Have some questions about The Manger Build?
Here are some FAQ’s:
We do have a Spanish version of the devotional activities as well as the manger building instructions in a pdf format. We’re asking the church to purchase the regular participant’s guides for each Dad. They come in packs of 10 for $24.99. Then we will provide you with a downloadable document (12 single pages that can be printed double-sided) that you can print and insert in each of the guides. That way the families have the whole booklet in English and the information on building the manger and the devotions in Spanish.
Use it for outdoor decoration. Fill it with goodies and take it to a fire station, shut-in or nursing home. Turn it into a cross at Easter, (We’ll show you how later.) Let the kids take it apart and drive nails in the boards until they are demolished then throw it away. Find more creative ways to use or lose your manger by clicking here.
The Manger Build is designed to be a resource used by the local church to build men and equip them to keep Christ in front of Christmas for their families. But, can it be used as an outreach as well? Yes! We get excited when we hear churches share that they are reaching out to the community and inviting men to come and build mangers who otherwise may not step foot in a church.
Maybe you’re church could partner with a local preschool and invite the dads to bring their kids for a morning of fun. Or, what if you reached out to the men in a local business. The opportunities are endless. The key is to make sure you are inviting men to build mangers with their kids, and that your local church is the cornerstone. The event is important, but you also want to make sure that there are opportunities for followup and engagement through the local church.
Be careful here. You will need to position this correctly to keep men from developing a ‘Been there. Done that.’ mentality. For our family, building a new manger each year is a tradition. What to do with last year’s manger? Numerous options… Our family has been building a new manger each Christmas for about 10 years. The manger is new each year, but we change, modify, adjust the spiritual leadership tools. Great reminder each year that we have to work to keep Christ at the front of Christmas.
You will need to know how many men are planning to join you for The Manger Build so you will need some sort of registration strategy. You can use a paper registration, but we encourage churches to figure out how to do online registration, as well as credit card payments. For online registration, Noble Warriors uses Eventbrite and we have had great success with that. Another option is EventSpot. For credit card payments, Square is a great tool for taking credit card payments.
No and Yes. No because we want to keep the pressure on men to lead their families and engage their children. When we offer ‘loopholes’ Adam’s nature takes over and men find something else to do while their wives engage. When we require that the manger build be a men’s only event, men who don’t have children at home step up to engage differently. Yes, single moms, wives of deployed soldiers and others with extenuating circumstances are encouraged to bring their kids and have them work with a ‘surrogate dad’ to build their manger. Those moms could schedule to pick up their crew in an hour or perhaps even enjoy refreshment in Mary’s Coffee Shop. Bottom line. We don’t want any kids to not have an opportunity to build a manger to take home. The men in the church need to step up to fill some gaps here. This is a great ministry opportunity.
Addition promotional material is available once you purchase The Manger Build Church Resource Kit. There will be 2 promotional posters in your kit, promotional material on the Resource USB, and additional material available when you access exclusive content on the website. (COMING SOON)
You can find some graphics and website banners under the graphics tab (COMING SOON)
One of the challenges that we face in helping churches reach and build men is that in many cases, the idea of ‘Men’s Ministry’ is really one guy with a passion to invest in other men. Unfortunately, he often works alone. I can tell you that reaching men is hard work and if you try to go it alone, you’ll ultimately flame out. So, the key to success is building a team.
Building a solid team is an especially important aspect of hosting The Manger Build for your church. Doing this whole project alone is dangerous and foolish! So, start now to build a team. I talk about this a bit on page 14 of the church resource manual. Truthfully, you don’t have to build your team exactly as I’ve outlined. But, don’t miss an opportunity to invite other men to join you on this journey and experience the thrill of seeing the project through to the end.
The Manger Build is an exciting event where men from the church and community build life-sized mangers with their kids. But, there’s much to do between excitement about the idea and actual execution. Our Church Resource Kit bridges that gap. It serves two major purposes:
- It provides all the information and support you need to pray, plan, prepare for and execute a successful event.
- It helps you develop a healthy men’s ministry team who get a significant early ‘WIN’ by leading The Manger Build
The kit includes a Leadership Manual, Posters, Participants guides and perhaps most important, the resource DVD filled with instructional videos, promotional videos, logistics tools, graphics files and other material you’ll need to lead well (as well as online access to all these materials).
The Manger Build Church Resource Kit is everything your team needs, from start to finish, to host a Manger Build event and equip men to keep Christ in front of Christmas for their families.
YES! Here is why:
- You need to charge men for this. Some churches want to offer it for free. There is something psychological in a man that causes them to value something more when he pays for it. In the minds of many men, if it’s free, it’s not worth anything. So, charge them a fee for participation. $15 – $25 seems to be a good range.
- For guys who simply can’t afford the registration fee, consider a scholarship fund. Please plan to offer this opportunity to every man in your church regardless of economic circumstances.
- Men value quality. Don’t skimp or cut corners to make it cheaper. The world is constantly throwing high quality distractions at them. So, the church must respond with excellence, keeping with the character and nature of God. It’s OK to get materials and supplies donated, just make sure you aren’t giving the guys junk.
Yes! Resist the urge to offer The Manger Build without the Dad, You Can Nail This participant guides. Every man should have their own copy of this guide with instructions on how to build a manger and the daily devotions to help keep his family focused on Christ. This is the BIG IDEA! Each kit contains 10 participant guides. Additional guides can purchased here.
Generally, we recommend that the church set aside 2-3 hours to host The Manger Build. Most fathers/children will be finished building in about 45 minutes or so but some will take longer.
We also suggest doing it on a Saturday morning with a ‘rolling start’ so that early birds get started and knock it out but also recognizing that some will come later and that’s OK.
December 10th, 2016 is the day that churches across the United States will be hosting The Manger Build. This date is chosen strategically. Here is why: After Dad builds a manger with his kids (or someone else’s) he uses the Dad’s Tools for Spiritual Leadership™ section of the participants guide to lead his family in daily devotions and activities for 7 days leading up to Christmas.
Yes, you can do that, and it has been tried. Here’s the trouble. Home has lots of distractions and many opportunities for men to put this off; and they will. Or mom will do it with the kids. When the Manger Build is an event experience, men don’t feel so self-conscious and they will follow through if they’ve made a commitment. Not to mention the fact that men step forward when there is ‘critical mass’. If a guy walks in and sees 8 other guys with their kids and a pile of lumber, he’s no longer alone. He’s doing this in the company of other men.
Ultimately the children are blessed, but we want to help dad be the key in this whole thing. So, your Manger Build team should work closely with the Children’s Ministry department at your church to promote the event. But remember this is about building men. So, don’t abdicate responsibility for the event to the children’s ministry in your church. Expect men to step up!
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