Humble Beginnings:
Men Mapping was birthed from an overwhelming burden to reach men who suffer with being fatherless - physically or spiritually. Dr. Phinney's life story reveals the purpose and reason why God would choose a vessel like him to start such an outreach.
The very first group of Men Mappers was a small group men organized by Michael Tope and Steve Phinney in Scottsdale, AZ in 2002. Both saw the need to train and equip men to be protectors of women, children, family-life and the communities they served. Due to the success of this particular group, Steve Phinney incorporated the "Men Mapping" concepts by placing it under the ministry of IOM America (Institute Of Ministry) in the fall of 2002. It continues to be an official part of IOM America.
The Men Mapping concept is based on the study of several Biblical leaders, the primary being Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a cup-bearer, builder and governor, three of the basic building blocks of a man. Nehemiah’s servant leadership was a direct result of a personal and humble walk with God, his king and his people. His influence as a leader was so effective that he was able to accomplish a remarkable feat – winning the heart of his king, strategically developing a plan to rebuild Jerusalem, implementing this plan and finally, govern the people to bring order to the nation of God. Men Mapping purposes to equip men with the same key leadership skills that God blessed Nehemiah with.
The Men Mapping concept is based on the study of several Biblical leaders, the primary being Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a cup-bearer, builder and governor, three of the basic building blocks of a man. Nehemiah’s servant leadership was a direct result of a personal and humble walk with God, his king and his people. His influence as a leader was so effective that he was able to accomplish a remarkable feat – winning the heart of his king, strategically developing a plan to rebuild Jerusalem, implementing this plan and finally, govern the people to bring order to the nation of God. Men Mapping purposes to equip men with the same key leadership skills that God blessed Nehemiah with.
Targeting The Hearts Of Men
Men Mapping has specific targets in reaching the overall vision and mission statements for their ministry by:
- Helping men discover the secrets of their souls
- Learn how to deal with those secrets
- Exploring and learning how to deal with the Biblical issues of manhood
- Map out personal and professional plans
- Gain personal and professional direction and guidance for those plans
- Equip those very men how to equip other men how to do the same
- Training and equipping men to understand the value and benefits of how a woman is designed to function
The Leadership Team
The leadership team of MM was originally formed from the first group of men that attended a weekly discipleship breakfast conducted in 2002. Today, the oversight team is the Board of Directors of IOM America. Each of these men, past and present, worked diligently to apply many of the principles that are taught in Man Mapping. As a result of the growth and encouragement these men received, the outreach of Men Mapping is in several other ccountries besides the United States.
TYPICAL ACTIVITIES OF MEN MAPPING:
Men Mapping conducts five primary activities throughout the year. They are as follows:
Monthly Rallies: MM Monthly rallies are considered the “gate way” to the MM outreach ministry. These rallies are held on a day that is best suited for each Men Mapping leader and their group.
The goal and purpose of these rallies is to open the door to men who wish to learn more about the specifics of manhood. Monthly Rallies are designed in such a way that men can come and be involved on a monthly basis even if they do not desire to be a part of one of our small groups. The teachings and presentations during these times are designed to be "topic friendly" - issues that men face today. The content of the teachings are to be Biblically centered.
Special Note: Teachings can be from downloaded PowerPoint presentations by Dr. Phinney or obtained through other resources.
During each rally men are invited and encouraged to join one of our small groups offered through the leadership hosting the Men Mapping Rally, which are held twice a month. The monthly rallies are designed to be held in geographic locations. Once a particular Rally spreads, the hosting MM Leader should find another location to start another Rally and series of small groups. For example, in a rural area, the leader would start a Monthly Rallies in separate community townships. In a metropolitan area, the leader would start one in the city or suburb they live in and branch out into other surrounding suburbs or communities.
Small Groups: The Men Mapping small groups are more structured and directive in nature. The goal of the small groups are to lead the men to, or back to, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Word of God is, and should always be, the foundation of the Study Guides selected by the individual small group leaders. These leaders should be mature enough to offer directives to the men for their daily growth. Men Mapping group leaders should focus on interpersonal transparency, teachings from the Bible, group discussion and personal homework assignments.
The small groups are designed to meet twice a month. Typically groups meet for breakfast, lunch or “coffee time.” Groups are kept to 6 to 8 men. The cycle of each group is 6 months. Upon “graduation” from the group, the men are challenged to become equippers of other men by joining a Leadership Training Group or re-enter a small group for more personal growth.
THE TWO BY TWO APPROACH: Each small group attendee is challenged to pick two male friends and meet with them on a regular basis in order to share what they are learning in their small group and personal mentorship times.
It is also an objective of Men Mapping, whenever possible, to connect each attendee to a local church for further growth and development. It is critical that the small group leader is sound in Biblical doctrines. IOM America Resource provides a 100 question exam to help make sure each leader is not liberal or emergent in theology - click here to download a copy.
Leadership Training Groups: The LT groups focus primarily on training leaders to minister to other men using the Men Mapping system and ministry tools. These groups meet twice a month on an on going basis. Within the group, leaders are taught practical principles on leadership, how to lead a group, how to use the Men Mapping materials, and how to effectively teach. One of the key elements to the LT group is leadership and personal accountability.
Men Mapping offers training material for advanced leaders to host and teach these training groups. For those located geographically close to the home office of Men Mapping Outreach, contact them directly for local training: corporate@iomamerica.org On site training is also available through scheduling Dr. Phinney to come to your community.
Quarterly Training Workshops: Men Mapping challenges leaders to conduct workshops on a quarterly basis to better equip men their men to be more adequate leaders of their homes, businesses, communities and ministries. There should be general sessions conducted by keynote speakers on the topic of Biblical manhood. Between general sessions there is to be workshops offered on specific topics such as; marriage, parenting, business practices, team building, personal and professional strategic development, communication workshops and other related topics. To learn more about how to run a successful Men Mapping Convention, contact our main office.
Annual Men’s Advance: It is highly recommended that each regional Men Mapping leader host an annual Men Mapping Advance. The advance (retreat format) is to be an annual celebration of the work accomplished by God through the hearts of the men throughout the year. The advance is to include a keynote speaker, many testimonies, group interaction, and plenty of male related interactive games.
Available Materials - Men Mapping will provide the following materials:
- Study Guides for the small groups
- Leadership Lesson Plans for the small group leaders
- Audio and videos of the Monthly Rallies (when available)
- Men Mapping Mentor Broadcast Feeds
- PowerPoint presentations of the teachings of Dr. Phinney & others
- An interactive website
- Books, tapes and materials from other Men Mapping teachers
- Links to other Men Mapping helps
Men Mapping Outreach Ministries is not a self-promoted ministry. It is designed to give men, from all parts of the world, materials, plans and ideas in how to effectively start a men's ministry in their geographical area of burden. It does need to be noted that Dr. Phinney will travel to your community for a period of one week to assit interested leaders in starting the Men Mapping process. After some pre-planning, during the week of his stay, Dr. Phinney will:
- Provide personal disciplehsip to the assigned Men Mapping leader.
- Keynote speak at the first monthly Men Mapping Rally.
- Conduct the four-hour Small Group Leadership Training module.
- Develop a three-year strategic plan for the church or ministry hosting Men Mapping.
For more information on booking this power packed week-long event, click here
Study Materials Available by Dr. Phinney:
· Men & Warfare – 30-Day Study Guide on Spiritual Warfare
· Marriage Covenant Conference Series
· Faithful Father Workbook
· Living Life Discipleship Manual (300 Pages)
· Legacy of a Father
· Men and Warfare Series (Workbook, Leaders Guide & 6-Hour CD Set)
· Men & Warfare Leaders Guide
· Warfare Prayer Book (Men Only)
· The Book of Prayers (For All)
· Sexual Temptations of Man Workbook
· The Principled Patriarch Workbook
· Knowing Your Spiritual Gifts
· Dad's and Their Mentors
