The term rose to prominence when a Pew Research poll found that the number of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated rose to almost 20%—a nearly 5% leap in just the last five years. In the subsequent months, a Gallup poll showed similar numbers, and most recently, in March 2013, a poll from UC-Berkeley and Duke University similarly found religious affiliation in the U.S. is at its lowest point since it began to be tracked.

One common thread in every survey has been the significant number of Millennials among these “Nones.” The initial Pew survey found that nearly one-in-three members of the Millennial generation (32%) has no religious affiliation. But, who are these faithless twentysomethings? Where did they come from? Did they ever claim faith? And what is it about religion that has left them cold?

Recent surveys by the Barna Group have shed light on this trend by examining those 18- to 29-year-olds who used to identify themselves closely with faith and the church, but who have since begun to wrestle with that identity.

Read the article.

With this geographic shift, it is likely that the religious makeup of legal immigrants also has been changing. The U.S. government, however, does not keep track of the religion of new permanent residents. As a result, the figures on religious affiliation in this report are estimates produced by combining government statistics on the birthplaces of new green card recipients over the period between 1992 and 2012 with the best available U.S. survey data on the religious self-identification of new immigrants from each major country of origin.

While Christians continue to make up a majority of legal immigrants to the U.S., the estimated share of new legal permanent residents who are Christian declined from 68% in 1992 to 61% in 2012. Over the same period, the estimated share of green card recipients who belong to religious minorities rose from approximately one-in-five (19%) to one-in-four (25%).

Read the article.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller. In a tough week for the White House as it faces snooping allegations on Associated Press reporters and ways it handled the Benghazi terrorist attack, the firing was the administration’s initial response to the abuse of power by the IRS.

“I’ve reviewed the Treasury Department watchdog’s report, and the misconduct that it uncovered was inexcusable,” Obama said in a statement at the White House. “It’s inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I’m angry about it.”

Claiming he was “angry,” the president said the American people had the right to be angry as well and vowed to work with Congress to institute new safeguards.

“I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this happens again,” he said at the East Room of the White House.

Christian Groups Targeted

Not only did the IRS target conservative political groups, but the heightened scrutiny also included well-known Christian ministries.

Read the article.

Dr. Richard Phillips, senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church and a member of the Gospel Reformation Network (GRN), along with 11 other PCA leaders, is the convener of the 2013 conference.

“Our goal is for the conference to promote a more balanced and more robust understanding of the gospel than is often presented today,” Phillips said.

The free conference will begin Monday evening and conclude at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, in time for attendees to prepare for General Assembly’s first meeting.

In addition to Phillips, other conference keynote speakers will be Dr. Harry Reeder, Dr. Ligon Duncan III, and the Rev. Al Baker. The four-keynote address will examine different aspects of grace in the Christian’s life.

“Grace not only justifies but also regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies,” Phillips said. “We want to emphasize that we need not pit justification and sanctification against each other and that faithful preaching of God’s Word involves not only proclaiming salvation promises but also giving biblical exhortations to godliness.”

“Grace not only justifies but also regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies,” Phillips said. “We want to emphasize that we need not pit justification and sanctification against each other.”

In the first plenary session, called “Grace Regenerates,” Reeder will expound on the work of the Holy Spirit in the sinner’s heart. On Tuesday morning in the second session, called “Grace Liberates,” Duncan will speak about how Christ frees His people from sin.

In “Grace Recreates,” Phillips will shift the focus from what believers are saved from to what believers are saved to. In the final session, “Grace Consummates,” Baker will examine the future glory awaiting God’s children and how believers presently partake in that future.

GRN’s purpose is to provide clear, biblical teaching on sanctification. The group formed in 2012 over a growing concern about some teachings on sanctification.

Phillips said GRN members worried about a “general de-emphasis on holiness” in the broader evangelical church, an overemphasis on justification by faith that seemed to condone a lack of personal holiness, and a view of the gospel that treats sanctification as a secondary issue.

“We think that out of a concern to combat a perceived legalism in some quarters, an imbalanced version of the gospel is being taught that downplays the necessity of sanctification to our salvation,” he said. GRN hopes to provide some balance and offer resources that help pastors speak to this imbalance, too.

In addition to solid teaching, conference attendees can enjoy an extensive Christian bookstore courtesy of Reformation Heritage Bookstore. Also, Second Presbyterian will provide a hospitality room with food for conference goers.

Though the conference is free, GRN strongly recommends registering. For more information and to register, visit www.gospelreformation.net.

Current views on the legality of abortion, based on Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 2-7, are nearly identical to those from Gallup’s prior measures in December and May 2012. More generally, they are similar to what Gallup has found for most of the past decade, except for a brief period between 2005 and 2006, when the balance of the two absolutist positions tilted more heavily in favor of abortion being legal in all circumstances.

Read the article.

• The length of General Assembly discourages many Ruling Elders from attending as they have to take vacation days to attend unless they are retired.
• Some Ruling Elders consider seminars and worship services as “down time” between business sessions and would  prefer a more business-oriented assembly.
• Cost is a significant factor for some Ruling Elders who have to pay their own expenses, including registration fees, travel, meals, and lodging, without reimbursement from their churches.
• Location is an issue for others, as reflected in lower attendance when the Assembly is held outside the Southeast.
• Several perceptions about General Assembly also discourage Ruling Elder attendance: the perception that their attendance doesn’t make any difference, that General Assembly is designed as a professional association meeting for Teaching Elders, that many issues seem to have a pre-determined outcome.

To address these concerns the Subcommittee proposed and the full Committee approved the following recommendations to address these issues:

1.      To make a trained member of the Permanent Committee or Agency staff available to serve as a Recording Clerk for the Committee of Commissioner Meetings.

2.      To reduce the overall number of seminars by 25%. 

3.      To include the following suggested relevant seminars in planning future seminars at General Assembly.

       a. Relevant seminars on “General Assembly 101” to help the approximately 100 new commissioners at each General Assembly.

       b. Relevant seminars on hot-button theological issues designed to educate (not persuade) prior to important votes.

       c. Relevant seminars on “Practical Connectionalism” 

       d. Relevant seminars on “Advanced Officer Training”

4.      To re-connect the Committee and Agency Informational Reports with the Committee of Commissioner Reports and adhere to a strict 10-minute time limit for them.

5.      To schedule the most important or controversial business coming before the General Assembly at times of peak attendance. 

6.      To close the Exhibit Hall when the most important or controversial business is being conducted. 

7.      To schedule the meeting of the Overtures Committee in advance of the General Assembly, to allow all the commissioners greater time to evaluate their recommendations.

8.       To encourage the Presbyteries to defray the transportation expenses incurred by conducting an early Overtures Committee meeting.

9.       To reduce the length of the General Assembly to three days.

While realizing that these changes to General Assembly would be significant, the Committee noted that the status quo is unacceptable given the current situation of decreasing attendance and increasing costs.

For a more complete explanation of this proposal and the rationale behind it, read the article on our Issues & Answers page by clicking here.

A: The founders of the PCA recognized the significance of Ruling Elder involvement in the Assembly for the health of the church; but Ruling Elder attendance at the Assembly has been declining steadily for over 30 years as evidence by the following statistics:

• Ruling Elders haven’t comprised more than 40% of commissioners since 1977.
• Average Ruling Elder attendance is 32% of commissioners.
• The average Ruling Elder attendance in the last five years is 24% of commissioners, reaching a low of 21% at Dallas in 2008.

Q: How was this proposal developed?

A: The AC appointed a five member Subcommittee chaired by TE David Silvernail to study this issue and recommend changes to the full Committee designed to reverse this trend, which might serve to decrease the costs of attending General Assembly. The Subcommittee presented its report and recommendations to the AC at its April meeting. The AC adopted the Subcommittee recommendations for presentation to the 41^st General Assembly.

Q: What did the Subcommittee identify as issues that hinder Ruling Elder attendance at General Assembly?

A: The Subcommittee divided the issues they identified into two classes – short term and long term.

Short term issues they identified were:

• Amount of Time – General Assembly is too long and most Ruling Elders have to take vacation days to attend, unless they are retired.
• Meaningful Use of Time – A common complaint is there is too much time between business sessions.  Some Ruling Elders have stated that they consider seminars and worship services as “down time” between business sessions and may prefer a more business-oriented assembly with a minimum of worship services, exhibits, and seminars.
• Costs – Some Ruling Elders have to pay their own costs, including registration fees, travel, meals, and lodging, without reimbursement from their churches.  Travel, meals, and lodging are the greater costs.
• Location – obvious reduction in attendance when outside the Southeast.

Long term issues they identified concerned perceptions. The Subcommittee did not suggest these perceptions were accurate, but only found them to exist:

• Many Ruling Elders don’t see the value of attending.  Many don’t perceive any “Return-On-Investment” in attending, either personally or for their church.  Many don’t perceive that their attendance makes any difference.
• Many Ruling Elders perceive General Assembly to be designed as a professional association meeting for Teaching Elders.  Increasingly many view Presbytery meetings the same way.
• Many Ruling Elders recognize that there is “trust factor problem.”  Too many issues seem to be controlled by the committees and agencies.  Too many decisions seem to have a pre-determined outcome.

Q: Did the Subcommittee identify any other issues that could improve attendance at the General Assembly?

A: The Subcommittee identified three issues relating to Committees of Commissioners which they believe could improve General Assembly attendance:

• Understanding the Role of the Committee of Commissioners. The Subcommittee noted that some who serve on Committees of Commissioners may not properly understand the role of the Committees of Commissioners as it is described in our Rules of Assembly Operations.  The members of the General Assembly Committees and Agencies are elected by the General Assembly itself to handle the responsibilities of that particular Committee or Agency throughout the year.  RAO 4-1 states, “The affairs and programs of the General Assembly shall be conducted primarily through its Permanent Committees and Agencies.”  The staff members of the Committee and Agencies handle the day-to-day ministries of the respective Committees and Agencies. The Committees of The Committees of Commissioners review the minutes of the permanent Committees and Agencies (RAO 14-11), handle any business referred by the Stated Clerk or the General Assembly, and consider the recommendations of the permanent Committees or Agencies.  The Committee of Commissioners may propose to the Assembly different actions on the recommendation of the permanent Committee or Agency, but may not propose new business (RAO 14-6).
• Involvement on Committees of Commissioners. The Subcommittee found substantial anecdotal evidence that once a Ruling Elder has the opportunity to serve on a Committee of Commissioners then that Ruling Elder gains a much greater understanding of the overall process of General Assembly (organizationally, legislatively, and judicially).  Ruling Elders who serve on a Committee of Commissioners are far more likely to serve as Commissioners at subsequent General Assemblies (presumably the same would hold true for Teaching Elders).
• Efficiency of Committees of Commissioners. One of the ongoing concerns is the efficiency and effectiveness of the Committees of Commissioners is somewhat dependent on the ability and experience of the committee chairman and secretary.  This applies to both the operation of the committee (in its assignments, deliberations, and voting) and to the timely and accurate production of the committee report for distribution to the General Assembly.  When there is an inexperienced or less organized Chairman, or a Secretary unfamiliar with the nature of committee reports, there is a high level of frustration on the part of the committee members.  It is vitally important that each Committee of Commissioners elect an experienced Chairman who is well organized.  The critical task of Secretary should be delegated to a person trained for this specific purpose.  Permanent Committee and Agency staffs can provide note-taking and word-processing support services.

Q: Were there other factors the Subcommittee had to consider in formulating their recommendations to the full Committee?

A: There were several essential needs of the General Assembly the Subcommittee had to consider:

• At  least 16.5 hours dedicated to the business sessions.
• Necessary time for exhibitors (who pay approximately one-third of General Assembly costs)
• Long-term contractual obligations – General Assembly contracts are usually let several years in advance in order to reserve space and procure lower costs.  These contracts normally include a minimum number of hotel nights to be filled or there is a financial penalty.
• Logistics of General Assembly operations — particularly the completion, editing, printing and distribution of reports.

Q: What, in full detail, are the Committee recommendations?

A: Their 9 recommendations, as the Subcommittee spelled them out, are as follows:

1. A trained member of the Permanent Committee or Agency staff will be made available to serve as a Recording Clerk for the Committee of Commissioner Meetings.
2. Reduce the overall number of seminars by 25%.  Number of smaller vs. larger seminars is largely determined by available meeting space in individual convention centers.
3. Include the following suggested relevant seminars in planning future seminars at General Assembly.
   1. Relevant seminars on “General Assembly 101” — How General Assembly works for the rookie commissioner (approx. 100 new commissioners at each General Assembly
      1. Roles and Responsibilities of Committees and Agencies
      2. Roles and Responsibilities of Permanent Committees
      3. Roles and Responsibilities of Committees of Commissioners
      4. Roberts Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure
      5. Rules of Assembly Operation
      6. The Role of the Standing Judicial Commission and Judicial Process
   2. Relevant seminars on hot-button theological issues – Designed to educate (not persuade) prior to important votes, i.e. Federal Vision, Deaconesses, Intinction, Theistic Evolution, etc.
      1. Why is this issue important?
      2. What are the theological issues here?
      3. What are the various sides or positions on this issue?
      4. What is the process for dealing with this issue?
   3. Relevant seminars on “Practical Connectionalism”
      1. The “Grassroots” nature of the PCA – history and rationale
      2. Importance and Role of Presbytery
      3. Functional Relationship between the Presbytery and the General Assembly
      4. How are churches and presbyteries affected by the actions of the committees and agencies?
   4. Relevant seminars on “Advanced Officer Training”
      1. Shepherding congregations individually and corporately
      2. Basic Discipleship and Basic Evangelism
      3. Small Groups – techniques and leadership
      4. Leadership Role of Ruling Elders
      5. Leadership Development of future church officers
      6. Mentoring for Ruling Elders
4. The Committee and Agency Informational Reports should be re-connected with the Committee of Commissioner Reports and should adhere to a strict 10-minute time limit.
5. The most important or controversial business coming before the General Assembly should be scheduled at times of peak attendance.  Often the most important or controversial business comes through the Overtures Committee and/or the Review of Presbytery Records Committee.  When the most important or controversial business comes through other Committees of Commissioners, then they should be scheduled accordingly.
6. When the most important or controversial business is being conducted, the Exhibit Hall should be closed.  To compensate for these specific closing times, there should be specific times dedicated to allowing the commissioners to go to the Exhibit Hall.
7. The Overtures Committee should meet in advance of the General Assembly, as the Nominations Committee and the Review of Presbytery Records Committee does now.

   NOTE #1: The Overtures Committee is designed to have two members (One Teaching Elder, One Ruling Elder) from each presbytery; for a potential total of 162 voting members.

   NOTE #2: The Overtures Committee (on average for the last five years), has approx. 140 people in attendance; of these, 90 are voting members (54 Teaching Elders and 36 Ruling Elders), and 50 are observers.

   PRO: This would allow all the commissioners greater time to evaluate the recommendations of the Overtures Committee.  Too often, significant changes have been made to the submitted overtures and the assembly doesn’t have sufficient time to consider them before having to vote.

   CON: There would be the inevitable “politicking” about the issues through social media, weblogs, etc.  However, such “politicking” may also have an educational purpose.

   CON: There is a cost to having a second trip, primarily transportation, particularly for those who live more than a day’s drive from Atlanta.

   PRO: Many Ruling Elders report that they would rather make two shorter duration trips to conduct General Assembly business than one week-long trip, possibly increasing the number of commissioners in attendance when voting on the overtures.

   PRO:  The cost is usually less expensive than conducting this business at the General Assembly itself, as it is with the other committees that meet early.  Despite the national growth of the PCA, the majority of elders reside within driving distance of Atlanta.

   PRO: The reduced costs of a shortened Assembly for 1200+ commissioners outweigh the increased cost for the 140 attendees of the Overtures Committee.(See Recommendation 8)

   PRO: Having the Overtures Committee Report ready on the first day of General Assembly greatly increases both the efficiency of the General Assembly meeting schedule and the number of commissioners in attendance when voting on the overtures.

   PRO:  Those who come to observe the deliberations at the Overtures Committee would no longer be unable to serve on any of the other Committees of Commissioners.

8. The Presbyteries should be encouraged to defray the transportation expenses incurred by conducting an early Overtures Committee meeting.  Since there is already lower representation on the Overtures Committee from those presbyteries in the western half of the country, this would help increase attendance from non-participating presbyteries
9. The General Assembly should be reduced in length to three days.  In order to reduce costs, the General Assembly take the second half of the week (Wednesday – Friday), allowing the Convention Centers to book the first half of the week.  The costs are greater when we schedule a mid-week assembly (Tuesday – Thursday) since it restricts the booking ability of the Convention Center.

Q: What might a revised schedule of General Assembly look like?

A: Recognizing that specific committee times to be determined by the Stated Clerk’s Office (which is the current practice), the schedule might be as follows:

EHC = Exhibit Hall Closed

Wednesday

8:00 am – 9:00 am             Briefing for new Commissioners

9:00 am – 11:00 am           Committee of Commissioners Meetings begin

11:00 am – 1:00 pm          AC / BOD Meeting

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm          Lunch Break

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm            Committee of Commissioners Meetings continue

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm            Committee of Commissioners Reports compiled / edited

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm            First Seminar Period

4:15 pm – 5:30 pm            Second Seminar Period

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm            Dinner Break

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm            Opening Worship Service EHC

9:00 pm – 10:00 pm          Assembly Business / Moderator Election (1 hour / 1 total)

Thursday

8:00 am – 11:30 am           Assembly Business (3.5 hours / 4.5 total)

11:30 am – 1:00 pm          Lunch Break

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm            Assembly Business (1.5 hours / 6 total) EHC

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm            Exhibit Hall

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm            Assembly Business (1.5 hours / 7.5 total) EHC if necessary

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm            Dinner Break / Major Seminar

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm            Assembly Business (2 hours / 9.5 total) if necessary

9:00 pm – 10:00 pm          Exhibit Hall / Ice Cream Social

Friday

8:00 am – 11:30 am           Assembly Business (3.5 hours / 13 total)

11:30 am – 1:00 pm          Lunch Break

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm            Assembly Business (4 hours / 17 total)

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm            Dinner Break

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm            Closing Worship Service EHC

Q: Does the Committee have any concerns about such a significant revision of  General Assembly operations?

A: While the Committee understood and appreciated the significance and difficulty of this re-structuring of General Assembly, it seemed apparent to them that due to the current situation of decreasing attendance and increasing costs, the status quo is unacceptable. They also recognize that no plan is perfect and there are always unintended consequences, and fully expect that adjustments will be needed once the above recommendations are implemented.

Q: Does the Committee anticipate any other benefits to this plan?

A: The Committee believes that implementation of these recommendations will also serve to encourage an increase in Teaching Elder attendance as well, primarily due to time and cost reductions

Gosnell faces four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of infants prosecutors say survived late-term abortion procedures. He also faces one count of third-degree murder in the death of a patient who overdosed on anesthesia. Additional charges include racketeering, performing illegal abortions after 24 weeks, failing to observe the 24-hour waiting period, and endangering a child’s welfare for employing a 15-year-old in the procedure area.

Read the article.

Smithbaker burns to see churches embrace the biblical mandate to defend the cause of the fatherless; and when churches do, it electrifies the body of Christ

In 2007 Smithbaker and his pastor, Scott MacNaughton, founded Fathers in the Field (FITF), a church-based program that pairs men in the church with fatherless boys to teach the boys outdoor skills, introduce them to the love of their Heavenly Father, and help them learn to forgive their earthly fathers.

Smithbaker’s father left his family while his mother was pregnant with him. His father even encouraged his mother to abort him. Smithbaker said the wound of his father’s rejection gnawed at him for years and drove him to perfectionism as a way to earn the love of a father who had wished him dead. In his quest for success, he swore he would never forgive his father.

Ten years ago Smithbaker stopped his car on the side of the road and surrendered his life to Christ. As he knelt and confessed his need for a savior, Smithbaker said he felt God telling him, “John, now you need to forgive your earthly father.”

“I wrote my dad a letter telling him what he did was wrong but that I forgave him because God had forgiven me. One year later God put Fathers in the Field on my heart,” he said.

Fathers, Faith, and Forgiveness

Smithbaker and MacNaughton began the pilot program for FITF in 2005 and rolled out the full program in 2007. The FITF curriculum is comprehensive. Pairs of mentor fathers and boys (called “field buddies”) commit to participate for three years. Field buddies attend church twice each month with their mentor fathers and help widows in the community through monthly service projects.

Mentors and field buddies also work toward a year-end adventure, meeting monthly to practice for the “Adventure Passage” and discuss the themes in the Life-Journey curriculum. The Life-Journey study specifically addresses the wounds of father abandonment.

Based in Lander, Wyo., FITF welcomes sportsmanship and adventure. The program encourages mentors to share their passions with their field buddies, especially interests that get the boys into God’s creation. MacNaughton, who pastors Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lander, believes the outdoor element of the ministry kindles the excitement of the men and the boys.

“Boys are naturally adventurous, and they need to get outside and be introduced to God’s creation. God is ministering to boys through the outdoors,” he said.

“Boys are naturally adventurous, and they need to get outside and be introduced to God’s creation. God is ministering to boys through the outdoors.” — Scott MacNaughton

And when men in the church are encouraged to use their interests to help others, MacNaughton believes those men are ignited to faithful, enthusiastic service. “My passion is to set men free into their passion, to serve God with it,” he said. “[Men can] use that passion to pass on a legacy to a child.”

Once the mentor fathers have secured the field buddies’ trust, they begin to share with them about forgiveness — how God has forgiven them and how they need to forgive the fathers who abandoned them.

Making a Man of Masen

Masen King needed to hear that message.

Emilee King, Masen’s mother, was one of 12 women who responded to the ad Smithbaker and MacNaughton placed in the paper asking for fatherless boys to be mentored in the pilot program.

Masen had met his biological father once years ago when Masen visited him in prison.

“[My father] told me after he was done there that he would be turning his life around and would like me to come stay with him. I haven’t seen him since. He never once was part of my life and has never supported my mother,” Masen said.

King had used other mentor programs in the past but with little success, and she was concerned about Masen’s growing anger about his father. That was when she saw the ad in the paper.

At age 9 Masen became MacNaughton’s first field buddy. MacNaughton taught him how to hunt and introduced him to the love of his Heavenly Father. Masen said he and MacNaughton have talked about everything two people could possibly discuss.

Since then Masen, now 15, has forgiven his biological father and professed faith in Christ. When MacNaughton baptized him, four generations of Masen’s family — none of them regular church attendees — came to the baptism.

King is astounded at the gracious young man her son has become, and she credits FITF with helping him relinquish his long-held anger.

“Scott and [FITF ] have taught Masen to forgive and what it means to truly forgive someone. He is different now because he doesn’t carry that anger with him everywhere he goes.”

“The Tsunami is Coming”

Smithbaker believes defending the cause of the fatherless is a Christian duty and the answer to a national crisis. In the U.S. today more than 40 percent of children—  over 25 million — grow up in fatherless homes.

The reasons for the fatherlessness matter little; its effects are the same. Children from fatherless homes commit the majority of murders and make up more than half of the state-prison population. They are more likely to abuse drugs, drop out of school, exhibit violent behavior, and commit suicide.

And as these children become adults, the wounds only fester. “Wounded people wound others,” Smithbaker said. “The tsunami is coming.”

MacNaughton freely quotes passages from the Old Testament and New Testament — including Isaiah 1:17, the FITF theme verse — to demonstrate how the pages of Scripture overflow with calls to defend the fatherless. “The heartbeat of God is for the defenseless and the weak,” MacNaughton said.

But FITF aims higher than giving fatherless boys a productive hobby or keeping them out of trouble. Smithbaker is hunting for hearts.

“Boys are being helped,” he said. “It’s not our job to make them good citizens but to share with them the gospel in a way a fatherless boy can understand and to show him a path out of hell.”

Churches Changed

That goal of forgiveness makes FITF different from other mentoring programs. In June 2012, FITF won WORLD Magazine’s Hope Award for the West Region. Still, fatherless boys are not the only ones changed through the experience. MacNaughton said that when a local church partners with FITF, the experience transforms the church.

Through FITF, deacons have their biblical roles returned to them: caring for widows and the fatherless. “It makes a huge difference in the church,” MacNaughton said. When FITF began, Covenant’s deacons realized just how many widows attended the church. Now the deacons have a vibrant ministry of finding and meeting these members’ needs.

Widows in turn become a front-and-center ministry as churches begin to actively pursue them and find ways to meet their needs. Field buddies and mentor fathers spend time each month serving them in practical ways, such as shoveling snow, weeding flowerbeds, or chopping firewood.

Women in the church also dive into the ministry, often caring for daughters in the home or bringing a meal to a single mother —  anything to make the women in the home feel special. This is not an official component of FITF but seems to be a natural outgrowth of women’s compassionate natures.

And the church’s men find a way to use their interests and energy to dramatically impact the kingdom.

“It’s not just about a man and boy in the field,” MacNaughton said. “This is the whole body of Christ modeling the love of the heavenly Father to a broken family.

FITF puts safeguards in place to ensure all participants’ safety. The ministry must go through a local church, and mentor fathers must be approved by the church leadership and submit a written testimony and letters of recommendation. They must also pass local and national background checks. Mentor fathers and field buddies always do group activities with other pairs, too.

Today more than 200 churches across the country participate in the program or are preparing to participate. Most churches have a handful of mentor father and field buddy pairs, but that is sufficient. “Every soul is worthy of the effort,” Smithbaker said.

For churches interested in participating in FITF, MacNaughton’s advice is simple:  “Pray, pray, pray.”

King can attest to the incredible impact Covenant and FITF have made in Masen’s life, and she encourages other churches to take steps to have the same impact on boys on their communities.

“I am not sure [Masen] would be where he is without Scott, John, and their team and the program. The best part for me is knowing that Masen has made a lifelong friend at such a young age that he looks up to, loves, and will forever be grateful for.”

Masen likewise has words of encouragement for partner churches and future mentor fathers.

“If the opportunity were to come by for me to talk to a church about FITF, the only advice I could give is to definitely try [FITF]. They have no idea of the impact on a boy’s life and that being a mentor father can just about save somebody’s life.”