Church, strengthened by formed and faithful men, step forward with renewed clarity, unity, and resolve.

Pastor Benjamin Wilson President, NACOG National Men’s Ministry