A Program Movement for Men
January 29, 2026
[I wrote the first draft of this article back in November when this all started. I’ve been noodling and thinking about it since then, as well as talking with various colleagues here at CTSFW. What I express here are my own thoughts on this, and I hope they are taken in the spirit of brotherhood in which they are intended. My friend and classmate, David Petersen, wrote an article for Gottestblog on the topic HERE. I would encourage you to read it, as there you will get a more positive take on the matter. —TAP]
It is en vogue to have men’s groups or men’s ministries in congregations. It is also common for these groups to take on a life of their own, separate from the regular liturgical life of the church. The most recent of these is Memento, but others have included the Sons of Solomon (2021), the Men’s Network of Lutheran Hour Ministries (2009), and even back to Promise Keepers, founded by Bill McCartney in 1990. You could probably make an argument that the Lutheran Layman’s League was one of the early such groups, as well as the Boy Scouts of America. This has been a steady presence in the American Christian para-church scene for decades.
We have also seen a rash of books on the topic of men and Christianity, from Missing From Action: Vanishing Manhood in America to the more recent Man Up. The recognition and commentary on what it means to be a man is a continual source of conjecture. This is particularly true thanks to the rise of feminism and the assault on biological norms for what it means to be male and female.
I don’t have a problem with the concept of saying that men are different than women (duh), and that there is a spiritual and physical element missing in contemporary life, which hits men in particular. I have seen this need for decades as a parish pastor. In some respects, it is yet another facet of the loss of community and place that has been eroding in the West since the Industrial Revolution.
Memento is trying to help this decay, to stem the tide, and to give order, structure, fraternity, and a sense of place to a generation that is in desperate need of all of these things. I support this and believe our collective efforts as a church to reflect upon and provide positive guidance are a good thing. Prayer, discipline, Scripture, and brotherhood are all elements that have been a part of the pattern of Christianity for millennia. In that regard, I commend Pastor Bryan Stecker and the other leaders at Memento.
The question is whether Memento and movements like it are the right way to build the spiritual foundation of the Christian faith.
The Memento website and promotional materials do a good job of outlining what they aim to do. It is carefully thought out by numerous pastors whom I know and respect very much. Despite this, my “Lutheran radar” has gone off in a serious way. Here are my concerns:
A spiritual enterprise that is unrelated to the local congregation or the home
As one of the founding pastors of Higher Things, I am acutely aware of the blessings and the dangers of what I will call parachurch organizations. Like Higher Things, they can accomplish much, things that the local congregation cannot do on its own, or at least not easily. We could look at organizations like the Luther Academy or the Lutheran Heritage Foundation to see other examples of faithful, confessional organizations doing great work together for the sake of the Gospel.
But there is a danger. The danger is that the farther away the mission of the organization is from preaching and the Sacraments (AC VII & VIII), the more likely it is to lose its moorings and drift into dangerous waters.
Spiritual discipline in the Lutheran Church has always been tied to the Altar, the Font, and the Pulpit. The home is, in that respect, an extension of the gathering of the congregation around Word and Sacrament. We don’t have a distinct tradition of spiritual formation that is separate from pastoral care, the life of the congregation, and the home. In this regard, I would argue that schools (from elementary through college) are really an extension of both church and home. Seminaries are an extension of the church.
So, what does it mean to have spiritual disciplines that are expected and practiced, yet unrelated to the concrete practice of the local church? Daily prayer, meditation on the Word, fasting, and almsgiving have historically been part of the life of the local congregation. They flow from faith and lead to love of God and love for the neighbor. In advocating for spiritual practices that are not rooted in the local community, I am deeply concerned that such practices are divisive and will create a perspective that there are Christians and there are “serious Christians” who do certain spiritual disciplines that may or may not be commanded in Scripture, and not regularly practiced by the local congregation.
In a similar way, spiritual disciplines that are not ordered around the family may be good, but they may also become self-chosen works that interfere with serving your neighbor. I am thinking about a daily check-in with your “anchor,” and a weekly check-in with your group. There is some allowance for online meetings, but given the site’s apparent aversion to technology, I’m sure the preference is for in-person meetings. My wife and I have raised four children. The thought of adding a meeting a week and saying “it will be good for our family” seems incredibly, um, aspirational to me. I expect I am not the target audience here. ## I desire mercy and not sacrifice… Closely related to the above is the fact that there is nothing really in the movement that is oriented outward, toward the well-being of the neighbor.
We could be discussing the simple practice of almsgiving (which is strangely absent), but in a broader sense, there appears to be very little that focuses on the good of the community, whether it be the family or the congregation.
I am concerned that while each of the individual pieces of the program/movement may be fine, when taken together, it is creating an alternate reality that is not centered on love of God and love of the neighbor.
The intermingling of biblical mandate and human wisdom
The Scriptures are filled with both command and wisdom. Some things are necessary, for example, the Ten Commandments. Other things are clearly not commanded, such as circumcision, keeping kosher laws, wearing head coverings, or the language used in worship. This is clearly covered in FC 10, but it is also made clear in many places throughout both the Scriptures and the Book of Concord. There are practices in the Lutheran church that have come and gone at different times. Wisdom is learning what is necessary, and what may be good or bad depending on the circumstances and the needs of those around us.
I understand that this is a voluntary organization. However, because its goals and practices are rooted in the Scriptures at least in part, we need to be discerning about what is necessary and what might be beneficial given the circumstances.
Take the practice of fasting. Fasting is an ancient practice that has biblical roots. It has been part of the Christian tradition from the very beginning. I have written in favor of fasting numerous times, HERE for example. But despite its long history, it is not necessary. It may be a good idea (see AC XXVI and XX), but the minute it becomes compulsory, it can become very dangerous. It cannot burden the conscience. If it is an external discipline that goes along with repentance (Ap XII), then it is well and good. As we say in the Small Catechism, “Fasting and bodily preparation is certainly fine outward training, but…” When discussing the training and formation of young men, it is extremely important that discipline is always accompanied by compassion. Otherwise, we simply create a caste system in the church.
Another wisdom question is technology. While some of the Memento materials are behind a paywall, one certainly gets the impression that technology is considered one of the great problems of modern man. They are not wrong. I believe that by ‘technology,’ they really mean social media, particularly phones. The answer appears to be that there is no use of technology outside of work or school. This goes along with the general disdain for “entertainment” one finds on the site. Again, the fact that we are in an overindulgent, overstimulated society is beyond question. Perhaps the answer is to go cold turkey. Unless you are listening to podcasts, of course.
A part of a larger history
The spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are the legacy and heritage of the Church, particularly the monastic movement as they have been expressed in Western Christianity. At its best, groups like Memento may tap into that history and tradition. But with that expression comes all of the dangers that Luther and the Reformers warned of in the sixteenth century. Discipline apart from mercy becomes legalism. Solitude apart from the sacramental life of the church becomes isolation. “Doing hard things” for their own sake quickly becomes self-righteousness. It is hard for me to envision having different “tiers” of membership and that not creating competition and division.
One only needs to look at the Exodus 90 movement in the Roman Catholic Church to see how this plays out. It has, in many respects, been a good movement and has helped countless men find purpose and community. It has also been fraught with accusations of commercialism, going around the pastoral care of the individual, and of even radicalizing men when they are in a vulnerable state. It is hard to miss the obvious comparisons between Exodus 90 and Memento 70.
This is also part of a men’s movement that gained significant traction in the 1980s, largely in response to the feminist movement. The Mythopoetic movement has a peculiar history that is intertwined with Jungian archetypes, nineteenth-century Romanticism, and the New Age movement. However, it is also an undeniable part of the cultural phenomenon of men seeking their way in a nihilistic society. Read Ian MacKenzie’s article on the renaissance of this movement. Memento is part of this broader movement about men over the past couple of generations, whether they are aware of it or not.
I firmly believe that we need to cultivate genuine friendships among men of goodwill. There is ample evidence to support this, particularly in the post-COVID era. I see this all the time here at CTSFW. Time and time again, it is the brotherhood of soon-to-be pastors that defines the experience. The question is whether Memento and similar movements are the right way to replicate the fraternity of pastors.
How about attending Bible class together at your local congregation? How about simply having and fostering friendships, which may include some of these spiritual disciplines? How about ordering things like prayer and meditation on the Word around the natural home of the household, rather than around volunteer friendships that may come and go in different seasons of life? Adding a once-a-week “check-in” sounds like a great way to add more burden on my wife. Is that really the goal?
There is an older movement in Lutheran history that sought to create deeper spiritual ties and connections. It had disciplines, regular check-ins and meetings, and was focused on the Christian life almost to the exclusion of the life that is to come. It focused on secondary disciplines and downplayed the public reading and hearing of Scripture, as well as the regular reception of the Sacrament of the Altar. It has been with us for hundreds of years, and every time it has manifested in a new form, the church has suffered.
That movement is called Pietism.
Perhaps my greatest concern with movements such as these men’s movements is that we are really talking about a repackaging of Pietism. If that is the case, then we will face significant trouble in the years to come. See Dr. Ronald Feuerhahn’s excellent article on Pietism for a taste of what I’m talking about.
Furthermore, I have questions about the money. $60 per year for “Founders,” and $90 per year thereafter. I couldn’t find any information on the website about what this money is for, who receives the payment, or the amount. I also cannot tell if Memento is a non-profit. But it troubles me that this is targeted at men in the 18-25 year range, and that is a significant cost outlay. Who benefits from this? As of this writing, more than 3,000 people are signed up. That is at least $180,000.
Conclusion
So if movements like this aren’t the solution, what is?
Go to church. Read your bible. Pray with your family. Teach the faith. Love your neighbor. Demonstrate hospitality. Show mercy to those in need and care for those who cross your path. In these things, you will be blessed.
I realize that is simplistic and may be perceived as sentiment by some. But if we have learned anything from the history of the Church, it is that movements that create more rules, even well-intentioned ones, most often end up compromising the Gospel.
Memento may ultimately prove to be a blessing to the church, particularly the men and congregations of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. I hope it does. But if you are thinking that this is some great answer to all the problems which feminism and post-modernism have wrought, then get used to disappointment.
Todd A. Peperkorn, STM, DMIN
Dean of Spiritual Formation
Asst. Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
PS Another critique of Memento is from Pastor Jonathan Watt. He posted it on his Facebook page HERE.
