Promise Keepers, the men’s ministry founded in 1990 by Coach Bill McCartney and known for its massive stadium events, brought the power of that stadium experience to homes, churches, universities, military installations, Salvation Army locations and prisons across the country and around the world through its first-ever online Global Digital Experience July 31 and Aug. 1, 2020. At that event, Promise Keepers not only announced their 2021 national event, but they also announced a new nationwide initiative for October and debuted a wealth of resources for men.
The Global Digital Experience reached men in 65 countries (including Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Ireland, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, U.K. and Zambia—to name a few) and all 50 states. The worldwide reach of the event was accomplished through livestreaming hundreds of simulcast locations and partner organizations that simulcast the event through their own social media platforms.
The Global Digital Experience is available on demand, and thousands of men are watching the sessions daily. So far, the Global Digital Experience has reached 1 million men—including over 750,000 who participated on both days. They also have the potential to reach millions more through their influential partner network.
Vance Day, president of Promise Keepers, said:
When we announced the Global Digital Experience six weeks ago, we had a strong sense that God was calling us to more —to reach more men with more ministry in more places. As Paul says in Ephesians 3:20, ‘by his mighty power at work within us [He] is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes.’ And this is precisely what God has done—taking an event designed for 80,000 in one place and transforming it into a planet wide event that would reach millions—including nations where Christians are actively persecuted like China, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia. And this is just the beginning. To God be all the glory.
The Global Digital Experience convened some of the world’s most powerful communicators and worship leaders, but with a difference.
As Ken Harrison, CEO of Promise Keepers, said at the beginning of the event as he invited the men to “buckle your chinstraps:”
We’re going to take on issues in a real way, the way real men do. This is not going to be churchy. We’re not trying to make you more moral. We’re not trying to make you more religious. We want to tell you that we found grace and joy through our Lord Jesus Christ; that the way to be a better man is to be a better disciple of Jesus. And when you become a better disciple of Jesus, then you become the man you’ve always wanted to be.”
You won’t become the man you want to be through self-effort, through self-help, through a strong will or by trying to obey some rules somebody somewhere told you that you need to do. The way you become the man you want to be is by knowing Jesus Christ, the grace and joy He has.”
I know some of you out there feel like you’re not good enough for Jesus. I’m telling you that you are. You’re going to hear some authentic stories from men who have failed, but who have been brought up by the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s going to be amazing what He can do in your life.
Other notable announcements at the Global Digital Experience include:
—Post Event Follow-up: Men are already digging into the post-event follow-up resources to connect them in community and with tools to help them in all areas of life. The New Believers Guide is reaching hundreds of men through an email sign up on our homepage and within the app.
Our Bible Study is a free resource for churches and individuals and available as a PDF download and as an interactive feature in the Promise Keepers’ app with the ability for men to engage in discussion questions and provides suggested action steps. It has been requested over 2,500 times and will be released shortly.
The app and along with the private Promise Keepers’ Facebook Group are both growing in numbers of registered users and men engaging in the content and the community.
—Global Digital Experience ENCORE Showing Friday, Sept. 11, 2020: This program distills the best of the two-day event into five power-packed hours. Promise Keepers is also adding translation into 20 languages for the Encore Presentation.
—Promise Six Unity Sunday Oct. 25, 2020: Promise Keepers takes its name from the seven key promises of a godly man. Promise Six states: “A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.” Because of this, Promise Keepers is mobilizing to energize men across the country to reach out in their communities to tear down the walls of racism, division, ignorance and prejudice and be at the forefront of meaningful dialogue and meaningful change.
—Promise Keepers App Launched for iOS and Android: The app is a “digital brotherhood” that will connect men across geographic, generational and denominational lines so men can connect and grow and do life with each other. The app provides an ignition point for relationship and discipleship while providing real-time help for issues that men face.
Nicole Stark, director of marketing and operations at Promise Keepers, said:
The new era of Promise Keepers we began last year combines the best of classic Promise Keepers with the possibilities afforded by the latest technology. Think about it as the difference between analog and digital. Today, digital integration not only allows us to do stadium events, but it also allows us to provide the full spectrum of men’s ministry: a catalytic event that sparks fellowship, discipleship and change-making teams of men in communities everywhere, working together to impact the core of our culture—and we will continue to do ministry 365 days a year even after the event ends. We are meeting men where they are — in church, at a friend’s watch party, on social media or through an app.
For more information about the resources, the app or to register for the encore event, visit PromiseKeepersEvent.com. {eoa}
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