Martial Arts and Men's Ministry

[ynnad]

Just received my BB in Taekwondo and passed my first level instructor test (there are three in our curriculum). I am a pastor and am looking for ways to start teaching. We have a school and offer aftercare at our church, so I'm going to start a class for our aftercare program.

I have also been thinking about a Martial Arts Men's Night for our church. It would just be a time for the guys of our church to get together and learn a little self defense, get to kick some things and each other, fellowship of course, and maybe introduce some friends to our group. Is this something anyone else has seen? Do you think there would be interest?

 

[Omar B]

Offer a solid class and people will show, regardless of religious affiliation. Maybe open it to women too, just talking about men seems a bit one sided ... unless that's like a thing with keeping the sexes separate with you guys.

 

[girlbug2]

I get it, a Men's fellowship that also teaches self defense? Not a bad idea.

 

[Flea]

I think MA and ministry make a great combo! But if you wanted to be gender-exclusive I'd much rather see you you offer SD to just the women. We need it more, both from the physical safety standpoint and also for the self-confidence and other psychological benefits. Men can have all the macho sports they want just for the asking.

 

[Carol]

The arts as a fellowship for men doesn't strike me as a bad idea.

There are also a lot of activities that are closed to women because of childcare concerns. If you can offer a fellowship for women that also offers some sort of supervised care for the kiddos, that may be a very valuable service.

This may be something that can grow in to a co-ed class as well, while still retaining separate fellowships for male bonding or female bonding. Lots of possibilities.

 

[Ken Morgan]

The aftercare sounds like a great idea.

But what are you trying to do with the guys? Self defence? Actually teach serious/somewhat serious TKD? A social thing for an hour then have a coffee, cookies and chat? I would be more inclined to open a TKD class one or two days a week, and see what the response is, then maybe add a men’s or women’s only class.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I get it, a Men's fellowship that also teaches self defense? Not a bad idea.

Iron John, Fire in the Belly, that kind of thing. Men's Movement - an early '90's thing, it seems so long ago now.

 

[ynnad]

The point is not so much to start a martial arts club, per se. I have thought about that. If I were to do this, I would merely use the church space but it would be its own entity, and of course all would be invited. I'm not sure I am ready for that, though I would like to get to that point soon. At this point I was thinking of a way to get into teaching and also find a way of drawing in some of our guys who are a little more disconnected. I'm not trying to be gender exclusive for the purpose of being exclusive, I just know there would be many guys and most girls who would not participate if it were both genders. We also already have a women's only group that comes and works out to various videos. I have inquired to the leader of that group that I would love to come in a do some cardio kickboxing or some women's self defense if she wants me to.

Speaking of martial arts in church, does anyone know of any successful clubs or full blown schools that are run exclusively out of a church?
Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Speaking of martial arts in church, does anyone know of any successful clubs or full blown schools that are run exclusively out of a church?
Thanks for all the feedback.

I have a good friend who has been running his karate and iaido dojo in a church basement for many, many years.

I have another friend who ran his the same way until the demand became to much and he had to move to a larger space. (good problem to have!!)

I don't believe they are associated with the churches per say, but all are welcome.

 

[Flea]

The thread reminded me of this novel, a favorite that's stuck with me for many years. I'll have to find it and re-read it. I thank you.

 

[Carol]

Speaking of martial arts in church, does anyone know of any successful clubs or full blown schools that are run exclusively out of a church?
Thanks for all the feedback.

Mr. Dan Farmer, who posts here as Sigung86. He has many, many years in American Kenpo, and as far as I know he runs his group out of his church in the Midwest. He's not a pastor, just doing it for the community.

 

[kungfu penguin]

i can see offering a men only thing i have a friend who is in a church and no man enters her house until her husband comes home that way she follows the principle of "avoid all appearences of evil" this way her hubby wont come home and mistake an innocent laugh with a male friend and read it wrong i think this is taking it too far but i also respect her beliefs on this. maybe as a pastor he wants to avoid any perceived inappropriateness as a teacher if i have a few girls in my class my door is wide open i dont care if its 10 below zero so if i ran a female's class i would want a few women there that i thouroughly trust so that i have witnesses that i was acting in the right and not have it bite me in the butt later!

 

[Tez3]

i can see offering a men only thing i have a friend who is in a church and no man enters her house until her husband comes home that way she follows the principle of "avoid all appearences of evil" this way her hubby wont come home and mistake an innocent laugh with a male friend and read it wrong i think this is taking it too far but i also respect her beliefs on this. maybe as a pastor he wants to avoid any perceived inappropriateness as a teacher if i have a few girls in my class my door is wide open i dont care if its 10 below zero so if i ran a female's class i would want a few women there that i thouroughly trust so that i have witnesses that i was acting in the right and not have it bite me in the butt later!

Nothing like trust in a relationship is there.
If you teach women I'd suggest you also make them wear scarves, veils, long sleeves and shoes.

 

[Ken Morgan]

If you teach women I'd suggest you also make them wear scarves, veils, long sleeves and shoes.

And nothing else TEZ??

 

[Tez3]

And nothing else TEZ??

LOL!

Well if kungfu penguin is going to see sin everywhere we might as well give him something to really thnk about!

 

[jks9199]

Slight misreading here, folks. No point casting aspersions wrongly. Kungfu Penguin was talking about a friend's personal choice not to be alone her house with a man, not his expectations of his wife. And about wise precautions today for anyone teaching women...

 

[girlbug2]

I think Kung Fu Penguin was talking about CYA. Maybe it's another cultural thing but here in the states an instructor could easily be sued for things like sexual abuse on the say so of somebody who is in a closed room with the instructor for even short periods of time (most commonly if the student was a female and the instructor male, but I'm sure it has happened the other way around, also). So many Americans have to think as if paranoid just to cover ourselves legally in student/instructor situations. It's got nothing to do with personal trust issues or with imagining sin.

 

[Tez3]

What sort of place do you guys live in? You have to watch how things look when you teach women? You have to cover yourselves in case you get sued, dear lord, McDonalds was bad enough, I really really hope you don't send that over here. Leaving doors open, witnesses in case it looks like you are doing something wrong? Oh my.
I don't think you know how seriously strange your posts sound to a non American.

 

[jks9199]

What sort of place do you guys live in? You have to watch how things look when you teach women? You have to cover yourselves in case you get sued, dear lord, McDonalds was bad enough, I really really hope you don't send that over here. Leaving doors open, witnesses in case it looks like you are doing something wrong? Oh my.
I don't think you know how seriously strange your posts sound to a non American.

Strange as they may sound... it's a fact of life. A male instructor would be unwise not to take precautions to avoid allegations in the US today. There are plenty of threads that illustrate this, if you look around.

 

[Tez3]

I train as one of two females in a male class, the other female being my daughter, I teach an all male class. I have been doing MA for donkeys years now with various groups and never has this ever arisen. I have worked in an all male environment many times, my shift partners are male and again never has the subject even been mentioned about females.
It makes it sound as if you think females are dangerous and no male thats not related to a woman should be in a room with them, it also sounds similiar to something you would find in certain middle eastern countries.
I'm sorry but there's something very wrong when men and women have to take precautions against 'allegations'.