TGIW: Building Men’s Lives on Promise Keepers’ Foundation

Hundreds of thousands of men committed their lives to Christ at the Promise Keepers stadium events of the 1990s. The fast-growing men’s movement TGIW (Teaching God’s Infinite Wisdom) is building on that foundation by teaching life principles of character, integrity and accountability.

TGIW began with a simple conversation between Rod Handley, founder of Character That Counts, and Dan Erickson, a former Promise Keepers executive who later founded People Matter Ministries. Their vision? Bring the challenging messages that they were sharing with men across the nation to their own community in suburban Kansas City. Veteran pastor Greg Griffin later joined the group as executive director.

Thirty-five men showed up at the first meeting, which was held just two weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A local restaurant volunteered its space to use before it opened, which created a non-threatening, non-denominational setting for men of all backgrounds. Meetings begin at 6:30 a.m. and end an hour later so men can attend on their way to work.

From that small beginning, TGIW has seen phenomenal growth, both in the Kansas City area and across the nation. In the original location alone, more than 1,350 men have attended at least once, representing more than 50 denominations and more than 200 individual churches. Griffin now coordinates 14 TGIW groups across the nation.

The format has always remained the same: A brief social time with coffee and pastries (both donated), followed by a 30-minute teaching time, then small-group discussion and prayer. In addition to weekly meetings, TGIW has sponsored golf tournaments, movie screenings and other special events.
As vital as these weekly meetings are, however, God may be moving in even greater ways in the countless friendships and small accountability groups that have spun off of TGIW. Men find the accountability they need to become better husbands, fathers, employers, employees and churchmen as well as support through the challenges of life.

As one man commented:

The group helped me in my prolonged divorce struggle, and I know that it would have been worse without the support of the leaders and my fellow attendees. It is encouraging to know that I have a place to open up and to be able to share with others and just as importantly, to be able to support others in their time of need.

Jesus often spoke to large masses of people, but he also took time to ministerone-on-one with those who needed his help. In much the same way, Promise Keepers has the resources and expertise to reach tens of thousands of men at one time, while TGIW is well-suited to keeping the fire alive in local, small-group settings.“Our name is self-defining,” Griffin said. “God’s wisdom is so infinite, and His Word is so relevant and powerful; that there will never be a point where there is `nothingleft to talk about.’”

For more information, please visit www.TGIW.org. If you have a specific question or are interested in starting a group in your area, contact Greg Griffin at (816) 525-TGIW or ggriffin2@kc.rr.com