About the Becoming Man Movement

BECOMING MAN is a movement of God, birthed in the heart of Pastor IV Marsh. It is centered around returning men to their proper purpose on the earth; something that is so needed in our culture today. You don’t have to look very far back into the annuals of American history to see that honorable men are disappearing before our very eyes. Honorable men who demonstrated true masculinity. Men who were a man’s man, a man who not only demonstrates the physical qualities of ruggedness but who also possess mental toughness and emotional strength. A man who says what he means and means what he says. A man who recognizes the importance of honesty. A man of noble principle. A man without covetousness. A man who cannot be bribed or bullied. A man committed to manly virtues. A man who is the head of his home and knows how to control and discipline his children. A man who loves justice but also knows tenderness and mercy. A man who fears God and shows reverence for that which is sacred. A man who knows the difference between the rule of law and the lust for power. On the whole, our society today has little tolerance for such men. Even in our churches, masculinity is dying. BECOMING MAN seeks to reverse the current trend in our culture as we take men on a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery.

The BECOMING MAN Level Requirements are designed to guide men along the path of transformation into a mature son of God. At each level, there are requirements intended to display the attributes of Christ: Prophet, Priest, King, and Warrior. While one could certainly progress mechanically through the levels with no heart change, this is not the intent. Our deepest desire is that we all be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

The Journey Starts Here

Pastor IV Marsh

FOUNDER & CEO

IV Marsh is a pastor, entrepreneur, author, marriage and leadership coach. He leads BCOMING.CHURCH, a mega multi-site church with his wife, Bené. Epic was planted in 2007, now with multiple campuses reaching 5,000 people weekly in the United States and in multiple countries. IV is the founder and CEO of Lead Now, a veteran owned business committed to inspiring and equipping leaders and leadership teams throughout the business world. He is also the founder and CEO of the IAM4 Men’s Movement (now Becoming Man) and Warrior Evolution. Warrior Evolution is a 75 hour intensive that empowers men in spirit, soul, and body. A native of North Alabama, IV served in the United States Air Force with a majority of his career in Panama City, Panama fighting the war on drugs. He became involved in law enforcement before stepping into full-time ministry. IV and Bené have been married since 1994 and have three grown children and two daughters-in-law.

OUR MISSION

BECOMING MAN is committed to restoring honor to manhood as we teach men to live honorably in their creative role.

OUR VISION

BECOMING MAN is committed to partner with local organizations and churches to change the hearts of men in order to change the world. If you change a man you change a family. If you change a family you change a community. If you change a community you change a state. If you change a state you change a country. If you change a country you change the world - one man at a time.

OUR STATEMENT OF BELIEF

We hold to the basic doctrines of biblical faith.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that the salvation of lost and sinful people is accomplished by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, those who are saved to the resurrection of life and those who are lost to the resurrection of damnation.

WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT MANHOOD

We believe that the Bible teaches that men are foundational. As go the men, so go the marriages, families, churches, communities and the culture.

God created men and women equal but not the same. He bestowed upon men unique roles of Prophet, Priest, King, and Warrior to teach God’s Word to their wives, families, and friends, to serve their families, God’s people and church, to provide for their families and churches and to protect their marriages, families and churches. However, we live in the first generation in history that's confused about what it means to be a man. There's a fatherlessness crisis today because there's a crisis in manhood.

Building a tribe of men, calling them out and up to the high, noble masculinity only found in Christ Jesus, and discipling in the gospel are the biggest challenges the church faces today. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Prophet, Priest, King, and Warrior who rescued us from sin and death, redeemed our fallen masculinity and set us truly free. Our hope is built on Him and Him alone.

BECOMING MAN IS COMMITTED TO

Rationale

We have been moved in our purpose by the following contemporary developments which we observe with deep concern:

The widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity

The tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood

The increasing promotion given to feminist egalitarianism with accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the loving, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the intelligent, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives

The growing claims of legitimacy for sexual relationships which have Biblically and historically been considered illicit or perverse, and the increase in pornographic portrayal of human sexuality

The upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family

Affirmations

Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following:

Both Adam and Eve were created in God's image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood - (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18).

Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart - (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1 Tim 2:12-14).

Adam's headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin - (Gen 2:16-18, 21-24, 3:1-13; 1 Cor 11:7-9).

The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women - (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16).

In the home, the husband's loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife's intelligent willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.

In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.

The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18; Gal 3:28). Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community (Gen 2:18; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; 1 Tim 2:11-15).

Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse. In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7).

In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission-domestic, religious, or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 4:19-20, 5:27-29; 1 Pet 3:1-2).

We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches, and the culture at large.