Purpose

The purpose of St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers [SJCK] men's small groups is to equip and encourage men for more effective service within their families.

We do not want SJCK to be a top-heavy organization that becomes a focus and activity center for men. Our explicit desire is for men to focus on their own families. We believe that the family is vastly superior to any organization in its ability to renew both Church and society. Therefore, any activities of SJCK in small men's groups, parish SJCK organizations, or regional and national rallies, will be for the purpose of equipping and encouraging men for more effective service within their families.

Citing the growing Christian men's movement, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal claimed that the U.S. is in the midst of a Fourth Great Awakening. Christian men everywhere are enthusiastic about promoting men's ministry. But we must be careful not to substitute high emotions for authentic renewal. Men are quite right to be excited about the Holy Spirit working in their lives. However, we can't let out adrenaline overwhelm our prudence.

How can we tell whether the current revival will lead to authentic renewal or to spiritual devastation? We need some sort of religious "report card" to evaluate any men's movement. Jesus says that those who abide in him will bear lasting fruit (John 15:16). The mark of a true revival is lasting renewal. An authentic men's ministry will continue for generations: "The father may die, and yet he is not dead, for he has left behind him one like himself…" (Sirach 30:4).

Renewal movements resemble one of the two bodies of water in Israel. The sparkling waters of the Sea of Galilee teem with life, encircled by prosperous towns and fertile, green fields. By contrast, the Dead Sea lies at the bottom of a barren, brown wasteland, its stagnant waters empty and lifeless. What's the difference? The Sea of Galilee has both an inlet and an outlet: it sends on the life it receives. The Dead Sea has only an inlet: it engulfs and suffocates everything that enters it.

Renewal movements often fall into the trap of self-absorption. They can lose sight of the greater purpose for which God is pouring out His Spirit. Hoarding God's graces leads to spiritual stagnation and barrenness. Dispensing God's graces to others leads to spiritual growth and fruitfulness. Only by passing its blessings on to the family will a men's revival survive.

First-century Christians evangelized from house to house. The Gospel was not proclaimed to individuals alone but to entire families: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household " (Acts 16:31; also Luke 19:9). This family-to-family evangelism could not be stopped by Imperial Rome's hostile, pagan culture. Christians living in the twenty-first century need to rediscover this winning strategy of the first century.

As Christians we should have a strong expectation for the world to be restored through the family. Grace never destroys nature, but rather perfects it. Since the family is the basic, vital cell of all human society, we should expect grace to be exceptionally active in and through the family. Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has repeatedly emphasized that "the future of the world and of the Church passes through the family."

Please keep this purpose in mind at all times while forming and nurturing SJCK small groups.