What is HonorBound

HonorBound: Men of Promise is more than a new name for Men's Ministries in the Assemblies of God. It is a new way of looking at oneself as a godly man. As a result, it embodies the vision of where we are trying to go with all the men who are adherents to Assemblies of God churches throughout the United States. The major change in philosophy is to challenge men to think about who they are in Christ when they think of the name HonorBound: Men of Promise. HonorBound rests on four basic principles, all of which come from the Word of God.

• In John 5:23, Jesus declares that to honor Him is to honor our Father who is in heaven.
• In Matthew 15:4, the Lord also said that we are to honor our father and mother; and in this statement laid down a principle for honoring our families.
• And then the Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 5:3, said we are to make provisions for those who are in need.
• In 1 Peter 2:17, the Apostle Peter says we are to honor those who are in authority over us.

These four principles paint a picture of what it means to be an HonorBound man. At the very core of being HonorBound is the idea of honor in every sense of the word. If a man can look himself in the mirror and see himself as someone different, someone dressed in the full armor of God, fully ready to take on life as a man of honor, then we will have accomplished the vision of HonorBound: Men of Promise.

Kingdom Service

Men of Promise signifies that we are men with potential for service in the Kingdom, and that we are linked to the promise of the Holy Spirit as we see Him empowering the lives of disciples in the Early Church. And so an HonorBound man has the promise that his future is enhanced by the empowering blessing of the promised Holy Spirit. The goal of HonorBound: Men of Promise is to become a part of church life in every Assemblies of God church in this Fellowship. To do this, pastors, district leaders, and national leaders must all buy in and support the principles that we have just discussed. At the same time we believe that momentum favors implementation of this new vision for men because of the powerful move of the Holy Spirit through the national men's movement called Promise Keepers: Men of Integrity. By joining arms with Promise Keepers, HonorBound: Men of Promise seeks to raise the standard for viable men's ministry within our churches. Promise Keepers is helping by providing training at the local church level for leaders selected by their pastors to equip them to understand how to minister to men in the male context. The ultimate goal is to challenge men to become godly husbands, godly fathers, godly supporters of their pastors, and full-fledged servants of the Lord Jesus. In a survey taken in 1992, several key elements surfaced that tended to say we have a long way to go to fully become the HonorBound men the Lord desires. For example, the data showed that in the men involved:

• 41% are sometimes attracted to pornography,
• 72% struggle with impure thoughts about women,
• 69% felt they needed more training in effective parenting,
• 60% felt there was a need for emphasis on the role of a husband,
• 33% occasionally felt like a failure as a husband,
• 24% were the only ones certain that they were the spiritual leaders of their homes.

Spiritual Leaders

With only 1 in 4 believing that he is the spiritual leader in his home, we believe there must be an emphasis on becoming spiritual leaders in our homes and families. This emphasis shifts the pendulum from what our traditional approach to men's ministry has been, from only getting men involved in ministry activities, to challenging men to become the spiritual leaders in their homes and churches. To do this, it is important that men be engaged in a lifetime of discipleship development and training. The sad fact is that very few men, including pastors, have had effective discipline by men who were fully disciple themselves. It's also intended that we would equip, motivate, and challenge men who are fathers to improve their fathering skills and become godly fathers. Most family problems come from father failure, and may be neutralized by strong paternal leadership. Unfortunately, in the United States since 1900, fathers have been emotionally focused on the marketplace instead of the home. While men have become very competent businessmen, many have made terrible fathers. With two-income families the norm, not the exception, children do not receive the character training and role modeling they need.

• 56% of all Assemblies of God families have both parents working.
• Over 50% feel they are under some financial pressure.
• 43% of Assemblies of God men feel pressured to provide things for their families just because other people have them.

For these reasons it is critical that HonorBound: Men of Promise focus on the development of fathering. This, as much as any other issue, requires immediate attention and is embedded in the philosophy of our ministry. To achieve this vision for HonorBound: Men of Promise it is important that pastors and lay leaders across our Fellowship pursue ministry to their men in a new and fresh way. There are five building blocks that will contribute to the accomplishment of this goal:

1. Men's ministry must be seen from a spiritual perspective. It must be bathed in prayer. It must be considered as much a part of the work of the Holy Spirit as any other area of ministry.
2. The second building block must be a balanced emphasis on being versus doing. In other words, emphasis on what a man becomes versus what he does.
3. There must be gender-specificity. There is a difference between how one ministers to men versus how one ministers to women. Activities targeted at men must be tailored for men. There must be a goal orientation to these activities and ministries with a clear sense of achievement evident at their conclusion.
4. The fourth building block is intentionally. This simply means that the outcome must be decided upon up front with a clear vision of what the major purpose is.
5. There must be pastoral involvement. This building block calls for pastors to become involved with their men, supporting ministry to their men, and setting the example for their men.

It is the sincere hope that HonorBound: Men of Promise will become the model for ministry to men throughout this country, regardless of fellowship or denomination. Everyone in the Assemblies of God must know what HonorBound is, what it stands for, and what it seeks to accomplish.