The Connector Fall 2025

FALL 2025

A RENEWED CALL FOR A NEW GENERATION OF MEN

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cbmc.com

IN THIS ISSUE

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FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT A brief message from David Meyers, President of CBMC, USA

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NEW MISSION/VISION

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A VOICE FROM THE FIELD

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REACH

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CBMC BY THE NUMBERS

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EMPOWER

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WAYS TO GIVE

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DEPLOY

Introducing CBMC’s New Strategic Plan

How Local Leaders Shaped CBMC’s New Strategic Vision — Featuring Adrian Savedra

An Unexpected Seat at Breakfast: Steve Ramano’s Journey With CBMC

Snapshot of CBMC Ministry Growth & Audited Financials

Finding Purpose Beyond the Field With James Fisher

Time to Make a Difference

A New Battleground: How David Curran is Multiplying Impact in Oregon

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F R O M

T H E

D E S K

O F

T H E

P R E S I D E N T

Friends, There are moments in a movement’s story when the mission becomes unmistakably clear again. This is one of those moments for CBMC. For ninety-five years, God has used faithful men to share the gospel and make disciples in the workplace.

That hasn’t changed - and it never will. We remain a men’s ministry rooted in evangelism and discipleship.

But today, we are renewing our call with clearer focus, simpler language, and a bolder vision for the generations ahead.

Our new Vision, Mission, and Core Values don’t redefine who we are - they strengthen who we’ve always been. We’re holding fast to our roots and doubling down on our calling to live out our faith and multiply our impact for Christ in every community and company across the nation.

This renewed strategic plan is a call to step forward with courage and conviction. Together, let’s reach, empower, and deploy generations of men - until every man in every workplace knows the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

In this issue, you’ll see what that looks like through the lens of our three Core Competencies – what we must excel at to fulfill our mission: •

Reach: That men come to Christ and believers are engaged in the mission.

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Empower: That men are equipped with the tools, resources, and relationships to live out their faith.

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Deploy: That every man is positioned and mobilized to multiply his impact for Christ.

Through Jesus alone,

David Meyers President, Christian Business Men’s Connection

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To see men’s lives, families, and workplaces transformed by God through a growing evangelism and disciple-making movement in every community across our nation.

MINISTRY CORE VALUES Jesus First Intimacy with Jesus is at the heart of everything. We follow His lead, reflect His character and keep Him central in all we do.

Galatians 2:20

Great Commission Driven We exist to fulfill Jesus’ command to reach and disciple.

Matthew 28:19-20

Spiritual Multiplication We seek spiritual multiplication to the 4th generation and beyond.

2 Timothy 2:2

Rooted in Relationships We are passionate about life-on-life relationships and thrive in authentic, intentional community.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Unity We are together on one mission.

Romans 12:4-5

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ission

To reach, empower and deploy generations of men in the workplace to live out their faith and multiply their impact for Christ.

CORE COMPETENCIES Reach That men come to Christ and believers are engaged in the mission.

Empower

That men are committed and have a deep sense of responsibility for our mission. They’re equipped with tools, resources, and relationships to live it out.

Deploy Every man is on mission and is strategically positioned and mobilized in leadership roles to multiply their impact for Christ.

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A Voice from

How Local Leaders Shaped CBMC’s New Strat Adrian Savedra, an Area Director for CBMC in Oklahoma City, believes the organization is entering a season of “greater clarity and alignment”, a direct result of the meticulous strategic planning process he helped navigate.

Adrian recently served on the Strategic Plan Task Force for CBMC, acting as a crucial liaison between the national leadership and the men who are “walking out CBMC’s mission on a day-in, day-out basis”. His insider’s perspective offers a look into how the new Strategic Framework was built not just with high-level vision, but with field-proven reality.

across markets, leveraging the success he had seen in Oklahoma City, particularly in areas such as leadership development and disciple-making strategies. This input helped ensure the strategies “weren’t just visionary, but field-proven”, Adrian explains.

While the task force had only two official staff members from the field, Adrian, who served alongside Gary Tenpenny, Central Midwest Area Director, noted that the overall input was widespread.

Other members, including national board members, Marty Hepp and Jeff Goldfarb, both brought valuable volunteer field experience. Additionally, the process gathered feedback from a broad range of ministry stakeholders, donors, and volunteer leaders through surveys and Town Hall meetings.

Connecting Vision to the Pavement Adrian’s role on the ten-person task force was to represent the “voice of the field”, specifically of local marketplace ministry leaders. He ensured the lofty goals of the new framework were tethered to the day-to-day realities faced by field staff and volunteers. “My role, in other words, was to help connect some of the high-level strategic objectives with the practical realities that we face on a daily basis,” Adrian explained. He focused on implementing the strategy at the local level and

A United Spirit in a New Season Reflecting on the process, led by consultant Rick Stoller of StratCom International Inc., Adrian shared a profound sense of unity and spiritual confirmation. He recalled that the process was “bathed in prayer” because the team was united 6

the Field:

tegic Vision

trying to express individually,” Adrian said.

in their desire for an outcome that was “from the Spirit, that the Lord was leading us to do His will”.

The outcome is a framework that is not just visionary but also measurable and designed to multiply leaders and disciple-makers across every market. The defined Core Competencies of Reach, Empower, and Deploy provide the focus needed to move forward into the future.

When the new framework, including the refreshed vision, mission, and core values, was revealed, Adrian and the group were deeply moved. “It was actually very emotional when they revealed that for the first time because it articulated so wonderfully what we all were

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Strategic Plan Task Force

The Tangible Impact on Local Ministry

An Invitation to Alignment Adrian asks all men within the CBMC network to consider the vision, to see men’s lives, families, and workplaces transformed by God, and ask two questions: “Is this something I want to be a part of?” and “What’s my role in it?”.

In Oklahoma City, Savedra’s local ministry is already using the Strategic Framework to reshape its operations. “We’re using the framework to clarify where people are in their journey”, he said.

This includes building an intentional pathway for growth for everyone.

He concludes with a bold challenge for the future, centered on the Core Competencies: “We’ve got to excel at reaching men. We’ve got to excel at empowering those men. And then we’ve got to excel at turning them loose”.

This shift is helping the local ministry move from a mindset of addition to that of multiplication.

The goal is a “movement of God” within the community that overflows into every community nationwide. The new plan provides language, structure, goals, and alignment that enable local strategies to align with the national vision.

The vision for a nationwide disciple-making movement is now ours. It requires us to step into this unified mission. .....................................................................................................

“This gives us a language and a way to do it together,” he explained. “Something that I was really encouraged by that came out of the strategic framework was that we really are one ministry with one mission and a clear vision that is built around strong core values”.

What part of the new CBMC Strategic Framework—Vision, Mission, Core Values, or Core Competencies—do you see having the biggest impact on your own community?

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GROW FORWARD

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ADVANCE

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ADVANCE Who is God calling you to disciple?

Get started at advance.cbmc.com

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ADVANCE 9

Reach An Unexpected Seat at Breakfast: Steve Romano’s Journey with CBMC

For years, Steve Romano lived a familiar story of professional achievement. As a successful financial advisor, his career trajectory was defined by growing revenue and ever-bigger business goals. But while he excelled in the marketplace, his faith remained on the periphery.

What he didn’t realize was that the invitation, a strategic act of reaching out by another man, was perfectly timed.

Before attending the event, Steve was privately grappling with significant struggles in his marriage. As he prepared to go to the breakfast event, he began researching the organization.

“For several years, I was the kind of Christian who went to church on Sunday and took my family. But really, I just talked about Christian things within the four walls of the Christian church. I was not serious about my faith,” Steve admits.

“I began to research all the resources that CBMC had, and I thought, ‘Wow, what timing.’”

The event was the bridge he didn’t know he needed. It spurred him to immediately join a CBMC small group called Connect3. It was here that he enjoyed fellowship with other men and met the group leader, Sam Pappas.

Steve agreed that he was a “sideline Christian,” observing the game but refusing to bring his convictions into his daily life, especially the demanding world of the workplace. This dramatically changed with a simple invitation in 2018 that landed at a critical moment in Steve’s life.

Moving Off the Sidelines Pappas saw Steve’s new hunger and suggested a deeper commitment: a one-on-one discipleship track called Operation Timothy.

Simple Act of Reaching Out

“I just said, you know, I’m really open to it. I really need this in my life. I need to be more intentional”. Through the program, he began engaging in weekly spiritual conversations, memorizing scripture, and working through his identity in Christ. This life-on-life mentorship proved foundational, providing the courage he’d long lacked.

Steve’s introduction to CBMC didn’t come from a deep spiritual quest, but from a potential client. “One of my business prospects walked in one day, and he put a couple of tickets down on my desk and said, ‘I want you to go to this breakfast,’” Steve recalled. The event was the Oklahoma City Metro Prayer Breakfast, hosted by CBMC. His initial thoughts were purely pragmatic: “I thought, okay, free breakfast!”

“I think when you have those one-on-one conversations, 10

This new purpose made a tangible difference in his career.

Inspired by the mentorship he received, Steve started keeping a black journal on his desk, committing to pray for every client. “I would open that black journal at the end of the meeting with a client, and I would ask them, ‘How can I pray for you?” The practice established an immediate connection of faith. Clients occasionally walk into meetings now and say, “God answered my prayer.”

there are vulnerabilities there and we get to really share what our fears are,” he explained. “And that was one of my fears, really being courageous about sharing my faith.”

His growth led to a major shift: a call to leadership. In 2021, he was asked to become a Connect3 leader himself, deploying the ministry into a new area of the city. He viewed this new role as a mandate for spiritual multiplication.

The shift, born from a simple invitation to breakfast, opened a new world for Steve. His message to other men still sitting on the sidelines is urgent and straightforward.

“I would tell that man that there’s a life out there that God has for you that you’re completely missing out on,” he said. “You could be that conduit for them to be encouraged and spurred on spiritually.”

“I’m going to strongly encourage the men that are in my Connect3 team that we all need to be reaching out and pouring into someone else or have someone pouring into us,” he declared.

The results speak for themselves. The group has multiplied, with Steve having discipled a man named Ryan, who recently launched his own Connect3 team.

Steve’s definition of success changed from increasing revenue to reaching other men and making disciples.

For Steve Romano, the choice between more revenue and a greater purpose ended the moment another man reached out to him with an invitation to a breakfast that greatly impacted his life.

“I always thought that making disciples, sharing the gospel, mentoring men spiritually, oh, that’s something that an ordained pastor does. I’m a business guy,” Steve admitted. CBMC provided the paradigm shift, helping him realize the workplace was his mission field.

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REACH: Look around your circle—that guy who seems a little lost or is asking the big questions, reach out to him. Don’t just share a link; give him a personal invitation to the next CBMC event. You could be the person who connects him to what he’s searching for.

The Visible Difference in the Workplace

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REACH. EMPOWER. DEPLOY.

BY THE NUMBERS

19,769

566 TEAMS

ADVANCE USERS (2,280 NEW)

(36 NEW )

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AREAS (39 STATES)

NATIONWIDE

1,498

391,189

COMMITMENTS TO CHRIST

CONNECTED

UP 119%!

19,777 ENGAGED (115 NEW)

338

CITIES (19 NEW)

1,908

ACTIVE PAULS (381 NEW)

450 EVENTS

22,412

5,393

ATTENDEES

ACTIVE TIMOTHYS (679 NEW)

240

OUTREACHES (53%)

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AUDITED FINANCIALS SUPPORT AND REVENUE - $10,347,285 EXPENSES - $11,176,457

REVENUES Contributions & Gifts – $7,923,519 Membership Fees – $1,291,505 Other Revenue – $550,467 Interest and Dividend Income – $186,314 Net Realized & Unrealized Gain – $395,480

EXPENSES Ministry/Program – $8,282,872 General & Administrative – $2,001,705 Fundraising – $891,880

FY 7/1/24 - 6/30/25

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Empow Finding Purpose Beyond the Field: James Fisher’s Journey with CBMC The playbook of life doesn’t always follow the routes we draw up. For James Fisher, the map was clearly marked: college football, the NFL, success. But when the professional football dream stalled in 2020, James faced an identity crisis, staring at a blank canvas where a career once stood.

James’ initial connection to CBMC was by chance, coming through mentor Alan Smith, who had known him since high school. Alan got James connected to CBMC in Atlanta. When James arrived in Atlanta in August 2020, COVID-19 had forced the world into lockdown, making in-person connections scarce. This enforced seclusion became an unexpected blessing.

He was home in Minnesota, but the scene felt stagnant. “Same thing, different weekend, same people reminiscing and doing the same stuff,” he recalls. There wasn’t much growth. It was a crucial fork in the road, a “huge defining moment” of what to do with his next chapter.

James got immediately plugged into CBMC Atlanta through the area director, John Posey. His first months were a series of Zoom prayer calls with John and other men, all of whom were searching for community and spiritual nourishment.

The choice: dive back into the comforts of his old life or move to Atlanta and embrace a complete overhaul. He chose Atlanta, seeking a fresh start and a deeper sense of purpose. Thankfully, he had a mentor waiting in the wings who led him directly to CBMC.

This remote connection evolved quickly. By January 2021, James was part of the inaugural CBMC Young Professionals (YP) team in Atlanta. The most profound impact, he shares, was the community, not just peers his own age, but older, mature business leaders. James was hungry for their wisdom. He made a point of developing deep relationships, inviting every speaker

The Power of Community in a Crisis 14

wer at the YP meetings to breakfast or lunch. “I just knew they had so much wisdom, and I had to grasp it,” he explains.

James’ biggest realization was understanding that his identity was no longer tied to being “the football guy.”

CBMC helped him see there was a better definition of success, one that transcended commission checks and status. Now in sales, he recognizes that building a strong spiritual foundation and serving others is key. It was the testimonies of the CBMC men at his YP meetings, those who had “got wrapped up in the money, the status, ignored their family,” that inspired James to pursue a different path.

From Football Identity to Selfless Service James recalled a powerful statement made by CBMC Area Director John Posey at a luncheon. “Our goal is to have our ceiling be your floor,” he said. That phrase struck James with incredible force. The older men wanted to share their life experiences, what they learned, what not to do, so that the next generation could avoid their stumbling blocks.

This framework helped to empower him and redefine success: “It’s not about the money; it’s really just

“Our goal is to have our ceiling be your floor.”

-John Posey 15

connecting myself to a set of resources and finding a way to serve other people best.” James discovered a paradox: when he stopped focusing on the money and committed to serving others, “more money and resources seem to be there when you have that heart posture.”

his roommate using Operation Timothy.

Today, James has also moved from being a participant to a leader, facilitating his own YP team and serving on the Area Leadership Team for CBMC Atlanta. The grace he received now fuels a sense of obligation to pay it forward. “If Alan put up with what I put him through and he stayed with me,” James reflects, “then I have no excuse not to do the same and pour into others.”

The Power of Grace The greatest tangible difference in James’ life stemmed from the discipling relationship with Alan Smith. Alan guided James through Operation Timothy, a discipleship tool. James admits that he gave Alan many reasons not to keep talking to him or even invest in him.

His journey from chasing an athletic dream to leading a purpose-driven life is a testament to the empowerment that comes from a committed, accountable, and gracefilled community of men. James learned that the secret to true fulfillment is not found in an end-zone celebration, but in the commitment to a selfless life, guided by a purpose greater than career success.

But Alan persisted with “so much grace.” His patience was a living example of Christ’s love, and it deeply inspired James. “If these are the guys that are part of CBMC... I want every bit of that,” he thought. Alan’s patient mentorship was an incredible blessing at just the right time for James. It has enabled him to grow into a patient leader himself. James is now discipling

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EMPOWER: If you would like to see more men empowered and equipped to lead and carry the gospel into the workplace, visit cbmc.com to get in on the mission.

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WAYS TO GIVE Your support fuels CBMC’s mission to reach, empower and deploy men in every community across our nation. Here’s how you can help: Cash Donations Make a one-time or recurring gift online, by mail, or through planned giving.

Monthly Investor A monthly commitment ensures our programs continue year-round.

IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) If eligible, you can direct RMDs to CBMC, helping avoid taxable income.

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Use a DAF to give assets like cash or stocks to CBMC as part of your giving strategy.

Gifts of Stocks & Bonds Donating stocks, bonds, or mutual funds is a tax-wise way to support our mission.

Always check with your CPA, financial planner, and/or tax advisor before making decisions or actions affecting your account distributions.

Give Today

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Deploy A New Battleground: How One Leader is Multiplying Impact in Oregon David Curran knows a thing or two about taking on a challenge. After decades of building his career, he found a deeper calling: to fight the spiritual battles facing men in the workplace by launching a movement in a new territory, Oregon. His story is a powerful reminder that “retirement isn’t an exit—it’s an invitation to a new kind of leadership,” and that real impact is a matter of stepping out on faith.

instantly resonated, giving him a sense that “This is my space.”

David’s connection to the world of Christian workplace ministry, CBMC, began far from the Pacific Northwest, at a prayer breakfast in Southern California. “I was shocked,” he recalled of the moment he saw business leaders openly praying.

Later, in Oklahoma City, David found the true depth of the ministry he was seeking, a community that was not “church,” but a place for two-way dialogue and earnest, focused prayer. “It was not a one-way communication,” he noted. “There was interaction between the people sorting out what they saw, what they heard, and what they were experiencing in their life at the same time.” He discovered the intentionality that was often missing in typical Christian gatherings. He was seeing men committed to a “life-on-life discipleship” model.

“And I was delighted and shocked. And I thought, where am I at that somebody’s actually praying?” The blending of business, evangelism, and community

This grounding became essential when David moved to Oregon. Initially focused on remote work with his company and enjoying family, the idea of launching

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y CBMC in a new area wasn’t immediately on his mind. That changed dramatically during an evening at home while watching a movie about discipleship called The Forge.

Valley, where he has a vision of a “net spreading over the entire valley,” with every city and town having a thriving CBMC ministry. He sees this work as vital because “in a world that thrives on keeping men isolated, connection isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity.”

“I’m sitting in a chair and my arms start shaking, my legs start shaking,” David said. “I just felt a compelling call. I looked over at my wife and said, I think I’m getting the call.” It was a clear, dynamic moment where “the Holy Spirit jumped on me.” For David, this call was nonnegotiable, saying, “OK, I’m all in.”

He sums up his conviction with a powerful challenge for all men: “The reality is that we do hard things on purpose. Stepping into our calling is hard, but we must be purposeful in doing it.” For David Curran, being deployed to Oregon is a continuation of the mission to reach, empower, and deploy a new generation of leaders to live out their faith in the workplace.

The new mission in Oregon was clear: push back the darkness. David immediately began reaching out, compiling a list of Christian men he’d met in the area and connecting with them directly. His approach was simple but profound, rooted in the core value of authentic relationships: “A specific personal ask to a CBMC meeting, not a specific personal text or a specific email, but a faceto-face or a phone call.” David wanted to be intentional about building relationships.

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DEPLOY: Would you consider helping us fund the deployment of more Kingdom leaders into the workplace and more cities across the country in the next five years? Pray about how you might support God’s powerful work in this critical mission field.

David is now planting the seeds of growth in the Rogue 19

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Reach. Empower. Deploy.

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