JoinMen

Gathering men and promoting their growth

JoinMen provides retreats and resources from an Anabaptist perspective to promote healthy masculinity, Christian formation and community. We desire that all men find a place of belonging among men who are strong, loving and wise as we follow Jesus to live into God’s shalom.

Mennonite Men Retreats

Retreats provide opportunities for men to gather together and engage issues in community. More than an event, these experiences are also meant to encourage participants to be part of an ongoing men’s group and growth process.

Retreat themes we offer congregations, men’s groups and retreat centers include:

Any of these themes can be adapted for a half-day, full-day, or weekend retreat.

For more information or to schedule a retreat, contact Don Neufeld (DonN@mennonitemen.org) in Canada or Steve Thomas (SteveT@mennonitemen.org) in the United States.

Men’s Rites of Passage

For most men, the question of what it means to be a man is perplexing. Most men have a longing for the support and guidance of other men in their journey towards masculinity, maturity, and a deeper experience with God. Opening the door to this journey can start with the Men’s Rites of Passage (MROP) retreat. This retreat can help awaken men to the adventure and mystery of their own masculinity, their deep spirituality, and their life’s purpose.

An increasing number of Mennonite men are being transformed as they participate in this intensive 5 day experience in a wilderness setting based on dying and rising in Christ. Originally created by Fr. Richard Rohr, this retreat is led by elders with Illuman. For more information about Men’s Rites of Passage and Journey of Illumination click here or contact Steve Thomas at SteveT@mennonitemen.org.

Stories

Upcoming

Men’s Retreat: Becoming Malleable Men

Camp Friedenswald

Men’s Retreat: Becoming Malleable Men

2026-03-06 – 2026-03-08

​Mennonite Men will be hosting a men’s retreat at Camp Friedenswald on March 6-8, 2026. The theme of the weekend will be "Becoming Malleable Men: Practicing Faith and Being Formed". Look for registration and details in the coming weeks. 



Recent

Trees, the Land, and Jesus: A Working and Learning Trip to Palestine and Israel

Palestine & Israel

Trees, the Land, and Jesus: A Working and Learning Trip to Palestine and Israel

2026-02-04 – 2026-02-16

https://mennonitemen.org/Documents/2026-Trees-the-Land-and-Jesus–A-Working-and-Learning-Trip-to-Palestine-and-Israel-(digital-version-with-live-link)-(1).pdf

Join Mennonite Men and Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) as we travel to Palestine and Israel to plant olive trees, meet Palestinian peacemakers, and connect the land to Jesus’ way of peace

Woodland Restoration: MCC Creation Care Community Event

MCC Akron, 21 S 12th St, Akron PA 17501

Woodland Restoration: MCC Creation Care Community Event

2025-11-15 – 2025-11-15

https://mennonitemen.org/Documents/Creation-Care-Event–Nov-15th-2025.pdf

Steve Thomas

​Saturday, November 15, 9am – Noon 
Partnering with Steve Thomas from the organization Mennonite Men, and Lydia Martin, Director of Community Engagement of Let’s Go 1-2-3, Mennonite Central Committee invites you to a morning of education and hands-on volunteer work in the MCC Woodland! Learn to recognize, manage, and remove invasive plants which are pressuring our local ecosystems. Help plant native trees to restore the natural balance. Plan for an hour on the veranda learning to know these organizations and each other, and 2 hours in teams working in the woodland! 

Wisdom of the Wilderness: Turning to Our Wild Teachers

Pilgrim Park Conference Center

Wisdom of the Wilderness: Turning to Our Wild Teachers

2025-10-10 – 2025-10-12

https://www.illumanillinois.org/events-gallery/wisdom-of-wilderness

Steve Thomas

​Mark your calendars! Join us this fall for Wisdom of the Wilderness—a weekend retreat for men led by wisdom guide and tree-evangelist Steve Thomas and hosted by Illuman of Illinois.

At Pilgrim Park in northern Illinois, we will step into full immersion with the natural world. We will look to expand our awareness of God’s presence in the wild, attune ourselves to the wisdom of the natural world, and embrace our place within the community of creation. And we will meet the land as it transitions from the bounty of summer to the beauty of autumn. 

View and share the promotional video for the weekend: youtube.com/watch?v=0EhXpS67u9Y

Men Listening, Men Talking – Honest conversations for men of faith

New Hamburg, ON

Men Listening, Men Talking – Honest conversations for men of faith

2024-11-29 – 2024-11-30

https://mcc.org/events/men-listening-men-talking-honest-conversations-men-faith

​

Explore the depths of masculinity in a safe and diverse space, fostering deep conversations and honest reflections. Engage with biblical teachings, challenge traditional norms, and envision a future of integrity and inclusion.            


The Road Ahead: Living that Matters for Men in Early and Middle Years

The Hermitage, 11321 Dutch Settlement Rd, Three Rivers, MI 49093

The Road Ahead: Living that Matters for Men in Early and Middle Years

2024-11-08 – 2024-11-09

https://mennonitemen.org/Pages/The-Road-Ahead.aspx

Jon Zirkle

​This retreat is intended for younger men and men in their middle years (~25 to 55) seeking encouragement from a gathering of men who wish to live life with greater intention and alignment to their values rooted in the transformative ways of Jesus.  

Resources

Mennonite Men provides and promotes resources for individuals and groups.  We support the formation of men’s groups with resources for conversation, growth and action.

Order Living that Matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith

Do you wonder what it means to be a man? Do you desire to grow? Want something more? Long for a life that matters? Seek to make a difference in the world? If so, Living That Matters may be for you or your group. This practical handbook is a guide to help individuals and groups engage in honest conversations on what matters most for men—with a focus on following Jesus, forming community, and building peace.

With over 60 years of combined experience in pastoral ministry and social work geared toward men, authors Steve Thomas and Don Neufeld offer many short reflections to help individuals and groups deepen relationships with one another, with ourselves, with our families and communities, and with God as we seek to live into God’s shalom—a peaceable order with abundance, security, and justice for all and well-being throughout creation.

For extra materials, excercises and more details about Living that Matters at bit.ly/LivingThatMatters.

Digital resources available for Peaceful at Heart

Mennonite Men, in collaboration with Mennonite Central Committee’s Ontario office, has created an audiobook, study guide, and a podcast/video interview series with the book’s contributors. These written, audio and video materials will assist in individual or group engagement of these critical ideas. 

The interview series includes the personalities and passions of each of the contributors as they are interviewed about their chapters.  Cedric Martin of Ontario-based Theatre of the Beat hosts the interviews and performs the audiobook.  Retired professor Dan Epp-Tiessen walks leaders through a series of 11 sessions in the written study guide, providing suggestions for facilitating group conversations including questions to get men thinking and sharing.  From the hard stuff of abuse to a vision for living life with a peaceful heart, covering a broad reach of masculinities, Peaceful at Heart challenges our thinking of what it means to be men of God.

Access all of these free resources HERE.

Other JoinMen Resources

Simply click on the links below to download PDFs of these resources. 

Most of our Mennonite Men publications are free of charge. If you are able to contribute any amount for these resources of value to you, we invite your donation on the Support page. Consider supporting us as we support you.

Watch for additional print materials and audio/visual resources in the future.