Some of the Originals

Some of the founding members include:  second from left, Edmond Thayer and first from right Steve Lamen.  Also included, some of the original group members:  Jim Stirewalt, third from left, Chad Starliper fourth from left, and Joe Steuer second from right.

The Fight for Manhood evolved from a small group of men who got together for lunch one day.  For some reason they began talking about real issues like:  "Did I marry the wrong woman?  Does anyone else feel like they just suck and its not going to change?  I think that God is probably disappointed in me.  Why should I expect God's blessings with all the bad stuff I've done?  Do you feel like you have a lot of friends but don't have any friends?  Does the Bible really address real world issues?  And the list goes on.  It really was then that Fight Like a Man ministries began.  

One of the men said, "hey, let's start meeting every week and talk about this stuff".  Soon, they had been meeting for about a year and found out they weren't alone, that the Bible did have answers, and that fellowship with other men was priceless.  They even went in together to rent a small office space to meet in.  And because they spoke about it so much to others they knew, a waiting list began of those that wanted to be a part of the group.  The men knew if someone just showed up cold, they might get lost with the things that were talked about.  These men had spent over a year of trial and error, prayer, and discussion to finally "get" some of these things.  They decided to take the guys on the list through a process to intentionally learn about some of the core issues they believed were critical.  

After making room at the small office for about 8 men to come the first week, 45 showed up instead.  Cars were parked up and down the street at the office complex, in the grass, and double parked in the parking lot.  That's when they knew that something was going on.  The next spring, by word of mouth, another 45 men showed up.  The next fall, almost 60 men showed up.  They rented to two offices next door, tore out the walls and expanded to 2400 square feet instead of 800.  Then 75, 80, 90, 100 men came until soon it was obvious that this needed to be offered at multiple locations.  There just wasn't any more room at their offices.  During this time, after having men offer to give money to the cause, they formed a 501c3 called Fight Like a Man ministries.  And the growth has continued ever since.  The founder of the ministry soon sold his business, became a minister, and works without pay at the ministry where  close to 50 or 60 men volunteer to fill roles.  Currently, this growth has occurred without paid staff.  

For more detailed insight see "What is a Ministry to Men" - a publication by the ministry which gives a good overview and insight into the who, what, when, where, and how of what we do.