AgōnYou lead the men. Agōn keeps up with them between meetings.
I'm Mark Sentell. I'm a pastor, and I built Agōn after watching good men's groups slowly thin out. They didn't fall apart over a conflict. They faded during the six days between meetings, when nobody could see what was going on.
Agōn isn't a curriculum, and it doesn't replace what you already do. It's a 12-week season. Each evening, every man gives a one-minute account of the commitments he chose, and his partners see who has. If a man starts to fade, you hear about it before he drops out. You keep leading. Agōn does the chasing.
If that sounds useful, I'd like 15 minutes to hear about your men and whether this fits. If it doesn't, I'll tell you.
Pastor, and author of Giving Account
It fits around what you already do
Your meeting stays yours.
Keep your breakfast, Bible study, or small group. Agōn covers the rest of the week. Each cohort of three to six men can meet in person at your usual time or on video.
You coach your men.
You, or men you choose, lead each cohort. Coaches see how hard the week was for each man and are told when one goes quiet. Coaches pay nothing.
Start with a few men.
Try one season with three to five men. Nothing is charged until after the second call, and anyone can walk away before then and owe nothing.
Questions
Does this compete with our men's ministry?
No. Agōn runs on the days between your meetings and sends the men back to them better at showing up. Most men's ministries are built around a gathering. Agōn handles the daily follow-through that a weekly gathering can't see.
Can I try it with a few men first?
Yes, and that's the best way to start. You need three men to start a cohort, and it holds up to six. Run one 12-week season, see what happens in those men, then decide whether to bring it to more of your ministry.
What does it cost? Can the church pay?
$12.30 every two weeks per man, the same as every Agōn member. That's $73.80 for the season, in three payments of $24.60. Your men get a cohort of their own, at the day and time you choose, and coaches are free. Every man's membership, and every coach, includes Agōn Premium in the app for the season. A church can cover its men's memberships, and we can set that up on our call. Each man also puts a little in a mission jar when he misses, and the group gives it away together. Guys with a little skin in the game are more consistent.
What's it built on?
Mark 12:30–31: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor. Each man keeps commitments in all five areas, and one of them always points outward at a real person or place. It's also built on Giving Account, my book on biblical accountability. Every man gets a free copy. I'm glad to talk through what I believe on our call.
Is the app free?
Yes. Agōn Standard is free for anyone, with no ads: their own 12:30+1, prayer, Scripture, a journal, and routines. Agōn Premium ($4.99/month or $49.99/year) adds an accountability partner and ties their tools together, and every cohort membership includes it, so your men have it for the season. See pricing.
Some of my men aren't very techy.
Each man gives account in Slack, which is free on any phone, and his membership covers the paid seat. I'll help get your men set up. On a day a man is away from Slack, he can give account on the member website.
Who sees what?
What's shared in a cohort stays in the cohort, unless someone's safety is at risk. A pastor sees his men's accounts only if he coaches their cohort.
Tell me a little about your men
I'll get back to you personally, usually within a day.