We’re thrilled to share our 2025 ministry update.  As CBMC celebrates 95 years, we’ve renewed our commitment to our vision of transforming men’s lives, families, and workplaces through evangelism and discipleship.  Our mission is to empower men in the workplace to live out their faith and make a positive impact for Christ.  Thank you for being part of this important mission across Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and beyond!

Did you know the workplace is one of the largest unreached people groups?

It’s literally the intersection point for nearly everyone in our world. What a great opportunity to reach men for Christ! Hear more – watch our ministry update HERE or click below.>>>

How can you help?

We currently have nearly 400 men engaged in one-on-one discipleship and hope to expand that to over a thousand!  We’ love for you to get involved in discipleship.  We’re all called in Matthew 28:19 and 20 to go and make disciples.  Let’s join together on this tremendous journey.

Additionally, we have an exciting opportunity to expand our ministry reach through a new staff position. We’re praying God provides this man and everything that’s needed.  Our financial goal is within sight, with only $17,000 remaining to make this happen. 

If you feel led in this way, we would greatly appreciate your support.  

Giving is quick and simple and your gift can be made securely online here.

And Don’t Miss This

Our recent Leadership Convene Day was a fantastic success, with over 160 attendees and 30 people recommitting their lives to Christ.

• We can’t wait for the next one on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
• It’s a great chance for you and your leaders to grow together!
• Secure the date on your calendars! 

Others Ways to Get Involved

Don’t miss our upcoming events focused on leadership. Be encouraged and engage with a network of like-minded business professionals.  Read more and get signed up using the links below. 

OCT 21 & 23 (Tue, Thu) (2 half-day sessions):

>> Leadership Coach Training – CBMC’s premier leadership resource

NOV 4 & 11 (Tue) (2 half-day sessions): 

>> The Leadership Framework: LCT 2.0 – Discovering how to lead, develop, and care for others 

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YOUR STORY
Is God working on a certain area of your life and calling you to the next step where He can use you?  We are here to help and support you!  CBMC uniquely comes alongside Christian men to help them develop and carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

We would love to hear your story – connect with us!

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God bless you, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Sean and Gary

[email protected] | 913.244.1205

[email protected] | 913.219.9064

Appearing in Monday Manna: August 4, 2025

A common refrain I hear from many CEOs and business and professional leaders is, “It’s lonely at the top.” Business owners and top executives often find themselves having to make difficult decisions they are not comfortable sharing with their team members. This is why in 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman had a sign made for his desk that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” He knew that for key decisions the ultimate responsibility was his alone.

Unless they can find a group of peers they trust and in whom they can confide, or pay for a business coach or consultant, many CEOs often end up making decisions in isolation. Sometimes this can be successful, but it also can lead to poor decision-making due to a lack of wise counsel and accountability.  

In terms of striving to effectively represent Jesus Christ in the marketplace, being “ambassadors for Christ” as 2 Corinthians 5:20 states it, seeking and being willing to listen to wise counsel is essential. Christianity was not designed for lone rangers, people who isolate themselves during times of crisis. 

As we might expect, the Bible has much to say about this. Here are some examples:

Two or more, better than one. Just as lifting or carrying a heavy load is easier with someone to help rather than trying to carry it alone, decision-making and managing heavy responsibilities can be easier when we can share them. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

Being with others can dispel loneliness. Feelings of loneliness in the executive suite sometimes are inevitable. However, having someone to meet with in confidence, perhaps a small group of peers who understand the pressures of leading a business or organization, can be invaluable and a source of much-needed support. The Bible admonishes us to, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24).

Seek out like-minded individuals. For many years CBMC has been intentional to establish peer affinity groups to assist people in overcoming the “lonely at the top” dilemma that many in the workplace face every day.

Below are groups available for building beneficial peer relationships:

Connect3 Teams

Young Professionals

Trusted Advisor Forums…..

We find this practice often implemented in the Scriptures. When the early Church was growing rapidly, mature spiritual leaders were needed to ensure this growth was consistent with what Jesus had taught. Some leaders like the apostle Paul and his mentor, Barnabas, were appointed to work together in this important ministry. “The Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’…. [They] went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus…[where] they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper” (Acts 13:2-5).

Whether you’re a CEO or a business leader, being involved in a group of like-minded leaders can help overcome loneliness and making poor decisions.

© 2025, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community.

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 Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever had the “it’s lonely at the top” experience? Perhaps you are experiencing it right now. Describe what that is like for you.
2. What are some of the pitfalls of refusing to align with one or more people with whom you can share the burdens of leadership, including making difficult decisions?
3. Think of a time when you were able to share a burden with someone else, whether carrying a physical load or being able to openly share about challenges you were facing. What was that like for you? 
4. How can you find like-minded individuals in whom you can confide, without selecting people you know will simply agree with whatever you want to do? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 27:7; Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 6:2

Challenge for This Week

Regardless of your level of responsibility, whether you are a CEO or business owner, a lower-level executive or manager, or member of a team, you must make important decisions. Having someone – or a small group – in whom you can talk in confidence can help to ensure those decisions are the best ones.

If you are not already in a peer group at present, pray about how you might form one or become part of one that has already been established. If you are involved with CBMC, ask about resources it has available for meeting this need. 

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For more Monday Manna articles, plus a comprehensive array of spiritual leadership and discipleship resources, visit CBMC Advance, a dynamic online discipleship and evangelism platform: advance.cbmc.com.

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Kansas City Metro Voice Interview: January 9, 2025

Alan Goforth with guests Sean West and Joe Beckler

Christian Business Leaders Transform Workplace Through Discipleship Program

Many area churches and ministries are doing an admirable job of equipping men to grow in their faith and, in turn, make disciples of other men. However, most men spend far more time at their workplace than in church or small-group settings.

This is why Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC) helps men at any stage of their careers live out their faith at work and home through fellowship and the practical application of godly principles. Recent data shows that CBMC has grown to include over 18,000 members in 700 teams across the United States, demonstrating the growing need for workplace ministry.

“One thing has held true for 90 years and still does today: CBMC’s commitment to empowering and equipping men in their personal and professional lives,” said Joe Beckler, vice president of development, marketing and communications. “By recognizing the needs of modern businessmen and providing them with unique solutions, CBMC offers our members a variety of resources to empower and equip men, connecting them with Christ and each other.”

As workplace ministry evolves in 2025, the national organization has deep roots in Kansas City and surrounding areas.

“We have a long history in the metropolitan area and the central Midwest,” Sean West, area director for the Central Midwest Region, told Metro Voice. “The organization started nationally in 1930 in Chicago and in the next few years branched out into other cities, including Kansas City. In 2015, our senior area director reignited the organization’s presence in the Kansas City area. We have expanded to 18 teams in 11 cities across the state of Kansas, the western half of Missouri and the western half of Iowa.”

According to recent workplace ministry statistics, CBMC focuses on two core beliefs:

• Sharing the gospel with those who don’t yet know the good news.
• Going and making disciples of all nations, being intentional about carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19).

“Our mission is to present Christ in the marketplace and help develop and equip businessmen to be able to carry out the Great Commission,” West said. As Christian business leaders increasingly seek ways to integrate faith with work, “Our daily journey is to be about making disciples, so that vision of spiritual reproduction is what we are about. We are designed to equip men in the marketplace and help them, no matter where they are in their journey. Whether they are young or old, or the position they have, if they are men in the marketplace, we have various programs to meet their needs, from one-on-one mentoring or discipleship to teams of men in various cities.”

Operation Timothy, which has been used by thousands for over 40 years, has been a powerful tool in accomplishing this mission.

“Operation Timothy was created in response to the need for discipleship to help men in their walk with Christ in the marketplace,” he said. “It’s designed for one-on-one application where a mentor, called a Paul, sits down with someone wishing to know more, called a Timothy. Together, they embark on a transformational journey of exploring the word of God and its application to their lives.”

Metro Voice previously reported on the importance of Christian leadership in business, and in the past few years, Operation Timothy has gone digital. Likewise, Living Proof (now called Living Proof Adventure) a reality-based video series, was created to help share the gospel in a natural, caring and Bible-centered lifestyle. As a result of these and other initiatives, 2,936 men are actively discipling others, 6,567 men are actively being discipled and 524 new life-on-life relationships were added in 2024. In the past year alone, CBMC:

• Connected 312,319 people to the ministry;
• Engaged 18,938 men in CBMC programs;
• Enabled more than 19,000 members to complete online courses through CBMC Advance; and
• Ministered to 611 CBMC teams in 351 cities nationwide.

As the workplace continues to evolve, “This is a tremendous time in the marketplace,” West said. “Our vision is for all men to experience the power of God, the value of being in relationship with another man and the leverage of a team, resulting in spiritual reproduction throughout the marketplace. We are meant to be together. Our vision is to connect men first and foremost to God and other men in the marketplace.”

The ripple effect of discipleship continues to transform lives in the workplace, as CBMC has several teams across the metropolitan area, as well as in Topeka and other cities in the region. The organization is eager to help equip men who desire to fully live out their faith in the new year.

“We may not know how to integrate our faith and our work in the marketplace,” he said. “It’s exciting to see the desire among men to integrate their faith with their work to have this authentic vision of their life that connects. Whether it’s on Sunday or during the workweek, they are the same guy, because they are connecting their faith with all parts of their life. We help connect men, help equip them, help them grow in their faith and as a result, be leaders.”

The best way to get involved is to visit the regional website at www.cmw.cbmc.com, which lists coming events planned for 2025. More information about the national organization is available at www.cbmc.com.

“If someone is in the marketplace, a believer in Christ and wants to integrate all of their life fully, we welcome them and look forward to helping them wherever they are in their journey,” West said. 

Alan Goforth is a Staff Writer for Kansas City Metro Voice.

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Banner image:  Operation Timothy Graduates

Image 1: Left – Richard D. (Timothy); Right – Jim W. (Paul)

Image 2: Left – Troy H. (Paul); Michael G. (Timothy)

Image 3: Left – Evan L. (Paul); Nate G. (Timothy)