“If we are going to change a culture for Christ, we have got to change the men. And the women know this. And the women have been praying”, said Lonnie Berger, author of Every Man a Warrior  and global director of TWR Men’s Ministry.

“Praying women have prayed Every Man a Warrior into existence,” Lonnie said at a church service in Kenya.

Focused on a boots-on-the-ground approach, Every Man a Warrior (EMAW) is a Christian discipleship curriculum and ministry of TWR.

It fits into TWR’s wider mission to reach the world for Christ through mass media. It does so by training men to be the spiritual leaders God desires.

By committing to a 34-week journey, men around the world are learning how to face their battles and truly walk with God. Four books deal with important topics such as marriage, raising children, money, sex, work, hard times and making your life count.

Laying a spiritual foundation

Starting with Book 1, men learn how to have a love relationship with Jesus. As they spend time with Jesus, their desire to obey him grows.

Out of that relationship, men reframe the way they view themselves and others. By practicing what Jesus taught, they rethink every area of their lives. What does it mean to be a loving husband? How do you remain longsuffering in your work? What does it mean to sacrifice for others?

“It’s more than a Bible study,” said Lonnie. “It has standards to follow and goals to meet.”

Starting with God’s design for marriage and family, in Book 2 men learn their biblical job description as a husband and father.

They recite the following marriage commitment for about 20 weeks: “It is my privilege to show my love for Jesus by caring for my wife. To love her, show her honor, try to understand her, and to give up my life and rights for her.”

In Book 3, men examine key topics like money and work. Because they put into practice what they learn from God’s Word about each topic, spiritual transformation takes place.

Called Every Man a Pure Warrior, Book 4 deals specifically with freedom from enslaving sins like pornography. The grip that pornography has on men around the world is staggering, and spiritual disciplines are necessary in fighting the battle for holiness.

The author shares seven key elements to finding freedom in Christ: worship, warfare, woundedness, allies, memorization, amputation and preaching the gospel to yourself.

Lonnie Berger believes that the body of Christ is in dire need of men who can make disciples. “The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples is not optional, yet many Christians don’t know how to do it,” Lonnie said.

But when men learn the disciplines of devotions, Scripture memorization, prayer and obedience, they have the tools they need to win their daily battles. Finally, they go out and train others to do the same.

Raising up an army of spiritual warriors

In 12 years, 60,000 men have gone through the program in the United States, with another 20,000 in 60 other countries. There are 95 committed EMAW groups in the Czech Republic, 25 in Norway, and it’s spreading around Europe.

Men are the key to spiritual change, especially in patriarchal societies. “Nothing can change in Albania for the women and children until God changes the men,” said TWR Albania’s director.

When an EMAW leader in Albania spoke with a woman in his church, she asked what happened to the men. “They are more loving, caring and responsible,” she said. He assured her that he hadn’t done anything to the men — Jesus changed the men.

In Kenya, over 700 prisoners have prayed to receive Christ. And now there are one or two chaplains trained in the EMAW curriculum for every Kenyan prison facility.

Once these prisoners’ lives are changed, many are entrusted with more responsibilities and their life sentences are reduced. So far, five men have been released from prison because of the visible change that occurred in their lives.

These men have gone from inmates to soldiers in the army of Christ. Many go on to lead EMAW groups of their own.

Testimonies

“For a couple of years, I was frustrated by not finding a suitable bible study or tool to help men in my church grow spiritually and spend quality time with God. Then I was introduced to the EMAW curriculum in 2018. What I love about this curriculum is seeing young men grow in spending time with God. Men with basic schooling are wanting to go back to school to pursue education and acquire knowledge and skills for life. They are now responding to their wives with love, care and tenderness. In short, here is a curriculum that works in discipling men to be warriors and disciples of Jesus.” – An Albanian believer

"Every Man a Warrior should be used as a required discipleship course for every Christian man, no matter how old they are. The course allows men to consolidate essential truths of faith and practice. During this course, men develop responsibility, openness and love towards the Word of God. They sharpen one another by sharing their personal experiences. They challenge each other and confess their errors in a safe environment. In a small group of believers, they rethink what it means to be a loving husband to one’s wife, to train one’s children, and to patiently endure through the difficulties of life. If there is anything a Christian man ought to fight for, it’s to be a man according to God’s heart in all the areas entrusted to him on this earth." – A Lithuanian pastor.

Jade Alger, writer and communications specialist for TWR Europe and CAMENA.