Who We Are & What We Are Doing

History

The Episcopal Church’s oldest ministry is also one of its
most effective

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew has been bringing men and youth to Jesus Christ since its founding on the cold, wintry day of Nov. 30, 1883, at St. James’ Episcopal Church in downtown Chicago. Homeless men were sleeping on the city’s downtown streets – and it was these men the fledgling Brotherhood wanted to save.

Today, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew is a worldwide ministry with chapters in Africa, Japan, the Philippines, Great Britain, Canada, Haiti, and the United States. Its 4,192 members in 357 U.S. chapters perform myriad ministries, from building and operating a medical mission ship to sponsoring homes for women and children in need. Brothers are quick to respond with both manpower and money during national emergencies, such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and during the deadly year of 2013, when an explosion devastated the town of West, Texas, a tornado leveled Moore, Oklahoma, and a tsunami struck northern Japan.

“But we have lasted so long because men like to get together for support, to offer service projects – and for fellowship.”

Read our Detailed History

VISION

To inspire, empower and equip men and boys to fulfill the Great Commission.

Mission

To bring men and youth to Christ.

The Brotherhood endeavors to accomplish this mission through the threefold disciplines of Prayer, Study, & Service.

Prayer

To pray daily for the spread of Christ’s kingdom, especially among men and youth, and for God’s blessings upon the labors of the Brotherhood.

Study

To study the Holy Scriptures regularly and the teachings of the Church, to attain a better understanding of how to follow Christ and bring others into his kingdom.

Service

To make continuous efforts, week by week, to bring others nearer to Christ through his Church.

Go to Prayer Page

Go to Study Page

Go to Service Page

MEMEBERSHIP DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Plan

In December of 2016, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew completed the most recent strategic plan which would fundamentally alter the organizational structure for the foreseeable future. Prior to 2016, the organization had been governed by the National Council which met once every three years, elected new officers, passed a three-year budget, and voted on changes to the Constitution and by-laws as needed.

At that time, the day-to-day operation of the Brotherhood was primarily the responsibility of the five elected officers, two full-time staff persons, and a part-time editor for The Cross. While there were volunteer committees functioning, they did not meet regularly, and the full weight of operations fell on the President and the four other elected officers.

At The Episcopal Church’s General Convention in 2015, resolution D045 was introduced and passed by both houses of the Episcopal Church. That resolution challenged the Episcopal Church to encourage and support men’s ministry in every congregation. With this new challenge, your Brotherhood leadership set out to enlist the support of every Chapter in planning for the Brotherhood’s future role as leaders of Men’s Ministry in the Episcopal Church.

In December of 2016, after months of planning and preparation, 26 members of the Brotherhood leadership met for a three-day facilitated strategic planning session to develop the way forward. At the completion of the session, we had a three-tiered plan with goals and objectives for the next three to five years of growth and development.

Building a strong foundation (Empowerment and involvement of Province Presidents, Diocesan Coordinators, and Chapter representatives)
Expanding Ministry Outreach (seven ministries)
Structuring for success (Fundraising and fund development)

Some of the Goals and objectives included reorganization of the National Office, becoming transparent and incorporating Chapter and diocesan input, orientation of new members, recruitment and training of Diocesan Coordinators, improved and expanded communications with the membership and the Church, and development of a path for leadership development.

In 2019, the Executive Board met again to update the strategic plan and set new or revised goals and objectives. These objectives are reviewed monthly by your Executive Board, and updates are made to keep us current. There are currently some 23 goals and objectives being worked on by the volunteer members of the Executive Board and the Brotherhood leadership.

Some of the goals being worked on include succession planning for Brotherhood leadership, fund development plans for program ministries, implementation of training council videos and webinars, revision of the devotional handbook, transparency of financial reporting, empowerment of Province Presidents and Diocesan Coordinators, implementation of regional workshops, implementation of absentee voting procedures… just to mention a few.

Currently, we have five (volunteer) appointed 1^st Vice-Presidents working under the auspices of the Executive Board of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. They are assigned responsibility for implementation of the goals and objectives for their area: Administration, Fund Development, Communications, Field Operations, and Program Development (the seven Brotherhood Ministries) These five 1^st VPs manage some 30 committees involving more than 100 brothers meeting weekly or monthly to expand and improve the operation of the Brotherhood’s more than 450 chapters and 5,600 members nationwide and internationally.

Support of these volunteers comes from one full-time Executive Director, one full-time administrative assistant, a part-time bookkeeper, a part-time editor for The Cross, and a part-time office manager in Louisville.

The work of these committees is overseen by your Executive Board which meets monthly to review plans and progress. Your Executive Board, in accordance with the Constitution and by-laws, includes the five elected National Officers, all Province Presidents, each of the appointed 1^st Vice-Presidents, and the Vice-Presidents of each of the seven program ministries. In addition, we will be adding six Chapter representatives and three members at large to the Executive Board. These new positions were added to specifically respond to the request for more input from the Chapters and members of the Brotherhood at the grassroots level (see the organizational chart).

D045 Resolved that the 78^th General Convention encourage and support dioceses and congregations in their efforts to develop and expand Ministry to Men throughout the Episcopal Church, and to mentor and raise up the next generation of young men throughout the Episcopal Church.