At Leyland Methodist Church (LMC), a band of brothers formed over three years ago with the main aim of bringing other men to know Jesus. BOB has partnered with Christian Vision for Men (CVM) and follows the three level model of faith sharing created by CVM. The three levels can be described as follows:

  • Level 1 ­ Social events
  • Level 2 ­ Social event with a speaker
  • Level 3 ­ Regular bible study

Level one events have included clay pigeon shooting, paint balling, bowling and pizza, quiz night, archery, scuba diving and a brewery visit.

There is generally a level one event every other month. We have seen attendance grow at these events as more men respond to personal invites to share a lot of fun. The events are based on the premise that men like to ‘shoot stuff, eat stuff and burn stuff’. This approach allows non Christians to see that Christian men are just like them apart from the crucial difference of knowing Jesus.

Level two events have included men’s breakfasts and other visiting speaker events. Speakers we have used include Carl Beech, the director of CVM and Anthony Delaney, ex policeman, author and current leader of the Ivy Church in Manchester. The last event was very well attended and further strengthened the links between Christian men and those who do not yet believe but this time with a strong Christian message.

BOB’s level three event occurs on the third Thursday of every month, recently we have been using a set of material created by CVM called Code-life. This is a set of twelve pledges or codes that men can agree to live by, all of which are based on biblical examples. One good example of living by the code is following the month when the group studied code 7, “I will put the welfare of those closest to me before my own welfare”.

The three level approach is great for developing friendships with non Christian men and bringing them along the journey to the point where they can hear Jesus knocking on the door of their heart and they feel compelled to let him in. BOB at LMC is growing and we are seeing some great new men come to Christ.