November 21, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of the Covenant Eyes Podcast, Rob Stoddard sits down with Joe Beckler, Vice President of Development, Marketing, and Communication for CBMC (Christian Businessmen’s Connection) — an organization celebrating 95 years of equipping men to live out their faith in the marketplace.
Joe shares the remarkable story of CBMC’s origins during the Great Depression and its ongoing mission to reach business leaders through life-on-life discipleship, mentorship, and spiritual community. He also discusses his personal CBMC journey and why the marketplace remains one of the largest mission fields today.
You’ll hear powerful insights on:
✓ Why so many men feel isolated in today’s digital, high-pressure culture
✓ The deep challenges facing Christian business leaders
✓ How destructive patterns often take root — and how to break free
✓ The power of accountability teams & one-on-one discipleship
✓ CBMC’s transformative tool: Operation Timothy
✓ What it looks like to walk in freedom, calling, and purpose
✓ Why reaching the next generation of men is CBMC’s top priority
✓ How men (and churches) can get connected today
Joe also shares how digital pressures are shaping culture — and why intentional community and Christ-centered mentorship are more important than ever.
🔗 Learn more about CBMC: https://www.cbmc.com
🔗 Join a Team or Find a Group Near You: https://www.cbmc.com/connect
🔗 Operation Timothy & Other Free Tools (ADVANCE Platform): https://advance.cbmc.com
If today’s conversation encouraged you, please like, share, and subscribe to help others discover these important resources.
#CBMC #MensMinistry #MarketplaceMinistry #ChristianLeadership #CovenantEyesPodcast #Discipleship #Accountability #FaithAtWork #ChristianMen #OperationTimothy
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Welcome to the Covenant Eyes Podcast
00:29 – Introducing guest Joe Beckler from CBMC
02:40 – How CBMC builds life-on-life relationships
06:38 – The challenges Christian men face today
07:20 – Digital pressures & cultural isolation
08:18 – Why harmful digital content is a growing epidemic
09:00 – The “mask” men wear in the workplace
09:53 – CBMC’s positive, empowering approach to men
13:49 – One-on-one discipleship: Joe, Gary & Matt’s story
14:32 – How Operation Timothy creates generations of disciples
15:07 – Why digital integrity is essential for men today
16:00 – The global impact of digital culture
17:52 – Men sharing their struggles openly
18:22 – How culture is being reshaped by digital influences
19:01 – Discipleship as the heart of lasting transformation
19:49 – Joe’s big hope for the next 95 years: reaching the next generation
20:44 – Helping younger men navigate a new digital landscape
21:19 – How to get involved with CBMC locally or virtually
22:09 – The ADVANCE platform (free global resources)
23:03 – Why personal connection is the game-changer
24:08 – A final message of encouragement for men & pastors
25:30 – Closing thanks & next episode preview
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Well, good afternoon andwelcome to another episode
of The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
I'm your hosttoday, Rob Stoddard.
Kieran, our regular host,is out today.
But, have a wonderful guest,today, joining us.
So I think you'llyou'll love this.
It's an organizationthat's been around 95 years
and celebrating its95th anniversary.
(00:27):
So I'd like to introduce to youJoe Buckler.
He is the vice presidentof development, marketing
and communicationwith the Christian Businessmen's
Connection.
Joe, welcome toThe Covenant Eyes Podcast.
Rob, so good to be here.
Thank you for having me.
Joe, tell us a little bitabout your background
and how you ended up at,CBMC, but also, tell us
(00:48):
then about about the ministryand what it does.
I will, I will, so I will startwith the ministry,
formed in 1930around the depression,
some in theChicago area. Burdened,
by all the pressures.
You can only imagine,that, were occurring
in that time, er, in history.
And, they got on their kneesand they began to pray
(01:12):
and lo and behold, that turnedinto a movement, a movement
that, as you mentioned,it's it's 95 years old.
So we, we're excitedfor this long legacy,
this organizationthat is a men's
marketplace ministry,has morphed and pivoted
multiple times over 95 years,which I think any organization
(01:35):
has to do.
There's that consistent threadthat this is about the gospel.
It's about the Great Commission.
It's about the marketplacebeing the greatest,
unreached people group.
When you think about itin the world.
And, it's a place where everyonehas to show up, they kind of
put their game face onno matter what's
(01:55):
going on in their world,in their lives.
And, CBMC,Christian Businessmen's
Connection, is reallyabout looking at the marketplace
as a mission field and a placeto connect with anyone.
And everyone,no matter where they are
in their spiritual journey.
So through the years,that's turned
(02:16):
into an organizationthat has really
had this vision of,presenting Jesus and developing
businessmen, reallyconnecting men to Christ
and then connecting mento one another
because, as you know, weit's lonely being a leader
and being inthe marketplace again
with all of the pressuresthat men are under.
(02:40):
Any era in history.
But right now, in this occasion,in time, it gets pretty lonely.
So this idea of firstand foremost connecting them
to the greatest newsin the universe, Jesus, and that
transformative powerimpacting them in community
with other men.
It's it's what we're aboutat the core.
(03:02):
And that's lived out in severaldifferent ways.
Predominantly our our our majoremphasis is life on life,
discipleship through a toolcalled Operation Timothy.
But we, gather men into teams.
Typically, menfind out about CBMC
through events,large events, prayer
(03:24):
breakfasts, luncheonsand other gatherings.
Strategically golf outings,whatever it is, they meet
someone from CBMCthey get connected,
they're invitedinto one of our teams,
and it's there that theyfind community, and it's there
that oftentimes they're invitedinto this life.
On life discipleship experience.
And so it's really amazing.
(03:44):
One thingI would want to say too, is that
we are a men'smarketplace ministry,
but we believe wholeheartedly inwhat God is doing
in the lives of womenin the marketplace.
There are some amazingwomen leading strong
in the marketplace.
So we do everything possibleto share our tools and leverage,
what we can to support women'smarketplace ministries as well.
(04:08):
So there's a lotof collaboration
going on out there.
It's really exciting.
So, Rob, that's the kind ofbig picture for CBMC Yeah,
for me, my story of gettinginvolved is interesting.
My first cvac experiencewas when I was 15,
(04:28):
going on 16, I, I was,going through
a tough time in life.
My dad, died due to a set ofunfortunate circumstances
with his health.
And he had a friendwho worked in Atlanta,
at Georgia Tech who took meunder his wing after.
After my dad passed awayand loved on me, encouraged me,
(04:51):
helped me learn how to drive.
Just tried to be therefor a teenager who had just lost
his father.
So, lo and behold,that gentleman follower of Jesus
was an active part of CBMC.
I actually didn't learn thatuntil 30 years later.
So, we've reconnected and, he'sbecome a major champion
(05:13):
for me personallyin this ministry, but.
So Cassie touched me,and I didn't even know it
back when I was 15.
But then the next timewas when I was, in my late 20s,
I was actually in a church.
So I went to seminary,and I was working
in a vocational ministry,and I was engaging
young professionals and as muchtheological training as I had,
(05:38):
there was a gap in myability to help
a young professional,really kind of progressed
in their understanding of faith.
And the guy these guys from CBMCI met marketplace leaders.
They coached me inhow to share your faith
in a highly relational way,where you meet people,
where they're at,and help them progress,
(06:00):
and theirunderstanding of Jesus.
So then that was my first kindof official CBMC moment.
And then, gosh, again,almost like 25 years later,
I was, engaged by, this ministryto consider, getting involved
on a fundraising and marketingand development capacity
(06:23):
in the role I’m in now.
And of course, there'sa lot of story in between.
How did I get from working in alocal church to being a part
of a men's marketplace ministry?
That's probably another storyfor another time.
But, it was a fun journeyto get to where I am now.
Yeah, I bet.
Well, thanks, Joe.
And I love the factthat really at the heart of this
(06:43):
ministry is reallyabout evangelism,
about sharing the gospeland spreading that, that
that's such awonderful ministry.
Joe, you know, I've spent 20years in business
as a Christian before I wentto the mission field
and then joined Covenant Eyes.
So I know somewhatabout the challenges of of guys
(07:04):
trying to live out their faith.
In, in the marketplace.
Can you share a little bitwhat are some of the
biggest challenges you seeChristian business
leaders or men facing todayout, in, out, in the world, out
in this culture today?
We there's two ways to tellthis, right?
There's thethere's the narrative
(07:24):
that's very soberingin that, statistics tell us that
men are struggling.
The, the level of isolation,in this digitally
native environmentwhere, men and women
are being inundatedwith content, and content
that is, is destructive.
(07:45):
To be perfectly honest.
To be in the pressure cookerof the marketplace and the ebbs
and flows of what's happeningwith our economy.
Trying to face all the pressuresof what's going on at home,
what's going onat the workplace.
We see men that are strugglingwith, an assortment of issues
(08:06):
that are holding them down.
You know, one of the onesthat I know, Covenant Eyes
is, is attacking directlyis this challenge
of pornography.
It's, it's an epidemic.
It is a it is a threat.
It is epidemic.
And it is, it's somethingwe run into quite
often with our men.
Our men are,are really struggling
(08:28):
because of just the, inundationof digital media that is,
pointing themin a direction that is, that is
very destructive.
So we encounterthat quite often.
And, in addition,again, it's what,
what kinds of thingslead to behaviors and outlets
that are destructivein a man's life.
And we oftentimes try and get tothe heart of what is it
(08:51):
that is causing the struggle?
For a man.
And a lot of times, again,we're coming into
the marketplacewith that mask on.
We, we don't want to showwhat's really going on
inside of our lives.
So instead, we show up,we do our job,
and we leave behind that mask.
There's all sorts of addictionstruggles and,
(09:13):
struggles at home.
Struggles in life.
So that's one wayto tell the story, Rob.
The other waythat I like to tell
the story is that CBMCwe really don't
want to come into aman's life and say, hey, do
you know you're struggling?
You know, you're like,really like failing at this,
idea of being a man.
Because typically that's there'sa lot of messaging
(09:34):
around that for men.
Instead, what we're trying to dois come in,
into the conversationwith a man and say, did you know
that God has this unbelievableplanned cause and purpose
for your lifethat will lift you from
so many of the thingsthat you feel like
are suffocating you and holdingyou down?
Did you know that God has, like,wired you for something amazing?
(09:58):
Do you want to step into that?
Are you ready?
Do you want to circle aroundwith other men
who just like you, and they'reputting their pants
on one leg at a time?
They're.
They've struggled.
They've been throughups and downs.
We can help each otherwith the overlay of Jesus
guiding and informing us.
Do you want that?
Do you want to stepinto this place of empowerment
(10:19):
that gives you a freedomfrom a lot of the things
that are holding you back?
So honestly, that's our pitch.
Because the other pitchis such a loser and a downer.
But, we start there with menand we find that,
they men want to thrive.
They want to win.
They want to win at home.
They want to win in business.
They want to winin their communities,
and they want to win in life.
(10:41):
And and so if we can start thereand say, okay, the key is Jesus.
Let's start with that.
That's really exciting.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think you nailed it.
Men are longing for thatkind of help in that.
Seeking those kinds of things.
I know a couple ofkey principles for
you are really discipleship andaccountability relationships.
(11:04):
How do you see those principleskind of playing out,
and how important are they inhelping guys begin to that walk
in that faith journey?
Yeah. At work?
Yeah.
From a very practical,theological perspective,
we know that we were designedfor community.
They're designed to be connectedto other people, and there's
(11:25):
really good tension in that.
There's good tensionwhen we circle up
with other men and,and be able to just
to get transparent and dealwith the real issues of life.
Something reallyliberating, right?
When the spotlightof truth shines in on our lives,
(11:46):
and we look at the guyto our left and our right,
we go up there,they're struggling.
Just like me.
Or, you know, that gentleman'sdealing with that issue,
and I've got my.
And all of a suddenthere's it's ironic
that our freedom is in thisdisclosure of
how things really areand how much we we do struggle,
because that'swhere the gospel works
(12:06):
in the midst of the the struggleand the mess
and so life on life,discipleship is crucial.
And so for us, we dowe organize ourselves
around this notion of teamswhere men come in
and they seek to workthe problems that they're
facing in life.
We have a team called a TrustedAdvisor Forum,
which is really designed for menthat are kind of mature in their
(12:30):
business experience.
They may own a business.
They may be an executive or,you know, running a business.
They're typicallyin their 40s and 50s,
and these guysare coming in and they
and they each take a turn,bringing an issue to the table.
And it could be about business.
It could be about family.
It could be about raisingteenage kids.
It could be about strugglingwith pornography or addiction
(12:52):
or whatever,whatever the battle is,
all these battlesthat are so common
to our men and,they bring it in.
And what they findis they find men
that are willing to lean in,ask questions, and be a champion
for them to help them lift up.
So the team, the team sportof accountability
there is great because,Hey, what
(13:13):
what gets our attentiongets measured.
So we know thatif we're talking about
the things that are, kind ofat the forefront of the wars
internally inside of us,there's an opportunity to
to get better.
Now, the icingon the cake, Rob, I'm
going to tell you, it is thatone on one discipleship.
That's really where we,we say, you
(13:34):
know, teams are amazing,but if we can get,
two men to get togetherand start a discipleship
relationship,and then over time,
make that a multiplier.
So, for example, my disciple,his name is Gary.
Gary is about, 15 yearsin front of me in life,
I love it.
(13:55):
You know, I,I love listening to him
and bringing questions to himabout what I should anticipate.
And then midwaythrough my discipleship
journey with Gary,he said, all right,
who are you going to disciple?
So then I went and engageda friend of mine
I've known for a while,and they met.
Now Matt is in our discipleshiprelationship with me, and Matt
and I are already talkingabout who he's going
(14:16):
to begin discipling.
And the way we do that iswe use a common tool operation.
Timothy, developed in the 1970s,and it's a wonderful track
to run on.
It's not nothing's perfect.
Right.
Except for lookingat the Word of God.
But it's a track to run on.
It's three books that really area terrific way
(14:38):
to create conversation and helpsomeone figure out how to
take the next stepand progressing in their faith,
and also take the next stepin helping someone else
progress in their faith.
So, to me, that life on lifediscipleship moment.
I mean, I'm,I'm talking about things
and those connectionsthat I really wouldn't
(14:59):
even bring to a team,to be perfectly honest.
And so having thathealthy kind of, variety
is really meaningfulfor our men.
And that's that's wonderful.
That heart of thatdiscipleship, it's
it is one so biblical, but it isso transformational.
And, you know,it's really at the heart
of what we're trying to dowith, our accountability
(15:21):
and our software.
And, so if I canjust talk a little bit
about that, you mentioned that,you know, obviously today
it's a much different landscapethan it was. Ten, 20.
Yes, 30 years ago.
And that we'rein a digital world now, and it's
almost impossible to escapebeing on the internet.
And being on, onsome social media is in some
(15:45):
different things. Sothe struggles that come
along with that,I'm sure you mentioned
you're seeing a lot of that.
So how as a ministry,are you able to
come alongside and helpmen guard against these kinds
of temptations?
You know, like pornographyand really maintain that
that strong moral foundation?
(16:07):
I, I think that if thereis a crisis in culture globally,
it's probably around this issue.
I mean, I think it'sthat critical.
The, the, thethe damage to society,
the damage to to the mindsand the hearts of men and women
(16:27):
because of what is coming inthrough digital channels.
Obviously we makethe choice, right?
We pick up the device,we choose, and it's
a neutral device to a degree.
So we can choose good.
We can choose not so good. But,I will tell you that it is,
it is normative.
(16:48):
And and I know Rob,you guys know this all too well.
It is normativeto sit in a circle with men now.
And for every one of those mento say, yes, I've been touched
by pornography.
It's become it's it'sa part of my story.
It's a part of my my story.
And I'm raising my handbecause I'm struggling.
I'm raising my hand because I'mI'm climbing out of it, or I'm
(17:09):
getting out of it, or I'm.
I'm raising my handbecause, frankly, my wife and I
are in counselingbecause I'm having
to kind of deal withwhat it's doing to me.
It's and that's withinthe faith context.
So then you kind of 100,000 xwhat's happening outside of the
faith community.
(17:29):
So we're dealing withan issue that,
the businessman thatwe reach at all ages,
they are wrestling and it'sit's a place of shame for them.
I know the enemy.
I feel like, usesthat all too often to,
determine, you know, gosh, youyou and you alone are the ones
(17:49):
struggling with thiswhen the reality is made.
Not the minute a man speaks upand is courageous to say, hey,
this is where my battle is.
It's amazing how others go.
Yeah.
Me too, me too, me too.
So, we cannot have enough toolsand resources to battle
this issue alone.
(18:11):
And to to be able to mitigateagainst the damage being done
in relationshipsand marriages, and,
frankly, and, andmen and women's world
view of human sexuality.
Right.
It's distorting everything.
So we're talking abouta critical, critical issue.
And again, I do I believe thatthis is shaping culture.
(18:32):
Well, we'll read history books.
50 years from now, potentially,you know, if I'm around and
and we will we willwe will be reading about the
tectonic shifts in cultureas a result of what's happening
in a digitally native world.
That's just the reality.
(18:53):
So what are we going to do?
How are we going tohow are we going
to navigate this?
And, so this is a pivotalmoment.
It really is.
You've nailed everything there.
We agreewith all of that for us.
Really, though.
I mean, it does come downto that discipleship.
You know, tools are greatresources, education,
those are all needed pieces.
(19:16):
But really, you know,we need a closer
walk with Christ.
And that'swhere that discipleship
piece comes in.
So just lovewhat you guys are doing
and how you can really begin to,lean into this issue.
Because you're right.
I, we we believe also,this is the biggest issue,
I think, facing menand facing men in their
in their faith walk.
(19:37):
And so, so I love whatyou guys are doing.
If you had to say you know,what's your biggest hope
and prayer for this ministry?
You've been doing it 95 years.
Hopefully there's another95 years.
Where are you at? What?
Where are you hoping this goes?
Right.
It's the next generation.
I think that's what we we.
(19:57):
I literally came froma, strategic
annual planning event with ournational leadership, and we
we articulated that point.
It was that, the the brillianceof when you get men in the room
of all different agesand they can cross-pollinate
on ideas, there's there'ssomething really powerful.
(20:19):
I mean, we have men in their 80sthat are showering
wisdom on those that are coming,that are following them along.
We've got guysthat are in their 20s and 30s
that are hungry,trying to figure stuff out,
and we want more of thatbecause we realize that.
Can I can I just like thebook of Deuteronomy,
where, you know, it'sa retelling of the law
(20:40):
for the generationthat's going to go into
the Promised Land.
It's how do we how do weshape ourselves
and retell the story,of the gospel and leverage
the platform of Xbmcso that we can
we can engage this,these generations
that are coming up and candidly,given the new landscape,
(21:02):
the new challenges,the technology
that's informing the waywe think and feel and act,
we we want to really be sharpand smart about
how we're engagingthis next gen, that's that's at
the heart of what CBMCis thinking about quite often.
So tell us a littlebit more about how,
(21:23):
how men would get involvedin what that what does that
look like?
Is that, more face to face.
Is it, pretty much all,you know, connection through,
you know, through digital means,how does how does somebody
connect and, and do thislife with you?
Well, the easiest way always isgo to CBMC.com, and you can,
(21:49):
go to that page.
You'll learn aboutwhere CBMC’s located near you,
or you fill out what we calla Connect Me form.
And if there'snot a location near you, we have
virtual solutionswhere we can tie
you into connectionswith other businessmen.
So that's something that weare consistently offering.
Again, CBMC.com if you go tothat website, you can also learn
(22:14):
about our advanced platform,which is free.
By the way, there are peopleusing this platform
and 148 countries.
It's really cool.
So there's no no limit to wherethis tool can go.
And it has our discipleshiptools, evangelism tools,
and other resources to help men.
But we alsohave designed the tools
(22:35):
so that they're, therethey reach out to women,
to churches, to all typesof ministries.
So the advanced platformis a really great free resource.
Highly encourage,folks to jump in and explore
that sign up for an account.
But that's the easiest wayto kind of get a sense.
The funny part is thatwhen I interview men,
(22:58):
kind of the marketing cap onand I think about like,
tell me your cmmc story.
It's always there'sthis pivot or transition
point where they say,and then I met someone
from CBMC, and it'sreally interesting how that as a
game changerand and the participants
lives of engagingjoining a team.
(23:19):
So however we can help,your listeners
learn about CBMCI, get connectedand have that introduction
to a CBMC member, maybe throughone of our prayer breakfast
or through our luncheonsor special events.
We do however we can do that,ultimately connecting them
to someone who can help themget involved.
(23:40):
It's it's key.
We're we have 611 teamsacross the United States.
We're located in around 38states in the United States.
But that doesn'tnecessarily limit
our virtual reach,which is really good.
We're in 99countries officially,
our international organization.
(24:00):
And then our tools,of course, are used
in that broaderexpanse of countries.
So we try and createas many options as possible.
Yeah. That's wonderful.
And we want to helpyou get the word out
to our listeners.
Please, share this information.
Get this to your men's ministry.
We'll share thisin our show notes.
The connection.
And, please getget this out to people.
(24:23):
But, Joe, before we headoff, I'd love
just to from your heartone one last message to the men
that are listeningor church pastors
who are listening.
What would you what would youshare with them?
I think it goes back to theto the pitch that I think is
rooted in Jesus.
I would say to the menwho are listening,
(24:46):
especially pastors.
And by the way, pastors,thank you for your courage
to lead in avery challenging space.
And then,to our business leaders
that are courageouslyliving the faith
in a post-Christian world,you need to know
God has so much more for us.
Ephesians 3 (25:04):
20.
Immeasurably morethan we could ask or imagine.
So if you're ready to step intothat promise, to step
into what God promisefor a bigger, better
life of purpose and meaning,to be lifted up from
whatever is oppressingor suffocating
or holding you down.
Then, CMBCmight be the right place
(25:24):
for you.
We'd love to have you.
So, take up the challenge.
Let's go for more.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, Joeis a wonderful ministry.
Thank you for joining us todayand sharing about this ministry,
and will certainly try tohelp, help you get the word out.
But, again, thank you.
And, just God bless the workyou're doing.
(25:45):
Rob, thank you for what you andthe Covenant Eyes
teams are doing.
You guys are amazing.
And you're leaning inin the hard spaces,
so we're very grateful.
Know we appreciate that.
Well, great.
To our listeners.
Thanks again for for listening.
Please.
Like I said, share this.
Pass this on, but look forour next episodes.
Again, thanks for joining us.
(26:05):
Take care and God bless.
Well, good afternoon andwelcome to another episode
of The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
I'm your hosttoday, Rob Stoddard.
Kieran, our regular host,is out today.
But, have a wonderful guest,today, joining us.
So I think you'llyou'll love this.
It's an organizationthat's been around 95 years
and celebrating its95th anniversary.
(00:27):
So I'd like to introduce to youJoe Buckler.
He is the vice presidentof development, marketing
and communicationwith the Christian Businessmen's
Connection.
Joe, welcome toThe Covenant Eyes Podcast.
Rob, so good to be here.
Thank you for having me.
Joe, tell us a little bitabout your background
and how you ended up at,CBMC, but also, tell us
(00:48):
then about about the ministryand what it does.
I will, I will, so I will startwith the ministry,
formed in 1930around the depression,
some in theChicago area. Burdened,
by all the pressures.
You can only imagine,that, were occurring
in that time, er, in history.
And, they got on their kneesand they began to pray
(01:12):
and lo and behold, that turnedinto a movement, a movement
that, as you mentioned,it's it's 95 years old.
So we, we're excitedfor this long legacy,
this organizationthat is a men's
marketplace ministry,has morphed and pivoted
multiple times over 95 years,which I think any organization
(01:35):
has to do.
There's that consistent threadthat this is about the gospel.
It's about the Great Commission.
It's about the marketplacebeing the greatest,
unreached people group.
When you think about itin the world.
And, it's a place where everyonehas to show up, they kind of
put their game face onno matter what's
(01:55):
going on in their world,in their lives.
And, CBMC,Christian Businessmen's
Connection, is reallyabout looking at the marketplace
as a mission field and a placeto connect with anyone.
And everyone,no matter where they are
in their spiritual journey.
So through the years,that's turned
(02:16):
into an organizationthat has really
had this vision of,presenting Jesus and developing
businessmen, reallyconnecting men to Christ
and then connecting mento one another
because, as you know, weit's lonely being a leader
and being inthe marketplace again
with all of the pressuresthat men are under.
(02:40):
Any era in history.
But right now, in this occasion,in time, it gets pretty lonely.
So this idea of firstand foremost connecting them
to the greatest newsin the universe, Jesus, and that
transformative powerimpacting them in community
with other men.
It's it's what we're aboutat the core.
(03:02):
And that's lived out in severaldifferent ways.
Predominantly our our our majoremphasis is life on life,
discipleship through a toolcalled Operation Timothy.
But we, gather men into teams.
Typically, menfind out about CBMC
through events,large events, prayer
(03:24):
breakfasts, luncheonsand other gatherings.
Strategically golf outings,whatever it is, they meet
someone from CBMCthey get connected,
they're invitedinto one of our teams,
and it's there that theyfind community, and it's there
that oftentimes they're invitedinto this life.
On life discipleship experience.
And so it's really amazing.
(03:44):
One thingI would want to say too, is that
we are a men'smarketplace ministry,
but we believe wholeheartedly inwhat God is doing
in the lives of womenin the marketplace.
There are some amazingwomen leading strong
in the marketplace.
So we do everything possibleto share our tools and leverage,
what we can to support women'smarketplace ministries as well.
(04:08):
So there's a lotof collaboration
going on out there.
It's really exciting.
So, Rob, that's the kind ofbig picture for CBMC Yeah,
for me, my story of gettinginvolved is interesting.
My first cvac experiencewas when I was 15,
(04:28):
going on 16, I, I was,going through
a tough time in life.
My dad, died due to a set ofunfortunate circumstances
with his health.
And he had a friendwho worked in Atlanta,
at Georgia Tech who took meunder his wing after.
After my dad passed awayand loved on me, encouraged me,
(04:51):
helped me learn how to drive.
Just tried to be therefor a teenager who had just lost
his father.
So, lo and behold,that gentleman follower of Jesus
was an active part of CBMC.
I actually didn't learn thatuntil 30 years later.
So, we've reconnected and, he'sbecome a major champion
(05:13):
for me personallyin this ministry, but.
So Cassie touched me,and I didn't even know it
back when I was 15.
But then the next timewas when I was, in my late 20s,
I was actually in a church.
So I went to seminary,and I was working
in a vocational ministry,and I was engaging
young professionals and as muchtheological training as I had,
(05:38):
there was a gap in myability to help
a young professional,really kind of progressed
in their understanding of faith.
And the guy these guys from CBMCI met marketplace leaders.
They coached me inhow to share your faith
in a highly relational way,where you meet people,
where they're at,and help them progress,
(06:00):
and theirunderstanding of Jesus.
So then that was my first kindof official CBMC moment.
And then, gosh, again,almost like 25 years later,
I was, engaged by, this ministryto consider, getting involved
on a fundraising and marketingand development capacity
(06:23):
in the role I’m in now.
And of course, there'sa lot of story in between.
How did I get from working in alocal church to being a part
of a men's marketplace ministry?
That's probably another storyfor another time.
But, it was a fun journeyto get to where I am now.
Yeah, I bet.
Well, thanks, Joe.
And I love the factthat really at the heart of this
(06:43):
ministry is reallyabout evangelism,
about sharing the gospeland spreading that, that
that's such awonderful ministry.
Joe, you know, I've spent 20years in business
as a Christian before I wentto the mission field
and then joined Covenant Eyes.
So I know somewhatabout the challenges of of guys
(07:04):
trying to live out their faith.
In, in the marketplace.
Can you share a little bitwhat are some of the
biggest challenges you seeChristian business
leaders or men facing todayout, in, out, in the world, out
in this culture today?
We there's two ways to tellthis, right?
There's thethere's the narrative
(07:24):
that's very soberingin that, statistics tell us that
men are struggling.
The, the level of isolation,in this digitally
native environmentwhere, men and women
are being inundatedwith content, and content
that is, is destructive.
(07:45):
To be perfectly honest.
To be in the pressure cookerof the marketplace and the ebbs
and flows of what's happeningwith our economy.
Trying to face all the pressuresof what's going on at home,
what's going onat the workplace.
We see men that are strugglingwith, an assortment of issues
(08:06):
that are holding them down.
You know, one of the onesthat I know, Covenant Eyes
is, is attacking directlyis this challenge
of pornography.
It's, it's an epidemic.
It is a it is a threat.
It is epidemic.
And it is, it's somethingwe run into quite
often with our men.
Our men are,are really struggling
(08:28):
because of just the, inundationof digital media that is,
pointing themin a direction that is, that is
very destructive.
So we encounterthat quite often.
And, in addition,again, it's what,
what kinds of thingslead to behaviors and outlets
that are destructivein a man's life.
And we oftentimes try and get tothe heart of what is it
(08:51):
that is causing the struggle?
For a man.
And a lot of times, again,we're coming into
the marketplacewith that mask on.
We, we don't want to showwhat's really going on
inside of our lives.
So instead, we show up,we do our job,
and we leave behind that mask.
There's all sorts of addictionstruggles and,
(09:13):
struggles at home.
Struggles in life.
So that's one wayto tell the story, Rob.
The other waythat I like to tell
the story is that CBMCwe really don't
want to come into aman's life and say, hey, do
you know you're struggling?
You know, you're like,really like failing at this,
idea of being a man.
Because typically that's there'sa lot of messaging
(09:34):
around that for men.
Instead, what we're trying to dois come in,
into the conversationwith a man and say, did you know
that God has this unbelievableplanned cause and purpose
for your lifethat will lift you from
so many of the thingsthat you feel like
are suffocating you and holdingyou down?
Did you know that God has, like,wired you for something amazing?
(09:58):
Do you want to step into that?
Are you ready?
Do you want to circle aroundwith other men
who just like you, and they'reputting their pants
on one leg at a time?
They're.
They've struggled.
They've been throughups and downs.
We can help each otherwith the overlay of Jesus
guiding and informing us.
Do you want that?
Do you want to stepinto this place of empowerment
(10:19):
that gives you a freedomfrom a lot of the things
that are holding you back?
So honestly, that's our pitch.
Because the other pitchis such a loser and a downer.
But, we start there with menand we find that,
they men want to thrive.
They want to win.
They want to win at home.
They want to win in business.
They want to winin their communities,
and they want to win in life.
(10:41):
And and so if we can start thereand say, okay, the key is Jesus.
Let's start with that.
That's really exciting.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think you nailed it.
Men are longing for thatkind of help in that.
Seeking those kinds of things.
I know a couple ofkey principles for
you are really discipleship andaccountability relationships.
(11:04):
How do you see those principleskind of playing out,
and how important are they inhelping guys begin to that walk
in that faith journey?
Yeah. At work?
Yeah.
From a very practical,theological perspective,
we know that we were designedfor community.
They're designed to be connectedto other people, and there's
(11:25):
really good tension in that.
There's good tensionwhen we circle up
with other men and,and be able to just
to get transparent and dealwith the real issues of life.
Something reallyliberating, right?
When the spotlightof truth shines in on our lives,
(11:46):
and we look at the guyto our left and our right,
we go up there,they're struggling.
Just like me.
Or, you know, that gentleman'sdealing with that issue,
and I've got my.
And all of a suddenthere's it's ironic
that our freedom is in thisdisclosure of
how things really areand how much we we do struggle,
because that'swhere the gospel works
(12:06):
in the midst of the the struggleand the mess
and so life on life,discipleship is crucial.
And so for us, we dowe organize ourselves
around this notion of teamswhere men come in
and they seek to workthe problems that they're
facing in life.
We have a team called a TrustedAdvisor Forum,
which is really designed for menthat are kind of mature in their
(12:30):
business experience.
They may own a business.
They may be an executive or,you know, running a business.
They're typicallyin their 40s and 50s,
and these guysare coming in and they
and they each take a turn,bringing an issue to the table.
And it could be about business.
It could be about family.
It could be about raisingteenage kids.
It could be about strugglingwith pornography or addiction
(12:52):
or whatever,whatever the battle is,
all these battlesthat are so common
to our men and,they bring it in.
And what they findis they find men
that are willing to lean in,ask questions, and be a champion
for them to help them lift up.
So the team, the team sportof accountability
there is great because,Hey, what
(13:13):
what gets our attentiongets measured.
So we know thatif we're talking about
the things that are, kind ofat the forefront of the wars
internally inside of us,there's an opportunity to
to get better.
Now, the icingon the cake, Rob, I'm
going to tell you, it is thatone on one discipleship.
That's really where we,we say, you
(13:34):
know, teams are amazing,but if we can get,
two men to get togetherand start a discipleship
relationship,and then over time,
make that a multiplier.
So, for example, my disciple,his name is Gary.
Gary is about, 15 yearsin front of me in life,
I love it.
(13:55):
You know, I,I love listening to him
and bringing questions to himabout what I should anticipate.
And then midwaythrough my discipleship
journey with Gary,he said, all right,
who are you going to disciple?
So then I went and engageda friend of mine
I've known for a while,and they met.
Now Matt is in our discipleshiprelationship with me, and Matt
and I are already talkingabout who he's going
(14:16):
to begin discipling.
And the way we do that iswe use a common tool operation.
Timothy, developed in the 1970s,and it's a wonderful track
to run on.
It's not nothing's perfect.
Right.
Except for lookingat the Word of God.
But it's a track to run on.
It's three books that really area terrific way
(14:38):
to create conversation and helpsomeone figure out how to
take the next stepand progressing in their faith,
and also take the next stepin helping someone else
progress in their faith.
So, to me, that life on lifediscipleship moment.
I mean, I'm,I'm talking about things
and those connectionsthat I really wouldn't
(14:59):
even bring to a team,to be perfectly honest.
And so having thathealthy kind of, variety
is really meaningfulfor our men.
And that's that's wonderful.
That heart of thatdiscipleship, it's
it is one so biblical, but it isso transformational.
And, you know,it's really at the heart
of what we're trying to dowith, our accountability
(15:21):
and our software.
And, so if I canjust talk a little bit
about that, you mentioned that,you know, obviously today
it's a much different landscapethan it was. Ten, 20.
Yes, 30 years ago.
And that we'rein a digital world now, and it's
almost impossible to escapebeing on the internet.
And being on, onsome social media is in some
(15:45):
different things. Sothe struggles that come
along with that,I'm sure you mentioned
you're seeing a lot of that.
So how as a ministry,are you able to
come alongside and helpmen guard against these kinds
of temptations?
You know, like pornographyand really maintain that
that strong moral foundation?
(16:07):
I, I think that if thereis a crisis in culture globally,
it's probably around this issue.
I mean, I think it'sthat critical.
The, the, thethe damage to society,
the damage to to the mindsand the hearts of men and women
(16:27):
because of what is coming inthrough digital channels.
Obviously we makethe choice, right?
We pick up the device,we choose, and it's
a neutral device to a degree.
So we can choose good.
We can choose not so good. But,I will tell you that it is,
it is normative.
(16:48):
And and I know Rob,you guys know this all too well.
It is normativeto sit in a circle with men now.
And for every one of those mento say, yes, I've been touched
by pornography.
It's become it's it'sa part of my story.
It's a part of my my story.
And I'm raising my handbecause I'm struggling.
I'm raising my hand because I'mI'm climbing out of it, or I'm
(17:09):
getting out of it, or I'm.
I'm raising my handbecause, frankly, my wife and I
are in counselingbecause I'm having
to kind of deal withwhat it's doing to me.
It's and that's withinthe faith context.
So then you kind of 100,000 xwhat's happening outside of the
faith community.
(17:29):
So we're dealing withan issue that,
the businessman thatwe reach at all ages,
they are wrestling and it'sit's a place of shame for them.
I know the enemy.
I feel like, usesthat all too often to,
determine, you know, gosh, youyou and you alone are the ones
(17:49):
struggling with thiswhen the reality is made.
Not the minute a man speaks upand is courageous to say, hey,
this is where my battle is.
It's amazing how others go.
Yeah.
Me too, me too, me too.
So, we cannot have enough toolsand resources to battle
this issue alone.
(18:11):
And to to be able to mitigateagainst the damage being done
in relationshipsand marriages, and,
frankly, and, andmen and women's world
view of human sexuality.
Right.
It's distorting everything.
So we're talking abouta critical, critical issue.
And again, I do I believe thatthis is shaping culture.
(18:32):
Well, we'll read history books.
50 years from now, potentially,you know, if I'm around and
and we will we willwe will be reading about the
tectonic shifts in cultureas a result of what's happening
in a digitally native world.
That's just the reality.
(18:53):
So what are we going to do?
How are we going tohow are we going
to navigate this?
And, so this is a pivotalmoment.
It really is.
You've nailed everything there.
We agreewith all of that for us.
Really, though.
I mean, it does come downto that discipleship.
You know, tools are greatresources, education,
those are all needed pieces.
(19:16):
But really, you know,we need a closer
walk with Christ.
And that'swhere that discipleship
piece comes in.
So just lovewhat you guys are doing
and how you can really begin to,lean into this issue.
Because you're right.
I, we we believe also,this is the biggest issue,
I think, facing menand facing men in their
in their faith walk.
(19:37):
And so, so I love whatyou guys are doing.
If you had to say you know,what's your biggest hope
and prayer for this ministry?
You've been doing it 95 years.
Hopefully there's another95 years.
Where are you at? What?
Where are you hoping this goes?
Right.
It's the next generation.
I think that's what we we.
(19:57):
I literally came froma, strategic
annual planning event with ournational leadership, and we
we articulated that point.
It was that, the the brillianceof when you get men in the room
of all different agesand they can cross-pollinate
on ideas, there's there'ssomething really powerful.
(20:19):
I mean, we have men in their 80sthat are showering
wisdom on those that are coming,that are following them along.
We've got guysthat are in their 20s and 30s
that are hungry,trying to figure stuff out,
and we want more of thatbecause we realize that.
Can I can I just like thebook of Deuteronomy,
where, you know, it'sa retelling of the law
(20:40):
for the generationthat's going to go into
the Promised Land.
It's how do we how do weshape ourselves
and retell the story,of the gospel and leverage
the platform of Xbmcso that we can
we can engage this,these generations
that are coming up and candidly,given the new landscape,
(21:02):
the new challenges,the technology
that's informing the waywe think and feel and act,
we we want to really be sharpand smart about
how we're engagingthis next gen, that's that's at
the heart of what CBMCis thinking about quite often.
So tell us a littlebit more about how,
(21:23):
how men would get involvedin what that what does that
look like?
Is that, more face to face.
Is it, pretty much all,you know, connection through,
you know, through digital means,how does how does somebody
connect and, and do thislife with you?
Well, the easiest way always isgo to CBMC.com, and you can,
(21:49):
go to that page.
You'll learn aboutwhere CBMC’s located near you,
or you fill out what we calla Connect Me form.
And if there'snot a location near you, we have
virtual solutionswhere we can tie
you into connectionswith other businessmen.
So that's something that weare consistently offering.
Again, CBMC.com if you go tothat website, you can also learn
(22:14):
about our advanced platform,which is free.
By the way, there are peopleusing this platform
and 148 countries.
It's really cool.
So there's no no limit to wherethis tool can go.
And it has our discipleshiptools, evangelism tools,
and other resources to help men.
But we alsohave designed the tools
(22:35):
so that they're, therethey reach out to women,
to churches, to all typesof ministries.
So the advanced platformis a really great free resource.
Highly encourage,folks to jump in and explore
that sign up for an account.
But that's the easiest wayto kind of get a sense.
The funny part is thatwhen I interview men,
(22:58):
kind of the marketing cap onand I think about like,
tell me your cmmc story.
It's always there'sthis pivot or transition
point where they say,and then I met someone
from CBMC, and it'sreally interesting how that as a
game changerand and the participants
lives of engagingjoining a team.
(23:19):
So however we can help,your listeners
learn about CBMCI, get connectedand have that introduction
to a CBMC member, maybe throughone of our prayer breakfast
or through our luncheonsor special events.
We do however we can do that,ultimately connecting them
to someone who can help themget involved.
(23:40):
It's it's key.
We're we have 611 teamsacross the United States.
We're located in around 38states in the United States.
But that doesn'tnecessarily limit
our virtual reach,which is really good.
We're in 99countries officially,
our international organization.
(24:00):
And then our tools,of course, are used
in that broaderexpanse of countries.
So we try and createas many options as possible.
Yeah. That's wonderful.
And we want to helpyou get the word out
to our listeners.
Please, share this information.
Get this to your men's ministry.
We'll share thisin our show notes.
The connection.
And, please getget this out to people.
(24:23):
But, Joe, before we headoff, I'd love
just to from your heartone one last message to the men
that are listeningor church pastors
who are listening.
What would you what would youshare with them?
I think it goes back to theto the pitch that I think is
rooted in Jesus.
I would say to the menwho are listening,
(24:46):
especially pastors.
And by the way, pastors,thank you for your courage
to lead in avery challenging space.
And then,to our business leaders
that are courageouslyliving the faith
in a post-Christian world,you need to know
God has so much more for us.
Ephesians 3 (25:04):
20.
Immeasurably morethan we could ask or imagine.
So if you're ready to step intothat promise, to step
into what God promisefor a bigger, better
life of purpose and meaning,to be lifted up from
whatever is oppressingor suffocating
or holding you down.
Then, CMBCmight be the right place
(25:24):
for you.
We'd love to have you.
So, take up the challenge.
Let's go for more.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, Joeis a wonderful ministry.
Thank you for joining us todayand sharing about this ministry,
and will certainly try tohelp, help you get the word out.
But, again, thank you.
And, just God bless the workyou're doing.
(25:45):
Rob, thank you for what you andthe Covenant Eyes
teams are doing.
You guys are amazing.
And you're leaning inin the hard spaces,
so we're very grateful.
Know we appreciate that.
Well, great.
To our listeners.
Thanks again for for listening.
Please.
Like I said, share this.
Pass this on, but look forour next episodes.
Again, thanks for joining us.
(26:05):
Take care and God bless.
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