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The Mentorship Gap Epidemic

by Garret Barbush | President & CEO

Recently, the Christian Business Men’s Connection shared a startling statistic – less than 1% of church-going men in America are engaged in discipleship or men’s ministry. As I read the newsletter, I thought to myself, “How can this be?” After all, isn’t mentorship and discipleship the one thing Jesus commands of us? (Matthew 28:18-20)

It begs a few questions…

  • How have we gotten to this point?
  • Why aren’t Baby Boomer (1944-1964) and Gen-X (1965-1979) men coming alongside of the Millennial (1980-1996) and early Generation Z (1997-2015) men and providing mentorship for their faith, family, friends, fitness and finances?

Our research and experiences at Men of Iron force us to conclude an epidemic is upon us – The Mentorship Gap.

The Mentorship Gap is simple, yet so complex. Our culture has hundreds of thousands of Baby Boomer and Gen-X men who are not making mentorship a priority in their life. On the other side of the coin, we have hundreds of thousands of Millennials and Generation Z men who are desiring and needing the mentorship of an older, more experienced man.

Some of us tend to point the finger at the church…

  • The church doesn’t care about men’s ministry…
  • The church is focused on all the wrong things…
  • “The church should be making this a priority…”

Others make excuses…

  • “I’m really busy…”
  • “I’m not sure I have time…”
  • “I’m already involved with a lot…”
  • “It’s just not for me…”
  • “I’m already committed to serving in other ways…”

Let’s take a moment to be men. Let’s take responsibility and call it what it is. The Mentorship Gap is an epidemic because of us…me and you…God’s sons. At the end of the day, it falls on our shoulders – the very men who He called to be the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The very men who Jesus instructs with the greatest commandment – to love him with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:36-38).

Our culture is in desperate need of men who will fight for balance in their lives. Fighting for balance is accomplished alongside of others. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

We pray you will battle the epidemic by answering the call to mentorship. Don’t let culture tell you you’re too busy or unqualified. Don’t let the enemy distract you. Make the commitment to mentorship today!