Dear Pastor,

Thank you for your faithful ministry to the flock of your local church. We esteem all Gospel efforts and consider it a privilege to partner with you until every man, woman, and child has had the opportunity to respond to the Good News.

As a ministry in Columbia, Focused Living has been called by God since 1993 to slide alongside the One Church in Columbia to stimulate both outreach and discipleship, especially among men. Our desire with each man we engage is to have him vitally connected to a healthy local Bible-based congregation. To that end, we continue to foster relationships with a growing number of congregations in the city.

As a church leader who cares for his flock, it is right for you to question the true agenda of Focused Living Ministries. As a ministry we hold the conviction that the local church is God's primary vehicle for ministry and advancement of His Kingdom. We understand that FLM is not a church and will NOT recruit men away from the local church. In fact, as men come to Christ and grow in Him we want to lead them back to your local church. You also need to know that we do not ask for funds from men through support letters or verbal solicitation. (Our Donate button describes our funding philosophy.)

Many men from various churches take advantage of our weekly Men’s Forums to get founded in their faith and to expose their seeking friends, neighbors, and colleagues to Christ and His Word. As these friends come to Christ, we point them toward the local church. These Bible-based daily gatherings around the city are safe places to explore what walking with God means. Some men find their way to these forums through one of our one-time Wired outreach events where they discover the relevance of God’s Truth and hear about the necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We also saw the need many years ago to provide a set of tracks for Christ-following men to disciple other men. We call this “GRIP” and it’s offered each Spring and Fall. In a typical season we will have men from over 30 different local churches participating. The three main rhythms we promote are:

• Daily Meeting with God in His Word with a posture to obey

• Weekly meeting face to face with a brother for encouragement, challenge, and prayer

• Identifying and making progress in a few key growth areas.

In a nutshell, God has called us to minister to men, both inside and outside the Church, and help them take next steps toward God. If you ever have any questions about us personally or about the ministry of Focused Living, please feel free to contact us. Our staff consists of four team members, each of whom have leadership roles in their local churches in Columbia.

Serving Him with You,

Rev. David Andes
Dr. Perry Bowers
Rev. German Wright
Mr. Karl Reed