The Tectonic School Philosophy - Part 5

A series of posts outlining the background and purpose behind Tectonic School

This series of posts come out of the draft document that, combined with a sizable number of devotionals, will eventually comprise a book to help launch Tectonic School programs.

It outlines particular problems that are present in our society, our local churches, and in the lives of individuals and families. The solution offered is a plan to integrate a severely disenfranchised and undervalued group - young men - into meaningful involvement in local communities through training and employment in trade jobs and the life of the local church. This will be accomplished through cooperation in mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses, local churches, and local families. 

This is the fourth post in a series. The first post is available here: 

The Purpose for the Plan

So what is the purpose of writing this message and proposing the plan that I am developing?

While I firmly believe in the ability for God to connect with man in any and every time and place, our current society has dulled and blunted many of the tools that have historically been used to lead people to a knowledge of Christ. 

Beyond this, I am working as an individual to help correct the problems that I see within a certain demographic portion of society that has particular meaning to myself.  Hopefully some of the thoughts I am developing here will be of enough broad reaching application that others can use them as a starting point for other groups of people, but for the sake of clarity I will attempt to keep this plan focused, with occasional explorations of broader application. 

The area of focus that I am principally concerned with is young men. At this point, the ideas I am developing will be specifically pointed to men of about 18 years of age, although certainly a large number of men who are older in years have not progressed beyond that level of responsibility, and they would also be included in this plan. 

Eventually this plan could be expanded in one direction to include boys of a much younger age. It could also be expanded in a different direction to help women and girls. But for now, consider that most of the information here is directed at those leaders who focus on young men between the ages of 18-30.

Why this particular demographic? For one thing, it is the group from which I came, and it is the group for whom my personal experience is most beneficial. Beyond that, there is a particular lack of good solutions to this demographic, and it is these young men who are most penalized, demonized and victimized by traditional institutions. The following statistics demonstrate the problem:

• Of students graduating college, 60% are women, compared to only 40% men, and the gap is widening. 

• Of people attending churches on a weekly basis, once again 60% are female versus 40% male.

• 40% of Children are born to unmarried or single parents, with some states reaching as high as 55%, and of the children being raised by only one parent, 80% are being raised without a father. 

To fall into a single category is a huge detriment for a man entering society. To suffer from all three is devastating.

There has never been more men and boys who have no experience of seeing and experiencing the example of a good man. They have never seen a man be a husband, a father, a hard worker, or a leader. There is no hope of such men arising naturally from these broken patterns. The good news is that almost any man can be an influence in changing these patterns for the future. The best place to start is in the area of work.

A Plan for the Individual and the Community

The main goal of this course of action is to first help young men find a calling and vocation to help them grow, to keep them from falling to the wayside or becoming destructive and harmful to themselves and those around them. The second goal is to revivify the local church by infusing congregations with men equipped to lead and influence growth and health in the community at all levels, from the position of participating members and occasional volunteers, to lay leaders, and pastoral staff. The third goal is to encourage young men to consider marriage and fatherhood not only as sacrificial acts of service to help them grow and become the best men possible, but as the normative means to the most fulfilling and enjoyable life. 

This plan will be designed to be implemented on many levels of intensity and complexity. 

At the most basic level, this should be something that a father can use to help teach his sons. It could also be used by Christian business owners who want to develop a discipleship relationship with their employees and apprentices. 

At its higher levels, centers could be developed to help provide vocational training, or ecclesiastical training, or to provide basic life skills and allow students to pursue further training in any field of study that interests them.

Ultimately, the goal is to create disciples of Jesus Christ, but not merely modern people who can espouse propositional knowledge of the gospels, but people who know Christ deeply, who have encountered the true power of the Gospel, and who have allowed it to penetrate and permeate through every facet of their being. 

This means that the fragmented splinters of modern life must be reintegrated and connected to a central goal. This goes beyond forming the lives of young men to a particular pattern of success, or emulating great men who have lived such lives in the past. It means the cultivation of each human heart to receive and grow the seed of faith presented to us in the gospel, so that each person can bear fruit unique to that particular tree, and the ground that it is planted in. 

Once the centrality of the role of Christ in our lives is reestablished, God can use men submitted to His will to grow the kingdom of God. This means not only growth in churches and church attendance, but revivification of culture, society, the physical infrastructure of our land, and the common moral fabric of our people. 

No part of this plan is directed towards influencing politics, or the way churches operate, or to promote the superiority of any one form of Christianity over another, although such things should be expected to change for the better as a result.  

In many ways it does follow the plan of others who are intending to start intentional communities centered around Christ, but instead of crafting a community, my goal is to create tools to equip individuals. Some may go on to start intentional communities, but many others may be moved to strengthen and salvage the remnants of communities established long ago.

The next post in this series is available here: