Frequently Asked Questions

CAN I DO MEN'S FRATERNITY WITH A LARGE GROUP OR A SMALL GROUP?

Yes. Men's Fraternity is being used in a wide variety of settings around the world.

Large groups
Men's Fraternity is typically presented using a DVD of the teaching with each session hosted by someone from your group or men's ministry. It has also been successful using a live presenter who has mastered the material. Following each presentation, the men break into small groups to discuss and process the material.

Small groups
In a small-group setting, the participants watch each session on DVD followed by a group discussion.

CAN I HAVE YOUR ARTWORK AND/OR LOGOS?

Yes. Visit Promotional Tools or www.lifeway.com/mensfraternity to find a downloadable logo as well as other downloadable items such as a bulletin insert, postcard, and poster for promoting the study.

DO YOU HAVE TRAININGS OR WORKSHOPS?

Yes, the best training is available on the DVD training workshop that comes with the purchase of any DVD set. Other training opportunities can be found at Events and by visiting www.lifeway.com/events.

DOES EACH MAN NEED A VIEWER GUIDE (WORKBOOK)?

Definitely.He will be lost without it. We have found it not only helps men to better grasp the content of the sessions, but it also gives them a great tool for review and for sharing the material with other men. Additionally, we have found that men value the material and experience even more when they purchase their own copy of the workbook.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Below are several ways to get started with Men's Fraternity:

Order the first year of the three one-year-long curriculum, The Quest for Authentic Manhood, on DVD. The DVD Kit includes a two hour Men's Fraternity training workshop DVD presented by Robert Lewis that will help you better understand how to prepare for and present Men"s Fraternity. You can also purchase the training DVD as a separate product if you are using the CD pack or just want some preliminary information before ordering the curriculum.
To view helpful documents, listen to streaming audio, and watch streaming video, visit Starting a Men's Fraternity, the Leader Resource Center, and www.lifeway.com/mensfraternity.
Attend a Men's Fraternity training workshop. The workshops are free, and there is no purchase necessary to attend. Visit Events and www.lifeway.com/events for a schedule of upcoming workshops.

HOW IS THE CURRICULUM ORGANIZED?

Men's Fraternity consists of three one-year-long curriculum optionsWe recommend the following sequence, but studies can be taught in any order.

The Quest for Authentic Manhood (24 weeks)
Authentic Manhood: Winning at Work and Home (16 weeks; available in early 2006)
The Great Adventure (20 weeks)

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PREPARE?

Allow at least three months to prepare for presenting this material to your men even if you are doing a DVD presentation. You will want to watch all the sessions yourself and may even want to watch some sessions with key men in your church who are going to help you present this material to the larger group.

If you plan to present the material with a live teacher, it is very important that the presenter watch and fully master ALL the sessions before he attempts to teach Session One. If you are planning to do a live presentation, you may want to contact Men's Fraternity Resource Director Rick Caldwell at 501.975.5050, who will be delighted to assist you at no charge.

You may also want to visit the Leader Resource Center for additional resources, tips, and "don't miss materials" that will help you lead and host your group.

I JUST PURCHASED THIS MATERIAL. WHAT DO I DO UNTIL OUR FALL LAUNCH?

You can begin to prepare for Men's Fraternity immediately, but it is critical to wait until the fall to launch your group. Even if you bought this material in November, it is far better to wait a year to ensure a successful Men's Fraternity. The good news is the longer you have before your launch, the more thoroughly you will be able to prepare for a quality experience with your men!

Use your time to:

Personally watch all the DVD sessions and decide if you want to do a DVD presentation or master the material and teach it live to your men.
Share several sessions and/or the workshop DVD with a small group of your men to give them a vision for Men's Fraternity. From the group, develop a leadership team that will be the lifeline of your group.
Begin a gradual promotion effort for your fall launch through church bulletins, handouts, newspaper ads, and even testimonials in your church service from the core leaders who have watched some of the sessions. (Marketing and advertising materials may be downloaded from Promotional Tools and www.lifeway.com/mensfraternity.)
Have a late summer/early fall overnight retreat or luncheon with your men one month prior to your launch. Show a few "teasers" from one or two sessions in the Men's Fraternity series at the event to get your men excited.

I'VE TRIED TO VIEW THE TEST VIDEO AND I CAN'T WATCH IT, BUT I REALLY NEED TO WATCH A SESSION. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If you are unable to view the test video, you will not be able to view the online sessions. This is most likely because you do not have a high-speed connection to the Internet or the appropriate software on your computer (Flash Player 8 or above). You can watch a session by ordering a DVD. Please contact Lenee' Gipson at 501.975.5050 to place your order.

IS MEN'S FRATERNITY ALIGNED WITH A DENOMINATION?

Although developed originally at a nondenominational Bible church, Men's Fraternity has gained a huge following by Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians, as well as churches of most all denominations. It has been applauded by the leaders of Promise Keepers, The National Coalition of Men's Ministries, and Dennis Rainey of FamilyLife Ministries.

IS MEN'S FRATERNITY APPROPRIATE FOR UNBELIEVERS?

Yes. In fact, it is a great way to introduce nonbelievers to the gospel in a safe, non-threatening environment. We advise you to make your event feel more like a men's gathering rather than a worship service or Bible study. (The workshop DVD really explains this well in more detail.) We have found this material is excellent for the most mature believers because of its practicality and focus on application, but it is also enjoyed by nonbelievers for the very same reasons.

IS MEN'S FRATERNITY STRICTLY FOR A CHURCH SETTING? CAN IT BE USED IN OTHER SETTINGS?

Men's Fraternity is being used in a variety of settings, both inside and outside churches. Many churches are hosting city-wide Men's Fraternity gatherings. Others are using it for small-group meetings in homes, in college dorms, in corporate board rooms, in local coffee shops, and even in prison ministries.

IS THERE A "BEST TIME" TO LAUNCH YOUR MEN'S FRATERNITY?

YES! After years of doing Men's Fraternity and receiving feedback from hundreds of churches all over the world, we have found the most successful Men"s Fraternities begin in the early fall and conclude in the early spring. The first half of the fall series is timed to end in early December, followed by a four or five week holiday break. The men return from the break to complete the second half of the series and finish strong.

By far the best-attended meeting time is on a weekday from 6:00 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. It is necessary to block out 1½ hours to allow for at least 30 minutes of small group time. The small group interaction is so important that some men who cannot stay until 7:30 a.m. arrange to have lunch or breakfast later in the week for their small group time.

Churches that follow this format seem to have more momentum, better attendance, and more positive feedback from their men than those that begin at any other time in the year. These are the churches that experience and enjoy growth year after year in Men's Fraternity.

THE VIDEOS PLAY SMOOTHLY FOR A WHILE AND THEN STOP. THIS CONTINUES WHILE I AM WATCHING THE SESSIONS. IS THERE A WAY TO FIX THIS?

The sessions are Flash Video files that are streamed from high-bandwidth Flash Video servers located in the United States. If you live in the United States and have a high-bandwidth connection, these video files usually stream smoothly with few pauses. However, there are four common circumstances where people with high-bandwidth connections may encounter problems:

First, there may be times when bandwidth is constricted due to high volume Internet activity that may result in pauses as the video stream is buffering. Most common periods when this happens are mornings and early evenings. If this problem occurs during a session, end your session and try again at a later time when the Internet activity is lower. If the problem persists, you may need to run an online speed test to determine if your true Internet connection speed is above 512 kBps.
Second, people with DSL connections sometimes have difficulty maintaining steady video streams due to the limitations of DSL technology. DSL uses packet transfer methods that are optimized for temporary upload and download of files - not continuous streaming. Streaming problems with DSL seem to vary between service providers as some DSL users notice few or no problems keeping continuous streams, while other users may have frequent delays as the video is buffering. If problems persist, we recommend changing service providers. Cable Internet and T-1 technology are the best option for continuous and reliable streaming.
Satellite Internet users may also experience frequent delays and buffering due to the high latency of satellite signals. High-speed satellite Internet technology works well for general file transfer and Internet browsing, but does not maintain the stable integrity of bandwidth necessary for continuous streaming of long digital videos. Again, we recommend cable Internet and T-1 technology as the best options for continuous and reliable streaming.
If you have a high-speed Internet connection but live outside the continental United States, you may experience frequent pauses as the video is buffering. This is due to the physical distance between your computer and the server that hosts the videos. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to help you watch the videos online. Your best bet is to purchase a Men's Fraternity DVD. Please call us at 501.975.5050 for more information.

WHAT IS MEN'S FRATERNITY?

Men's Fraternity is a men's ministry curriculum developed by Robert Lewis, pastor-at-large for Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. It began in 1990 in response to a request from the men of his church who wanted more than a Bible study. They felt they needed some practical insight in how to live as biblical men and they needed a safe place each week where they could process these truths with other men. They said, "We want an environment of openness and brotherhood, like we had back at the fraternity in college, only more helpful and spiritually constructive."

The Men's Fraternity meeting that began in Little Rock is now attended by nearly 1,400 men weekly and the curriculum that developed out of it is being used by almost 2,000 churches, literally, all over the world.

Men's Fraternity is not "an event"; it is "a process" that enables men to experience real life-change together with other men over several weeks.

WHAT RESOURCES DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?

You will need the DVD Set for the chosen study and a Viewer Guide (workbook) for each man who participates. While the studies do not need to be done in any order, we recommend beginning with The Quest for Authentic Manhood. Most churches ask men to pay for their own Viewer Guides. The DVD Set for each study includes a two-hour training workshop that the leader needs to watch long before presenting the material to the group.

The audio portion of the DVD Sets is available on audio CD, but these Audio CD Packs do not include the training workshop and other leadership resources. The Audio CD Packs are popular with men who just want to personally go through the material or for reviewing a missed session.

WHAT SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO WATCH THE ONLINE VIDEOS?

To watch the videos you will need a high speed Internet connection (at least cable or DSL) and Flash Player 8 or above. We recommend that you try watching the test video before you buy. If you are unable to view the test video, you may purchase sessions on DVD for home viewing.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF THE WEEK TO HAVE MEN'S FRATERNITY?

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ON SERVANTS BY DESIGN?

Visit the website at www.youruniquedesign.com.

WHO IS ROBERT LEWIS?

Please visit About Robert Lewis.