Being a Biblical Patriarch: Loving and leading your family, by Brian Doyle

Masculinity has been in crisis for some time now. What used to be commonplace has become radical and what was radical is aggressively being normalized. Sadly, even some of the language of the Bible is now recognized by our culture as hate language. One Biblical idea that has taken quite a hit is the idea of a husband and father as a patriarch (defined in the dictionary as the male head of a family or a tribe). 

But in the face of growing opposition, as our team at the Iron Sharpens Iron Conference Network comes alongside church leaders across the nation, we believe it is vital to start by reinforcing God’s design that men are called to spiritual leadership. This leadership starts in the home and expands outward from there. It starts in the home because the most important relationships in a man’s life are in the home. This is what we mean by a patriarch.

In fact, a primary descriptive qualification for spiritual leadership in the church is spiritual leadership in the family. Look what Paul writes to his church planting protégé, Timothy, as he coaches him in the qualities necessary for those he is recruiting to be part of his church leadership team in Ephesus:

“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? –1 Timothy 3:4-5

He writes something very similar to Titus as he mentors him in pulling together his new team of leaders at the growing church in Crete. Paul likely considered it impossible for a man to be an effective spiritual leader outside the home if he is not first an effective spiritual leader inside the home. Paul seems to believe that the church and community will greatly benefit from “patriarchs” who are the spiritual leaders of their family.

The authority that God has given to husbands and fathers and that is also necessary for any leaders to do their work has often been abused. But God does not simply call men to be "patriarchs." He calls us to be a particular kind of patriarch. What are some of the most important qualities of a godly patriarch? Below is a short start-up list.

Imagine a local church filled with men who are godly patriarchs! Let us join with Joshua in declaring "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" by recovering what it means to be a Biblical patriarch as we learn how to shepherd our family tribe. As you review the list, I hope you catch the vision for local churches.

The List…

He doesn't simply lead; he shows how and who to follow

A godly patriarch is not an independent and isolated leader. He is first a follower. In this case a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he calls the members of his family to this same pursuit.

"Follow me, as I follow Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15)

Question to consider: "Who would your family say you are following? Where are you leading them?”

He loves sacrificially

A godly patriarch is not dictatorial but rather a loving servant who sacrificially puts the needs of his wife and family first.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:7

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Ephesians 5:25

Question to consider: "What can I do to love my wife and children sacrificially today?"

His voice is heard as affirming

A godly patriarch communicates time and again both verbally and nonverbally to each family member their identity, how he cares for them, and what he thinks about them.

"And a voice from heaven, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" Matthew 3:17

Question to consider: "How often do my wife and children hear me tell them, 'I love you'? What can I do to better articulate their strengths and gifts?"

He shepherds

A godly patriarch watches over those entrusted to his direct care. He does not delegate away this responsibility to "professionals" but rather embraces it. This personal ministry prepares him for the opportunity to watch over others.

"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be." I Peter 5:2

Question to consider: "Who is shepherding my flock?"

He teaches and therefore he learns

A godly patriarch teaches the Scriptures to his family. He is as creative as he needs to be so that every member learns under his care what it means to follow the Lord.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Question to consider: "Do I feel equipped to teach my family? If not, am I willing to simply invest time to read the Bible with my family so we can learn together?"

He prays

A godly patriarch intercedes and speaks to Almighty God for every family member. He is familiar with their needs and talks to God on their behalf. He walks by faith and trusts in the Lord.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Question to consider: "When was the last time I prayed for each of my family members? What can I do to be praying more consistently?"

  

About the Author: Brian Doyle serves as Founder and President of Iron Sharpens Iron, a national conference network serving churches across the nation. His passion is to see the local church become effective in reaching and discipling men of all ages. Brian has served with The Navigators in New England in various capacities, as the New England Area Manager for Promise Keepers and as the Director of Men’s Ministries for Vision New England. He is a recent widower with five children and resides in Winter Springs, FL.

 

Waldheim Update - Unit 3443, by H G Pike

In late September, the staff of CSB Canada had the opportunity to visit the Brigade Unit in Waldheim, Saskatchewan. It was Waldheim's second meeting of the year and the Stockade was having a barbecue on the banks of the North Saskatchewan river.


After a beautiful sunny day, the skies filled with classic prairie thunderheads. There were 55 boys and about 30 men heading for a cookout, wide game, and campfire Story Circle. What would we do if it decided to rain?




The drive to the river was interesting. We left town on a paved, two-lane highway, then quickly turned onto a gravel road. Then we turned onto a farm road. That road became two worn tracks through the grass. The roadbed was good and soon we were leaving the fields to go down to a broad level area beside the river. 


Several cars and trucks were there ahead of us. The campfire was burning and the BBQ was fired up. Hotdogs and hamburgers were being cooked. The boys were busy exploring. The Chief Ranger, Greg Willems, realized that he had left something in his truck and made two steps towards it. "Nope," he said. "It will be pouring before I get back." He was right, so he gathered the boys and men under a large tarp. It poured.

It was time to organize the Stockade, so the Chief Ranger and the Brigade Coordinator, Scott Langelaar, read out the Post assignments. The boys could ask for a change, but as the guys crowded around their Post Rangers, everyone was pleased with the results. It was time to eat. We had our hotdogs and burgers, chips and pop. There was ice cream for dessert.



The rain stopped and the boys were called to assemble in the big field. The boys and their Rangers got to speak to each other. Then the Chief Ranger called, "Build the Stockade." 







The boys formed their Posts. With 55 boys, the corners of the "Stockade" were double-walled... and there were Posts between the corners. In quick order, the Stockade was ready. The Chief Ranger called for the "Stockade Sign", and then "Stockade Silence", and he led in prayer. Instructions were quickly given, and the boys were dismissed to the games.
  
A wide game was already laid-out for the evening. Lines had been spray-painted on the grass, safe-areas identified, jails established, and six stakes driven into both flag area. Teams were organized. Rules explained. The widegame began. 

There on the shores of the North Saskatchewan, the men and boys of Waldheim played Capture the Flag. The boys were pumped. Flags were stolen and recaptured. Prisoners were captured and long lines stretched from each prison to a willing saviour. Jailbreaks were common and swung the momentum of the game.
 

Three rounds were played. The leaders played with the boys and their presence made all the difference. They helped direct the charges. They captured flags. They captured prisoners. Sometimes, they found themselves captured, sparking their opponent's jailbreak. They are good examples of how to play.

It got dark. It was time for the marshmallows and hot chocolate. Roasting sticks were cut from the ample brush. Everyone was having a good time.

Steve Grove, the President of CSB Canada, was introduced and he sat down beside the fire. He paused as the boys gave him their attention. "I was born lame. And for as long as I can remember, I've been carried here to the Temple gate to beg from passersby." He spoke of the lame beggar who was healed in the Name of Jesus Christ by Peter and John. It was a good story and it captured the boys attention.

The evening closed, and the boys and men drove back to the church. It was surprisingly close by. It is their practice that, once the boys are picked up by their parents, the leaders gather for an extended Leaders' Huddle. Their Battalion leaders join them - they had 29 young men that evening - and they discuss how things went, their plans for the next week, their long-term goals, and their big events and special activities. They pray, seeking God's guidance for their Brigade. 

The Waldheim Brigade group is a joint effort by the men of Salem Church and Waldheim MB Church.

CSB - National Day of Prayer 2018

National Prayer Day for CSB Canada

Thursday March 1, 2018

 John 14:13 - Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (ESV)

Thank you for joining us in praying for Christian Service Brigade in Canada.  

Click Here to be  Click here to be 

added to our prayer partners for that date

The President's Connection

Christian Service Brigade Regional Directors have been attending MissionFests and Promise Keepers conferences across Canada in the past months. At the Vancouver and Winnipeg MissionFests, informal surveys revealed approximately 1/3 of all the ministries represented were manned by an alumni of Christian Service Brigade. What a testimony to the heritage and legacy of CSB in Canada! Brigade is still at work, building the godly men of tomorrow who will lead Canada’s churches, missions, and para-church ministries.

CSB has the tools churches need to build godly men of today and tomorrow. Our new booklet, Imagine helps pastors, youth pastors, lay leaders, and church members catch the vision of being a church with a mission to disciple the boys of today to become the godly leaders of tomorrow. Imagine your church equipped with a 15-year discipleship path for your boys and young men. Imagine your teenage guys graduating high school able to stand firm spiritually, ready to face the world with Jesus Christ as their leader, the Holy Spirit as their guide and the spiritual maturity to fulfill their calling in the Kingdom of God.

Your church needs a copy of this booklet. Your friend’s church needs the Imagine booklet that lays out a vision of the future while remaining grounded in today. For your free copy, send and email to: office.ca@christianservicebrigade.ca and we will make sure you have one in hand.

At Christmas, I told you the story of a Grandmother in Ontario who decided to become one of Gideon’s Men by supporting CSB Canada $30 a month for a year. She had seen first-hand how her grandson’s involvement with CSB had changed him for the better. You can join her and become one of Gideon’s Men. We need 300 donors willing to commit just $30/month for 1 year (or a one-time donation of $360).

As president of CSB, it has been my joy to connect with leaders and units across Canada. After a conversation with one Captain, I am currently writing the biblical section of a new Battalion Mission on Blacksmithing. I am talking with others about nominations for awarding the Honourary Herald of Christ to men of integrity who have been discipling the next generation of men for decades.

I also want to remind you that Tuesday February 28, 2017 is going to be National Day of Prayer for Christian Service Brigade across Canada. Will you set aside 15 Minutes to pray for the ministry that you are a vital part of ? If so could drop me a note telling us the time slot that you would be praying.

In addition, we are looking for prayer requests from people all across Canada for the ministry. They will be added to our Prayer Request List that will be sent only to those who indicate they will be praying for us. To protect your privacy where names are mentioned we will use only first names. Send your requests directly to our Vice President, Harold Browne at hbrowne@christianservicebrigade.ca.

Your partners in ministry,

Steve Grove

National Prayer Day for CSB Canada

National Prayer Day for CSB Canada

CSB Canada has set aside March 2nd as our National Day of Prayer for Christian Service Brigade across our great country. 

We are enlisting leaders, churches, friends, alumni and supporters of CSB to lift this vital ministry to the boys and young men in our communities to our Lord God Almighty, seeking His special favour. We are asking men, women and children to be our team of Prayer Warriors. and to also share with us their prayer requests for themselves, families, churches and communities.

Prayer Requests:

CSB Overall Ministry Requests:

• Pray that Christ would be given the preeminent position in all we do and say in the Tree Climber, Stockade and Battalion groups across Canada. And, that the Word of God would be clearly proclaimed, so that each boy or young man would have the opportunity to ask Jesus to become his Saviour, and to follow Him as a strong disciple.
• Pray that the CSB leaders, Tree Climber dads, Rangers, Chief Rangers, Lieutenants, Captains, Brigade Chairmen and church leadership will build strong connections with the boys and young men; that all involved in those ministries will bring glory to God and will truly be “Bright and Keen for Christ”.
• Pray that Churches across Canada would recognize their responsibility to build the upcoming generations of boys and young men, and would seriously consider using Christian Service Brigade as part of their ministry of Building Godly Men.
• Pray for the expansion of CSB to more churches in Canada. We need many more churches to join this ministry. We are particularly focusing on Calgary that was once a hotbed of CSB, and where we have had a number of inquiries from parents and churches about a ministry to their boys. 
• Pray that we would be able to establish strong and vital contact with our alumni both of boys and leaders, particularly with our over 200 Heralds of Christ, to become ambassadors for CSB to lead our efforts to rebuild the ministry across Canada in their churches and beyond.  
• Pray that the distribution of our latest brochure “Imagine” to pastors and leaders would spark an interest in them to encourage the men in their churches to start CSB ministries, particularly those whose churches have operated this ministry in the past .
• Pray for the Board Members of CSB Canada as they provide the overall leadership and determine the direction of the organization.
• Praise the Lord for each one of the monthly pre-authorized donors, many of whom have supported the ministry financially for decades.
• Pray for a substantial increase in ongoing support of our President, as well as the support for expanding staff and additional training resources. 

Requests for our Staff:

• Pray for the staff of CSB Canada and their wives - Dr Steve (Bonnie) Grove, President and RD for North Saskatchewan; Harold (Carol) Browne, Vice President and RD for Quebec & Maritimes; Gord (Marie) Banman, Warehouse Manager and RD for Manitoba & South Saskatchewan; Ron (Diane) Carnahan, Regional Director for Ontario; and Howard (Kathie) Pike, Regional Director for British Columbia & Alberta.
• Pray for Steve Grove he works on the final stages of major revisions to Frontier Trails and a Junior Leaders manual for Battalion. 
• Pray new doors of opportunity to open for our ministry
• Pray for his family during the busyness of season - Ben just turned 18 and finishing his last semester of high school, Bonnie finishing her Honour's Project early April and then self-publishing a novel later in the month.
• Praise that Heather's transition to a new school has gone well.
• Pray for Gord who will be at a Promise Keepers’ gathering next weekend that it would generate interest in the ministry by men to boys.
• Pray for our Upcoming CSB Staff Conference that will be taking place in Winnipeg in May.

National Prayer Requests:

• Pray for safety as our staff, leaders, boys and families travel to and from their CSB activities.
• Pray for CSB's efforts to "Build Godly Men of Today" as we encourage men and CSB leaders to be effective in their churches and ministries, families and communities; to be mighty Men of God and worthy Christ-followers.

• Pray that God will stir up church leadership to provide men in their churches opportunities to disciple and mentor boys to manhood through action-packed, geared-to-boys ministry programs.
• Pray for our partners south of the border, for Scott Haima and the staff of CSB USA headquartered in Buffalo New York.
• Pray that CSB in local churches will continue to Win and Train Boys for Christ, and that together we are Building Godly Men of Today and Tomorrow.

Regional Requests:
     Ontario -

• Pray for Ontario that churches will see a vision to use CSB ministry tools to reach boys and young men for Christ by utilizing the men in their churches to mentor and disciple them.

     British Columbia & Alberta -

• Pray for the growth of CSB - both our work with boys and young men through Christian Service Brigade and our ministry to men through the CSB Men's Network.
• Pray for the current Alberta Trip (home on March 8th, as the Lord leads) - for a good response post-Missions Fest Alberta, good connections to CSB churches, increased opportunities to establish new CSB groups, safety while travelling, and God's appointments.
• Pray for CSB's Iron Sharpens Iron Men's Conference on April 6th with NHL's Ryan Walter and missionologist Dr Bill Hogg. Pray that the turn out of men will be good; that the response by those attending will be favourable; that the Lord will be served by this major men's event in the Lower Mainland of BC.
• Pray for Camp Teepee Pole in Alberta - their Tree Climber, Adventure Trails, Leadership Trails and Stockade Camps, as well as the Father and Son Team Day, Fundraiser Banquet, Work Days, Staff Recruitment and Staff Training.
• Pray for the April Alberta trip, the May Vancouver Island trip, and the summer Camp Teepee Pole trip.
• Pray for the Tough Guys Father & Son - Men & Boys Campout on May 3-5.
• Pray for our connectedness to our CSB leaders, churches and families through our online resources. Pray that Howard will be able to create a simple way to share effectively our CSB equipping resources.
• Pray that CSB in BC and Alberta will be able to build Godly men through our intentional efforts in men's ministry and through the CSB Men's Network.
• Pray for our media connections with The Light Magazine, City Light News, Praise 106.5 and KARI. We need to work on Joy TV.
• Pray for our involvement in and support of Angus Buchan's (Faith Like Potatoes) Mighty Men's Conference in Castlegar on June 28-30.
• Pray for CSB's continued influence in Men's Ministry in the Lower Mainland and beyond. CSB was the original men's ministry in many of today's churches. Men who serve together tend to bond, and will build their churches as a result.
• Pray for God's continued blessing of His Church through its men and especially through CSB. Pray for God to open doors… and to open the floodgates.
• Please pray that Tim Horton's will stop blocking the csbbc.org website.(We have tried to use their request form three times, but so far there's been no response and no solution to the problem.)

Personal Requests to be Shared:

• Pray for CS (a Friend of Harold) who will have major surgery this week to remove a mass. Pray for the best possible outcome.
• Pray for David who is seeking a job. He has his CMA and has worked at Canadian Tire and Tim Horton’s in accounting type work, and is currently seeking employment. Please pray that he would find suitable work. He has recently applied at Canadian Tire.
• Please pray that God would stir the hearts of the men in our church to sacrifice their time and energy to invest in the growing ministry of CSB. We need workers for the field!
• Pray for the family of Wally Mills, better known as Captain Wally, Captain of Battalion at Calvary Baptist, Camp Director at Camp Kakeka, former Regional Director in Central Ontario. He passed away in January.
• Pray for the family of Tom Swan, first President of CSB Canada from 1968 to 1980, Regional Director, Camp Director at Camp Kakeka. His Memorial service to be held Saturday March 16, in Niagara Fall, ON.
• Please pray with Jenn and Ryan Walter that our Lord will be lifted up and exalted in all that they do and say.
• Pray for retired Pastor Spencer as his aged mother has an inoperable mass in her brain. Pray for God’s healing hand to be on Neil R, a Battalion boy who has liver problems.
• Pray for Karson K, a Brigade leader’s three year old son who has had a kidney transplant but is still experiencing issues and is in and out of the hospital.
• Pray for Brandon B a former Brigade boy who is in the Teen Challenge program.

·         Pray for the marriages of Bob, Jim and Kevin, and many of the men of CSB as they try to balance, family, work and service to the Lord.

·         Pray for the Stockade unit at Bear Creek Community Church that God would show us some direction.