Band of Brothers is a discipleship ministry of the Northwest School of Discipleship that addresses the crisis of manhood facing young men today. More than ever, guys in their late teens and 20s need to be challenged to fully embrace their commitment to Christ and their critical role in society, the church, and the home. Unlike our full-time discipleship program called Project Antioch, Band of Brothers is designed for guys with jobs or who are currently engaged in college or trade-school school, but who are willing to commit to a serious season of spiritual growth and discipleship with other men. The focus here is on younger men but older men’s groups will benefit from a similar approach to men’s discipleship.

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Below are the five elements of this structured season of spiritual growth and discipleship training:

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1. Daily Personal Spiritual Discipline. The Band of Brothers commits to a challenging, yet reasonable,
daily rhythm of structured prayer, scripture reading, and reflection on themes of Christian manhood.
The daily commitment to spiritual discipline is approximately 1 hour.

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2. Weekly Men’s Discipleship Group. The Band of Brothers meets once per week for two hours at a
time and at a location agreed upon by the entire group. During this meeting the men pray together,
hold each other accountable, discuss challenges and victories, and discuss the reading material of the
previous week. The meetings should be structured and always end on time. The weekly commitment
to the discipleship group is around 3 hours, including travel time.

 

3. Mentoring. Each member of the Band of Brothers cohort is paired up with an older Christian man who
serves as a mentor during the program. Mentor and mentee meet at a time and location convenient for
each other once per week. The weekly commitment to mentoring is around 3 hours, including travel
time.

 

4. Boot Camp Weekends. Four times in the program the Band of Brothers gets away for a weekend of
study, teaching, fun, and service. These weekends are very inexpensive and involve growing as
Christian brothers and practical implementation of principles of Christian manhood.
 - Christian Manhood: Becoming a Godly Man. The focus of the first weekend is on the disciplines
of self-control, filling the mind with good, and refusing access to the mind of evil.
 - Christian Manhood: Becoming a Provider & Protector. The focus of the second weekend is on
character traits needed to provide for a family and be a protector of women and children.
 - Christian Manhood: Becoming a Husband and Father. The focus of the third weekend is sexual
purity and preparation for fatherhood.
 - Christian Manhood: Becoming a Spiritual Leader. The focus of the fourth weekend is a man’s
spiritual leadership in the church and in the home.

 

5. Service Trip. Toward the end of the year Band of Brothers travels together on a mission to serve the
church in some way, such as disaster relief efforts, mission support, or evangelistic outreach. Given the

limited vacation available to many young men, the service trip component is strongly encouraged but
optional.

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