Downsized PK Ministry Now More Targeted, More 'Mature,' Says Leader
by Jody Brown
May 24, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Except for two holiday weekends between early June and late October, men will be gathering by the thousands around the country as a prominent Christian ministry reaches out with the Word of God to encourage and enlist them in spreading the gospel of Christ. Promise Keepers kicks off its 2006 season June 2-3 at the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale. The season concludes in the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles on October 20-21. Along with the 17 intervening conferences, PK says it hopes to reach more than 170,000 men across America. This year's conference theme is "Unleashed -- Releasing the Raw Power of Your Heart."
Promise Keepers president Thomas Fortson says the goal of this year's conferences is to unleash a man to serve God in every aspect of his life. "Not only does he have responsibility in his home as a husband or as a father, but also he has, and should have, an impact in his community," he says. That goal is consistent with PK's objectives since it emerged in the 1990s. Yet, says Fortson, the organization has changed since the days when it packed football stadiums.
"I think we're more mature. I think with time comes wisdom, and I think we don't have to be the big splash anymore. I think we're more targeted," the PK leader tells Associated Press. "But I think when you look at the condition of men, there's no question that there's a need for Promise Keepers." This year, according to a PK press release, the ministry has "retooled" its conference format to help men do three things: discover their potential, find a pathway to optimize that potential, and move in that direction with a few other like-minded friends.
In the past Promise Keepers has convened its men's gatherings in large venues like football stadiums, but now holds its conferences in basketball arenas, where the average attendance is about 10,000. "Whereas PK was the 800-pound gorilla in the nineties," says Fortson, "I think we live in a new age right now -- and our attempt is not only to continue to do the live event, but to expand into areas of technology." That includes online resources Promise Keepers provides to help men resist the lure of Internet porn.
At PK's annual media day in March, the ministry discussed why men seem to be shunning traditional congregations and what churches can do to reverse the trend. Fortson noted at that time a "disconnect" between men's deepest wants and needs, and the churches that so badly need men to be involved. "We find ourselves in the middle of this question," the PK president said, "inspiring men to go deeper and loving our pastors who shepherd the communities of faith."
James Ryle, a founding board member of Promise Keepers, offered this challenge for church leaders, which ties in directly with the purposes of PK's ministry. "The critical question," said Ryle, "is going to have to transition from 'how to get men to the church' to 'how to get men to become the church."
Registration for the "Unleashed" conferences in the coming months can be submitted online at the PK website, via telephone (1-866-PROMISE), or by downloading and mailing in the registration form [PDF].
