Friend,

Groundhog Day has come and gone and Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is for 6 more weeks of winter.  I'm almost out of firewood so I sincerely hope he is wrong, as he most often is, this year. 

This week our newsletter is once again packed with practical teachings and tools designed to help you become the man God calls you to be. Here's what to expect this week: 

EDUCATE:  Learn about Challenge #5 - Fear of Leadership and Responsibility

EQUIP:  Find out if you're a workaholic, when leadership and responsibility go wrong. 

ENGAGE:  Discover a wide-variety of ways you can take action as a man! 

Here's to Living ALL IN! 

Marty Miller

Blueprint for Men

Founder | President

The Six Challenges Men Face in 2026

This week we will continue our series with a deep dive into one of the greatest fears that men face, that of leadership and responsibillity, But before we get started let's review our series line-up. 

1. Fragmented Identity (Who am I really?) - January 8

2. Pornography, Sexual Drift, and Intimacy Collapse - January 15

3. Loneliness and Brotherhood Deficit - January 22

4. Distraction, Dopamine, and Spiritual Apathy - January 29

5. Fear of Leadership and Responsibility - February 5

6. Faith Reduced to Opinion, Not Obedience - February 12

CHALLENGE #5:  Leadership Aversion

By Marty Miller

The Big Issue

Many Christian men quietly carry a fear they rarely name out loud: the fear of leadership. Not fear of success or visibility, but fear of responsibility.

At Blueprint for Men, we often say that men don’t drift into strength—they drift into passivity. This challenge is one of the clearest places that drift shows up.

The weight of being accountable for others—especially in spiritual matters—can feel overwhelming.

Some men feel unqualified (“I don’t know enough”).

Others are exhausted (“I’m barely holding my own life together”).

Still others are suspicious (“Every leader I trusted eventually failed or abused power”).

The result is the same: men withdraw, defer, or stay silent when leadership is needed most—in the home, the church, and the community.

This isn’t laziness. It’s often the residue of disappointment, shame, and confusion about what leadership actually is.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1)

Scripture acknowledges the weight of leadership. The problem isn’t the weight—it’s that many have never been shown how to carry the responsibility without being crushed by it.

Why It’s Worse in 2026

1. Cultural Backlash Against Authority

We are living in a moment where authority itself is suspect. From politics to corporations to churches, stories of corruption and abuse dominate the headlines. For many men, leadership feels less like a calling and more like a liability.

The cultural message is subtle but powerful: “If you lead, you will hurt someone—or be accused of it.” So men choose the safer route: disengagement.

But Scripture never equates leadership with control or image management. Biblical leadership is covenantal, not positional.

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” (Mark 10:43)

When leadership is framed as power, men either crave it or avoid it. When leadership is framed as responsibility, it becomes costly—but clear.

This is a core Blueprint conviction: leadership is not dominance; it is ownership.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE MESSAGE

If you have read this far, and God is calling you to read more, to address this challenge, download the LEADERSHIP AVERSION document below. The world needs more courageous leaders. Be one! 

Roosevelt's Challenge to Courageous Leadership

Every leader must take courageous action despite the possibility of failure or defeat. The greatest of all leaders are willing to risk it all which makes Jesus the greatest leader and greatest risk-taker of all time. He’s our Blueprint for leadership!   

On a human level most men admire Theodore Roosevelt. He was a man’s man that gave us one of the greatest declarations about leadership ever given to mankind. It’s called "The Man in the Arena". Read it out loud as a declaration. Really mean it. Feel the call to courageous action and then charge into the arena of leadership wherever God may call you! 

Man in the Arena

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Be the man in the arena this year!

WORK-AHOLISM:

WHEN LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY GO WRONG

Are you the guy everyone counts on, always first in and last out, juggling more tasks than should humanly be possible?

That drive to lead and be responsible can be admirable — but when it starts to cost your health, your relationships, and your soul, it might be more than dedication; it might be workaholism.

THE WORK-AHOLIC ASSESSMENT

True strength isn’t measured by how many hours you punch the clock—it’s measured by the health of your heart, your connections, and your purpose. Take a few honest minutes right now to take this online assessment and see where you really stand.  Your life—and the men who follow your lead—may depend on what you discover.

Here's a sample profile from Psychology Today's Work-aholic Assessement. Click on the link below to see how you rate. 

More Ways to Get Involved

There are an incredible number of ways you can engage through this ministry. Join our growing online community, attend an event, or donate to our man-building cause. Together we can make an eternal difference!  

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