Discipling Men
Reaching and equipping men to be simply and purely devoted to Christ is strategic. It is the key to the restoration of the family, the revival of the church, and reaching communities and the nations with the Gospel of Christ.
When you reach and equip men, you are reaching and equipping divinely appointed leaders yielding a multiplied return in the home, the church, and the community. Men are an increasingly unreached demographic in most communities.
Mike’s growing passion for reaching and equipping men led to the beginning of a weekly men’s group called Men of Simplicity (MOS) in July 2009 and developing conferences for men which includ at least four teaching sessions with accompanying small group discussion guides. Learn more about booking Mike to speak at your next men’s event.
MOS Retreat & Conference
Simplicity Ministries® is excited to announce our Spring 2024 Men of Simplicity (MOS) Retreat & Conference! These events will be a great time for meeting and fostering relationships with like-minded men while learning and growing in your personal relationship with the Lord. The goal of the of each event is that we continue to become men who live simply and purely devoted to Christ.
The MOS RETREAT will take place May 24th-25th at Aldersgate Christian Retreat Center (www.aldersgateretreat.com) in Turner, Oregon. During these two days men will be able to experience teaching, discussion, fellowship, and times of prayer. Mike and Zach Thibodeaux will also be leading times of worship. The conference theme will be INFLUENCE. What is influence? Who influences you? Will you influence for God? Through this weekend, men will learn how to be a man of influence.
The cost for this weekend retreat is $149 which includes all the meal and lodging expenses. Registration deadline is May 1st. However, please try to register early as it will help us with other areas of retreat planning (i.e. food, rooming assignments, number of notebooks to print, etc.)
To Register:
1). Click this link and fill out the form. MOS Retreat Registration Form – Registration Deadline is May 1st, 2024
2). Once you hit submit, a thank you page will show up with a link to PayPal.
3). Click the PayPal link to pay. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK THE PAY LATER OPTION! All other options including checks are acceptable.
– If paying by written check…
A). Make payable to Simplicity Ministries
B). Write MOS Retreat on memo line.
C). Send to P.O. Box 388, Fairview, Or., 97024.
4). Once you submit the form and pay, you are registered!
The MOS CONFERENCE will take place May 31st-June 1st at Dishman Baptist Church in Spokane, Washington. During these two days, men will be able to experience teaching, discussion, fellowship, and times of prayer. Mike and Zach Thibodeaux will also be leading times of worship. The conference theme will be INFLUENCE. What is influence? Who influences you? Will you influence for God? Through this weekend, men will learn how to be a man of influence.
MOS Conference 2024 Promo Flier (Coming Soon!)
The cost for the conference is $55 a person which includes Longhorn BBQ pulled pork and beef meal Friday night, hot breakfast Saturday morning, teriyaki chicken sandwich lunch on Saturday and general expenses. Registration deadline is May 22nd. However, please try to register early as it will help us with other areas of conference planning (i.e. food, number of notebooks to print, etc.)
To Register:
1). Click this link and fill out the form. MOS Conference Registration Form
2). Once you hit submit, a thank you page will show up with a link to PayPal.
3). Click the PayPal link to pay. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK THE PAY LATER OPTION! All other options including checks are acceptable. Make sure to specify the quantity in your family if teenage sons are attending the conference with you.
– If paying by written check…
A). Make payable to Simplicity Ministries
B). Write MOS Conference on memo line.
C). Send to P.O. Box 388, Fairview, Or., 97024.
4). Once you submit the form and pay, you are registered!
MOS Details
Print the 5 Things You Need to Know About MOS – Vision & Details
Watch the Vision and Intro Video for 2023-2024 Season
Listen to the Message: “The Divine Vision” – Psalm 78:1-8
Goal: Biblical manhood – men leading and living simply and purely devoted to Christ (2 Cor. 11:3), no longer living for themselves but for Christ who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Cor. 5:15).
Vision Impact: Psalm 78:3-8 What we have heard and learned– that which our ancestors have told us– 4 we will not hide from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the LORD’s praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things he has done. 5 He established a rule in Jacob; he set up a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants, 6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 7 Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works of God, and they will obey his commands. 8 Then they will not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that was not committed and faithful to God.
Meeting Formats: MOS meet weekly. There are two main formats for our meetings: a teaching week followed by a discussion week.
- Teaching Week Format: The first 10-15 minutes is an informal time of fellowship and connecting with other men in the group (a light snack to be provided by a different man each week). Following this time, we move directly into our teaching time from God’s Word. After the Bible teaching, the men huddle up into small groups for a brief 10-15 minute debriefing. Each man answers the question: “What is the most significant thing the Lord has shown you tonight?” The session ends with a closing prayer.
- Discussion Week Format: The first 10-15 minutes is an informal time of fellowship and connecting with other men in the group (a light snack to be provided by a different man each week). Following this time, we move into an accountability time in small groups (of three to four men) for about 15-20 minutes. This time focuses on three key questions: 1. Have you been with Jesus? (relationship with God) 2. Have you been with believers? (relationship with family and the body of Christ) 3. Have you been with the lost? (relationship with the unsaved) After our accountability time, the men move into discussion groups where they respond to questions regarding both the content and the application of the previous week’s Bible teaching. This discussion time lasts about 35 minutes. The remaining 20 minutes is spent in a directed prayer time drawn from the Bible teaching.
Commitment: Men are asked to make a commitment to be actively involved. We understand that 100% attendance is not possible or likely for any man. Sickness, unavoidable work issues, and family matters may hinder our attendance occasionally. Actively involved allows for two to three absences per term. We ask each man to make this commitment to God, their family, and to the other MOS brothers. This commitment is intended to help foster spiritual growth, excellent group dynamics, and a true brotherhood. When a man is out, it does affect the other men in the group.
At the end of the 1st and 2nd term, MOS members are asked to evaluate their experience and decide if they will make a commitment to be actively involved in the next term.
MOS is a full three year discipleship journey. MOS I will be the journey track for 2023-2024.
- MOS I lays the foundation of what it means for men to live simply and purely devoted to Christ: Teaching Plan.
- MOS II is a study of Simple Evangelism examining men’s leadership responsibility in the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ followed by a detailed study of apologetics: Teaching Plan.
- MOS III examines a man’s freedom in Christ to walk in newness of life, running well and finishing the race, followed by a study of Ezekiel to understand a man’s leadership role as a watchman and shepherd: Teaching Plan.
Join MOS Connect
Your church can join this brotherhood of men and become part of the discipleship journey by connecting with the Gresham, OR MOS group where Mike Thibodeaux leads and teaches live on Monday night’s at 6:45pm – 8:15pm via a Zoom Video Conference call. Session listening guide, discussion questions, and prayer guides are provided by Simplicity Ministries® for each session to churches that commit to participate.
If you are interested in MOS or MOS Connect, contact us.
Current & Past MOS Projects in the NW
2009-Present – Gresham MOS, Mondays at 6:45pm – 8:15pm hosted at First Baptist Church, Gresham, OR. Resumes on Sept. 11, 2023
2017-Present – MOS Connect, Mondays at 6:45pm-8:15pm via Zoom Video Conference Call with Gresham MOS – Resumes on Sept. 11, 2023
- North Addison Baptist Church, Spokane, WA, September 2017-present
- Eastmont Baptist – Fall 2020 – present
- New Life Church (Formerly – Trinity Baptist Church), Vancouver, WA -Fall 2020 – present
- Valley Christian Fellowship, Longview, WA – Fall 2021-present
- Dishman Baptist Church, Spokane, WA – Fall 2021-present
- First Baptist Church, Castle Rock, WA – Fall 2022-present
- Parkland First Baptist, Parkland, WA – Fall 2022-present
- Glendale Baptist, Glendale, OR – Starting Fall 2023
- Smith Rock Community Church – Terrebonne, OR – Starting Fall 2023
2017-June 2022 – Open Door Baptist Church, Troutdale, OR, Sundays at 5:45pm
Fall 2020 – Spring 2022 – Go Church Ridgefield, WA – MOS Connect
Fall 2020 – Dec. 2021 – Lifepointe Community, Snoqualmie, WA -MOS Connect
Fall 2020 – May 2021 – Rock Island Baptist, East Wenatchee, WA
2020-Spring 2021 – Valleypoint Church, Spokane, WA – MOS Connect
2020-2021 – California MOS Connect
2018-2021 – FBC Estacada, OR – MOS Connect
2018-2020 – Driscoll Baptist Church, Spokane, WA – MOS Connect
2018- April 2019 – Generations Church, Salmon Creek, WA – MOS Connect
2016-2018 – Lake Bible Church, Lake Oswego, OR – Thursdays at 7:00pm
2015-2017 – Wenatchee, WA MOS (First Saturday of the Month – Breakfast)
- Eastmont Baptist Church, Wenatchee, WA
- Wenatchee Valley Baptist, East Wenatchee, WA
- Evergreen Baptist, Cashmere, WA
2015-2017 – Coulee Baptist Association MOS (First Saturday of the Month – Lunch)
- Emmanuel Baptist Church, Moses Lake, WA
- Quincy Baptist Church, Quincy, WA
- First Baptist Church, Warden, WA
- Moses Lake Worship Center, Moses Lake, WA
- Presbyterian, Moses Lake, WA
- Redeeming Grace Baptist Church, Soap Lake, WA
