FAQs
CVM's Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is CVM?
- What is it that they do?
- Why do you feel it is important to specifically target men?
- What are your hopes as a movement?
- You're expanding internationally, tell us about that...
- How are you partnering with New Wine?
- How can you help me and my church?
CVM is a National Evangelistic Men's Movement whose vision is to win a million men to Christ. Started by Max Sinclair in the 1980's it now has a staff team of around 10, with a number of Regional and Area coordinators dotted across the country looking after 500 member groups.
We partner with the local church to help them in their outreach initiatives in winning men to Christ. There are 3 ways that we do this:
- Help the church establish a Men's Ministry and programme if they do not already have one.
- Run something called the 4 levels of evangelism which is a simple process to get started and get active in your outreach to men.
- Talk with church leaders as to how to create 'man friendly church'. This is taking a closer look at the life of an individual church, the subliminal messages that it gives off and how a few subtle changes can make a big difference in the impact it can have.
We host conferences, events and men's days all across the country that you can as well as an annual Weekend Away. We have a formidable speakers list of over 250 vetted men that members can access for the events they may want to run.
Why do you feel it is important to specifically target men?
A few years ago, Sorted magazine did a street survey, the results showing that in the main, men think Christianity is for wimps, for women and irrelevant. Men are more comfortable walking into a woman's underwear shop than what they are a church.
If you look at the 'Churchgoing in the UK' report commissioned by Tearfund, the statistics show that:
- If trends continue, men will have all but left the church by 2030.
- 75% of men in the UK are antagonistic or apathetic towards church.
- On average it takes 5 years and 30 hearings of the gospel before a man gives his life to Christ.
(Download the report: PDF 1MB)
This research also showed that when it comes to winning the family to Christ, this happens 3.5% of the time by following the child, 17% of the time following the mother and 93% of the time following the father. If you can get the dad, you get the whole family. We are seeking to be a positive force in reaching men by helping equip churches with the right resources and support. It takes time to win men so this is a long term vision.
What are your hopes as a movement?
Our hope is to have a CVM presence in every geographical area of the UK, in every town, partnering with groups of local churches being effective in reaching men and making a difference. That difference being reflected in noticeable church growth and men coming to faith.
You're expanding internationally, tell us about that...
This wasn't part of the original vision. It just happened. We started getting contacted by men in these locations wanting to partner with us and do what we are doing here in the UK back where they are, So far, we have opened a CVM office in Canada, South Africa and Cambodia and slowly starting to gain traction in reaching men locally in these areas.
How are you partnering with New Wine?
The partnership with New Wine is a great opportunity to join forces and work in synergy to reach men. We have a number of Men's Days that have kicked off across the UK and in time, we will be working together on growing the grass roots of this movement. More information will be released in due course
How can you help me and my church?
We would welcome the opportunity of meeting with every church leader wanting to reach men, to hear about their vision, what's working, what's not, to see how we can help. We do not profess to have all the answers, but what we do know is that if we can build relationship and understand a bit more where you are and what you are trying to achieve, then we can make something will happen.
We are experienced in facilitating conversations with you and men in your church to identify who may have a heart for Men's Ministry that can work with you.
In addition, we have a whole host of resources that can help you in various ways. Please check out this link: //cvm.org.uk/shop
