Mark Boyd is the pastor at The Life Church in Mountain Grove, Missouri. The church serves disadvantaged populations, especially those with a history of addiction, with his mission in reconciliation.
Boyd and his church host several groups a week, including men’s groups, bible studies, Celebrating Recovery, and Within my Reach from Good Dads. These classes keep the members of the church busy so they don’t fall back into poor habits, Boyd said.
Church leaders saw a need for Good Dads curricula at The Life because some group members are separated from their families. They found that depression, addiction, and dangerous cycles all contribute to families being apart. Boyd and his team decided they needed to make a difference and do something for these separated families—and they found Good Dads courses fit well at The Life because it worked well for everyone. The church members can many of the tools they learned about during class throughout the rest of the week.
The principles you learn in the Good Dads curricula are applicable to everyone, Boyd said. Living by the belief that you make a positive change makes one important factor attainable: togetherness. When you’re living positively, people will want to get on board, he said.
Good Dads teaches that you can make positive change. You learn that if you make positive steps, others will surround you and support you. It also teaches participants that there may be multiple solutions to a problem. Boyd said he likes to help the people he works with change their mentalities. He said he wants to help them look objectively at their situation instead of letting the problem pull them down.
Boyd’s church wants people to know that there is hope. The Life Church aims to work principles that participants learn in Good Dads courses into their daily lives.
“(Good Dads) gives us hope that we can do better. It gives us an idea that there is a better way,” he said.
Boyd’s goals in for the future? Showing his congregation that attending classes is only one step of a much longer journey. You can work hard in class, but success may not come to you if you keep making poor choices outside of class and relying on your support group, he said.
“You arrive at success through your best effort,” Boyd said.
The deadline to sign up for our semi-annual training camp is quickly approaching! The weeklong camp is a great opportunity to network with other professionals, learn about new curricula, and catch the Good Dads vision. You’ll learn everything you need to know to facilitate courses Good Dads uses like Good Dads 2.0 and Within My Reach. Learn more about the Fall Training Camp here and register by Nov. 22.
About the Author
Diana Dudenhoeffer is the director of communications at Good Dads. She works to maintain Good Dads’ online and print presence. Diana is a graduate of Missouri State University; she studied journalism, sustainability and documentary storytelling.
