ANCC Impact Men · Course 7 of 7
Sent to Serve
Everyday mission through attentive friendship, practical service, clear Christian witness and responsible mentoring.
Men ready to serve neighbours, share faith respectfully and help other adults grow. A man can participate while still exploring faith and is never required to evangelise to receive support.
Read at your own pace or ask ANCC about current group arrangements. Meeting dates, venue, access, costs and trained leaders are confirmed separately. You can listen, ask questions or pass. Your private reflections belong to you.
For a paper workbook, use your browser menu to print this page or save it as a PDF. You can also write your responses in a private notebook.
What you will practise
- Listen to a neighbour or community partner before proposing help.
- Explain Christian hope and share a personal story without pressure or exaggeration.
- Design a safe, useful service project and a supervised adult mentoring plan.
Your six sessions
- 1. Notice the person in front of you
- 2. Serve where help is wanted
- 3. Tell your story honestly
- 4. Explain the hope of Jesus
- 5. Help another man grow
- 6. A ninety day mission plan
Read each Bible passage in its full context using NIV or another suitable translation. The teaching and exercises below are original ANCC material. The course offers Christian learning and companionship; professional health, safeguarding, financial and legal needs require the appropriate support.
Session 1
Notice the person in front of you
Read Luke 10:25–37
Identify a practical opportunity to love a neighbour without treating people as projects.
Jesus answers a question about the neighbour with a story in which compassion crosses a familiar boundary. The Samaritan notices, approaches and responds to need. His care involves practical resources and continuity. The story challenges selective concern and attention that stops at a good intention.
In Leeds, a neighbour may be a colleague, student, shopkeeper, newcomer, carer or person whose life is very different from ours. Begin by noticing and listening. A person’s apparent need does not tell you the whole story, and an offer of help should include the freedom to decline. Respect competence and avoid assumptions about culture, faith or financial circumstances.
Christian mission includes the good news of Jesus and practical love. Care must never depend on someone attending church, accepting prayer or agreeing with a belief. A vulnerable moment is not an opportunity for pressure. Ask what would actually help and whether another organisation is better placed to provide it.
Talk it through
- What does the Samaritan notice and do?
- Which boundaries does the story challenge?
- How could a well-intended offer undermine someone’s dignity?
- What makes an offer helpful and freely received?
A fictional situation
A group wants to photograph food parcels being handed to families and use the pictures to advertise church. Nobody has asked the recipients. How can the project protect dignity and consent?
Practise together or privately
- Map places where you meet people during an ordinary week. Do not write identifying details about someone’s difficulties.
- Choose one place where you could listen more attentively.
- Prepare a simple question: “What would be useful here?” Include a way for the person to say that no help is needed.
In your own workbook or notebook
An ordinary setting where I can pay attention
A question I can ask respectfully
An assumption I need to check
During the week
Have one ordinary conversation without a recruitment target. Notice what you learn and avoid recording another person’s private story.
Optional prayer
Jesus, help me see my neighbour with attention, respect and practical love. Amen.
Session 2
Serve where help is wanted
Read Jeremiah 29:4–7 and Titus 3:14
Co-design a modest service project with people who understand the need.
Jeremiah addresses a displaced community and calls them to seek the wellbeing of the place where they live. Titus connects useful action with meeting urgent needs. Both passages direct attention towards practical contribution. The community’s wellbeing matters beyond the benefit to the people doing the serving.
Start with a listening conversation, not a project announcement. Ask a local organisation or group what is needed, what already exists and which tasks volunteers can responsibly do. Agree scope, supervision, costs and how to stop if the work is not useful. Skilled tasks need competent people; good intentions cannot replace qualifications.
Service should also protect the volunteers’ capacity. A small completed task is better than a large promise that creates dependency. Choose a project that is accessible and does not require every man to be physically strong, wealthy or confident speaking. Offer roles in preparation, hospitality, administration and review.
Talk it through
- What does seeking a place’s wellbeing involve?
- How does Titus connect learning and useful service?
- What should we ask before choosing a project?
- Which roles could include men with different capacities?
A fictional situation
A group offers electrical repairs to a community centre although nobody is qualified or insured for the work. The centre is grateful but uncertain. How should the men revise the offer?
Practise together or privately
- Draft a project brief with the need, recipient, agreed task, competent supervisor, costs and boundaries.
- Identify risks, permissions, insurance and safeguarding checks before any commitment.
- Ask the intended partner whether the proposal is wanted and what should change. Record agreement without claiming a partnership prematurely.
In your own workbook or notebook
The need confirmed by the recipient or partner
A task within our competence and resources
Permissions, safety checks and review arrangements
During the week
Arrange a listening conversation or obtain the required agreement. Do not begin delivery until the responsible people have confirmed the arrangements.
Optional prayer
God, make our service useful to our neighbours and faithful to the responsibilities we accept. Amen.
Session 3
Tell your story honestly
Read John 9:1–25 and Psalm 107:1–9
Prepare a short personal account of faith without exaggeration or pressure.
In John 9, a man speaks about what he knows of his encounter with Jesus while acknowledging what he does not know. Psalm 107 invites people to remember God’s care. A testimony can be honest and limited. It does not need dramatic details to matter.
A useful account describes a real question or situation, how Jesus and Christian community became relevant, and what you are learning now. Avoid presenting yourself as a finished example. Do not claim a medical cure, financial result or reconciliation unless the facts support what you say and the people affected have consented to any identifying detail.
Sharing is an invitation to conversation. Ask whether the person is interested and stop if they are not. You can listen to their story without preparing a rebuttal. A man who is still exploring faith may describe his current questions rather than adopt someone else’s testimony. No participant owes the church a public story.
Talk it through
- What does the man say he knows, and what does he leave unresolved?
- What makes an account credible?
- Which details belong to other people and need protection?
- How can you tell whether someone wants the conversation to continue?
A fictional situation
A man wants to tell a moving story about his family’s conflict and his partner’s mental health. She has not agreed to it. What can he share about his own experience without exposing her?
Practise together or privately
- Prepare a ninety-second account using a real question, an encounter with Christian faith and what you are learning.
- Remove other people’s identifying details, exaggerated outcomes and claims you cannot substantiate.
- Practise asking permission before sharing and responding graciously when someone declines.
In your own workbook or notebook
The part of my story that is mine to share
What I can honestly say about Jesus
A respectful invitation to continue the conversation
During the week
Share your account only if a suitable conversation arises and the person wants to hear it. Listening can be the faithful action this week.
Optional prayer
Lord, help me speak truthfully about your work in my life and listen carefully to others. Amen.
Session 4
Explain the hope of Jesus
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–8 and 1 Peter 3:15–16
Explain the core Christian message and practise respectful answers to questions.
Paul summarises the message he received: Christ died for sins, was buried and was raised. The Christian invitation centres on Jesus and his saving work. Peter calls believers to explain their hope with gentleness and respect. Clarity and care belong together.
In ordinary language, Christians believe that God created us for relationship with him, that sin damages our relationship with God and others, and that Jesus’ death and resurrection make forgiveness and new life possible. The response is to trust and follow Jesus, receiving grace rather than earning acceptance. Explain terms rather than assuming shared knowledge.
A respectful conversation leaves room for another person’s beliefs, questions and decision. Do not use fear, a crisis, dependency or social pressure to obtain a response. It is acceptable to say you do not know an answer. Offer an appropriate resource or a conversation with someone more knowledgeable if the person wants that.
Talk it through
- What events does Paul place at the centre of the message?
- What manner of conversation does Peter require?
- Which church words would need explanation?
- What would respect look like if someone disagrees or declines?
A fictional situation
A colleague accepts help moving house but does not want to attend church. Another volunteer thinks help should stop until he responds to the gospel. How should the group explain Christian service and freedom?
Practise together or privately
- Explain the Christian message in two minutes without jargon or a pressured ending.
- Ask a partner to identify anything unclear. Discuss how to acknowledge a question you cannot answer.
- Prepare three freely chosen next steps: read a Gospel, explore an existing faith course, or leave the conversation open.
In your own workbook or notebook
How I would explain the Christian message
A question I need to study further
A next step I can offer without pressure
During the week
Read a short Gospel passage with someone only if they wish. Otherwise continue ordinary friendship without making it conditional on spiritual interest.
Optional prayer
Jesus, help me speak clearly about you with gentleness, respect and love. Amen.
Session 5
Help another man grow
Read 2 Timothy 2:1–2 and Mark 3:13–15
Understand responsible adult mentoring and develop a modest, supervised plan.
Jesus calls people to be with him and prepares them for service. Paul describes entrusting teaching to reliable people who can pass it on. Growth involves relationship, learning and practice. Mentoring should help another person develop judgement and responsibility rather than become dependent on a stronger personality.
An adult mentoring arrangement needs a clear purpose, agreed time, boundaries and an end or review date. It may involve Bible reading, work encouragement or support in a practical goal. Mentors should know their limits and refer professional needs appropriately. Confidentiality has safeguarding limits, which must be explained before the arrangement begins.
Completing a course does not automatically make someone suitable to mentor. ANCC should use its role approval, safer recruitment and supervision process. A relationship involving a child or an adult at risk needs the specific safeguarding arrangements appropriate to that role. Private messages, money, gifts and transport all require clear boundaries.
Talk it through
- What is being passed on in these passages?
- How can mentoring strengthen another person’s judgement?
- Which boundaries should be agreed at the beginning?
- What process should come before appointing a mentor?
A fictional situation
A willing adult mentor starts lending money and making decisions for the person he supports. The mentee feels unable to disagree. What should the church review and change?
Practise together or privately
- Draft a four-meeting adult mentoring outline with one agreed goal.
- Add meeting arrangements, confidentiality limits, supervision, money and contact boundaries, and a review date.
- Identify what approval or training is required before the arrangement starts. Do not assign people within this exercise.
In your own workbook or notebook
A suitable purpose for adult mentoring
Boundaries and supervision required
How the mentee can raise concerns or end the arrangement
During the week
If you want to mentor or be mentored, ask ANCC about its current process. Do not start an informal youth mentoring role or assume course completion is authorisation.
Optional prayer
God, help us encourage growth with humility, patience and accountable care. Amen.
Session 6
A ninety day mission plan
Read Matthew 28:16–20 and Acts 1:8
Create a practical plan for witness and service that can be reviewed honestly.
The risen Jesus sends his followers to make disciples and promises his presence. Acts connects witness with the power of the Holy Spirit and a widening horizon. Mission begins in real places and relationships while keeping a concern beyond our own circle.
A useful plan is modest and specific. Name an ordinary setting, a confirmed need or invitation, an action within your competence and people who have agreed to support it. Include safeguarding, cost and accessibility before announcing anything. Discipleship also involves continued learning and accountability for how we treat people.
Review the plan through actions and feedback rather than a target for conversions. You can count invitations offered respectfully, agreed service completed and conversations that participants freely choose to continue. You cannot control another person’s faith response. Keep friendship and care available even when an invitation is declined.
Talk it through
- What does Jesus commission his followers to do?
- What does his promised presence mean for ordinary witness?
- Which parts of a mission plan can you responsibly control?
- How will recipients or partners tell you whether the service was useful?
A fictional situation
The group wants a target of twenty conversions in ninety days. Volunteers begin to pressure friends and record private beliefs in a spreadsheet. Design a healthier plan and an appropriate way to review it.
Practise together or privately
- Complete a ninety-day plan: setting, agreed need, one action, support, safety checks, cost and review.
- Agree the first thirty days for listening and permissions, the next thirty for a modest pilot, and the final thirty for feedback and adjustment.
- Offer an optional commissioning prayer. Nobody has to make a public promise or accept an unapproved role.
In your own workbook or notebook
My setting, agreed need and first action
Support, permissions, budget and boundaries
How I will listen to feedback and review after ninety days
During the week
Begin with the listening or approval step. Keep a short record of actions and learning without collecting another person’s private disclosures or beliefs.
Optional prayer
Holy Spirit, guide our witness and service so that people encounter the truth and love of Jesus through us. Amen.
Your next thirty days
Create a ninety-day mission plan with a real community need, an agreed partner or recipient, safeguarding arrangements, a modest budget and a review.
Choose one priority, a first action and a review date. Agree any support with the person involved, respect boundaries and adjust the plan to your circumstances.
Activities to explore
- A community listening walk with an accessible alternative.
- A service project co-designed with a local organisation after agreement.
- An invitation meal and a short adult mentoring pilot within ANCC’s approved process.
These are course activity ideas, not confirmed events. Contact ANCC for current arrangements.
Further learning
Christian Vision for Men and Codelife
LICC Fruitfulness on the Frontline
External resources are optional. Links do not imply partnership, endorsement or accreditation. Use each provider’s materials under its current terms. Resource and support links checked 31 October 2026.
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