Perhaps God has positioned you to grasp and pursue this vision for building spiritual men of influence. If so, here are some suggested steps you can take to implement the MOI program in your ministry.
Phase 1: Leadership Recruitment and Training. It is recommended that you begin by recruiting and training a group of Christian adult men to serve as Ops Officers (adult male mentors). You will want to end up with enough Ops Officers to create a ratio of at least one adult male mentor for every 4-5 students. We have found that a non-threatening way to conduct this recruitment is to identify some men and challenge them to commit to participate in an Officer Candidate School (OCS).
It is suggested that you first take the Ops Officer recruits through the MOI Officer Candidate School before starting the program with the students. An OCS Mission Manual has been developed for this purpose and contains 8 missions that communicate the need, vision, purpose, structure, and format of the MOI program (you will find this manual in the training materials department of the PX). As an alternative, a 2 day OCS Blitzkrieg has been developed to achieve this same purpose (contact MOI Central Command for more information on this approach). The MOI program has been successfully implemented without the OCS, but if time permits, it provides a solid foundation to build upon and is an effective tool for inspiring and preparing men for this commitment.
Phase 2: Planning and Promotion. Regarding the Student Level Training Component of MOI, it is recommended that you establish a weekly meeting schedule with your students. Because of the point system and the connection to attendance, the MOI Calendar generally tracks a school calendar with breaks from weekly missions when there is a school holiday that could potentially affect attendance. During those “off” weeks you will want to consider a special large group event that includes some team building games and debriefing for the students that are there.
Promotion is beneficial in creating a “buzz” about the coming MOI program. Promotional materials (i.e. Ops Manual binders, banners, posters, postcards) are available to create awareness of the MOI as your “D-Day” to launch the program approaches.
Training materials are available for leaders and students for each training phase. Some materials, such as Ops Manual Binders, are one time purchases while others are specific to each training phase. You should plan on starting Basic Training (Level 1) with a core group of at least 6 boys in the 6th through 8th grade age group. This group would then move together through the progressive levels of the program and new groups would begin at Level 1 in subsequent years.
Phase 3: D-Day (Parent Orientation). Prior to beginning the first training phase (Extreme Faith), you should conduct a Parent Orientation together with their sons. The purpose of this event is to build some excitement about the launch of MOI. However, your primary objective with this group is to communicate the purpose and structure of the MOI program to parents for the purpose of establishing the importance of parental support in this effort. Additional materials are available (outline, PowerPoint slides, video) to assist you in this event.
Phase 4: Student Orientation. After the Parent Orientation, you will want to conduct a Student Orientation with their Ops Officers. This will allow for communication of more detailed information about the MOI format and expectations. The next week would then begin the first training phase. An Orientation Ops Officers Guide (OOG) has been prepared to provide direction in the student orientation and will be made available to you.
Phase 5: Training Phase. At this point you are prepared to start your first training phase. A training phase covers a 10 week period including 8 missions, 1 week for a debriefing, then concluding on the 10th week with an Honors Ceremony. The Honors Ceremony is a time for presenting awards earned by the comrades and to recognize and encourage their accomplishments in front of their parents and peers. Awards can be found in the MOI PX.
At the end of each training phase a Field Maneuver (special group activity) is conducted to reward comrades and to build camaraderie with the MOI students and Ops Officers.
A Volunteer Service Event (VSE) should be scheduled during each training phase. Participation in a service event is recommended as a requirement for earning the training phase award.
MOI Veteran. Once you have completed a training phase, you have reached "veteran" status with ideas and experiences that can benefit others. The progressive nature of the different levels is an effective and recommended pathway. However, while this suggested path was used to originally initiate the program, it has become evident that the appeal of the MOI curriculum and format is not exclusive to a specific age group, nor is there one right way to achieve the desired objective.
There is a considerable amount of additional detail and resources to help you in this ministry. First, an abundant and growing supply of materials is available to accomplish this mission and can be found in the MOI PX. In addition, the full support of MOI Central Command and the national network of Ops Officers are there to encourage and assist you.
MOI Central Command welcomes input from front line Ops Officers on how the program has been effectively implemented and conducted with their group. Check out the Officer’s Club on this website where you will find and have the opportunity to submit useful ideas and suggestions in the Ops Officer Field Report File Cabinet. Also, questions can be posted on the Ops Officer Bulletin Board for input. Submit questions or responses for posting to MOI Central Command.
There is a battle raging around us. Your influence is needed in the fight. God has created and gifted you for significance. Sure, it is easier to close your eyes, to ignore the battle or simply go into hiding and give up. It is always easier to make an excuse rather than an effort. But don’t bury yourself in the foxhole. Choose to fight. Commit to strive valiantly, and allow your face to be marred by the dust, the sweat, and the blood that comes from spending yourself on a worthy cause. True success will never be achieved without risk of failure.
So, if God is moving you to align with the MOI vision and you are interested in joining the MOI Coalition, CLICK HERE.
MOI. Standing firm. Standing together.
