Give men something more. Something better.
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We live in a time when no common definition or vision for manhood exists. BetterMan is that common vision. We believe generations of men want to be good men; they want to be God's man, but they do not know how. No one has shown them—no one has given them an example. BetterMan is filling that void.
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Dr. Robert Lewis, then the pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, begins exploring biblical manhood with a small group of men at a weekly, early-morning gathering.
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Robert’s weekly meeting swells to over a thousand men from the church and surrounding community, and the curriculum and videos he created come to be known as Men’s Fraternity.
‘Men’s Fraternity’ is published by LifeWay Christian Resources and goes on to impact millions of men in churches and small groups across the U.S.
Men’s Fraternity becomes a global ministry reaching millions of men around the world, including Dallas businessman, Barry Davis, and a young adult he mentored, Austin Adams. Barry and Austin begin to dream about creating a new men’s ministry that would reach millennials. Simultaneously and coincidentally, Robert also realizes the need for a refreshed ministry to effectively reach millennial men.
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Barry and Austin reach out to Robert with their new ministry idea, and after months of prayer, the men decide to partner together to unleash young men to be better men.
Robert creates the BetterMan 11-week curriculum and soft-launches it in five cities, a staff team is put in place, and BetterMan launches in June.
BetterMan launches a Spanish-language version called MejorHombre to unleash biblical masculinity in a massive segment of our society.
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Captivated by the clear, biblical vision of manhood, an entire generation of men is being unleashed to discover who they were created to be — and to create the better life they crave.
BetterMan is backed by biblical truth and the latest Barna research and data. When creating the 11-week BetterMan group study, we enlisted the Barna Group to uncover how today’s men are navigating 21st-century waters.
Five Essentials to Engage Today’s Men is a comprehensive resource for pastors, men’s ministry leaders, and mentors looking to effectively reach today’s men. Filled with eye-opening statistics and thought-provoking insights, this research will empower you to support men on their journey towards better.
Barry Davis is an energy industry leader and Chairman & CEO of EnLink Midstream, one of the largest midstream companies in the U.S. In addition to serving on the EnLink Board of Directors, Davis is a Trustee of Texas Christian University (TCU) and a board member of the Kirby Corp. and several other civic and nonprofit organizations. Barry and his wife, Antoinette were part of a small team that launched the Fort Worth campus of Watermark Community Church in 2012 and continued to invest in the lives of young men on the topic of manhood.
Barry met Robert Lewis in 2001 after joining the board of a national ministry, the “Leadership Network,” and was immediately moved by Robert’s Christ-like demeanor and passion for Men’s Fraternity, Robert’s men’s ministry curriculum. Barry went on to lead dozens of men’s groups through the Men’s Fraternity curriculum, providing a life-changing experience for men both in their personal and work networks. During this time, he met fellow TCU alum, Austin Adams and introduced him to Men’s Fraternity. Austin was equally as moved by the curriculum. In 2018, Barry and Austin joined forces with Robert and Russell Rainey, a lifelong entrepreneur and follower of Christ, to create a solution to the problem of manhood in America, which led to the founding of BetterMan.
Barry remains a pivotal force as Chairman of BetterMan and continues to bring innovative ideas and connection to the team. As a devoted husband, father, businessman, and mentor, Barry leads by example in all aspects of his life, as he hopes those impacted by BetterMan will continue to do.
Few have had as significant an impact on discipling men in the past forty years than Robert Lewis. As a pastor, speaker, and author, Robert’s passion for leading men to grow in biblical manhood led him to produce the Men’s Fraternity film series in 1995. This three-year men’s curriculum quickly spread into churches, businesses, colleges, and even correctional facilities across the United States and later to over 20 countries. Today, Men’s Fraternity and its follow up series, 33, have impacted millions of men worldwide.
Author of numerous books including best-selling The Church of Irresistible Influence, Raising a Modern-Day Knight, and Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win Marriage, Robert is known for helping men build their lives on practical biblical truth that gets real-life results.
Now, in authoring the “BetterMan” curriculum, Robert offers a new way for men, especially younger men, to get their hands around God’s timeless design for authentic manhood.
Austin’s life has been centered around two passions: Growing Men and Growing Organizations. His desire is for every man to catch a compelling vision for what it means to thrive as a man, and he is living proof of the impact from men who instilled such a vision. Austin is a creative innovator who pinpoints value in opportunities and then leverages his talents and marketplace experience to create enduring value.
Austin has started and grown several successful marketplace and ministry endeavors and has a strong track record of high impact, accretive deal making. In oil and gas, Austin has acquired, grown and exited several assets, most recently as President of Ventana Partners, LP that exited in Summer 2019 after realizing a 2.9 times ROI in 4 years. He also Co-Founded APEX Fun Run in 2010.
In ministry, Austin has helped launch and grow several ministry platforms, including The Porch Fort Worth, the largest weekly gathering of young adults in the nation, Watermark Fort Worth Church, the first satellite campus of Watermark Community Church, and Men’s Retreat, an annual weekend experience for men to be encouraged and grow in Biblical Manhood.
His highest call is as husband to his wife Neesh and as father to his three children, Noah, Hunter and Palmer.
Matt Levy is an experienced board director, investor and entrepreneur with a history of rapid, profitable growth. In 1999, Matt co-founded Credera, a management consulting, user experience, and technology solutions firm based in Texas. Prior to selling his equity to Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) in 2018, Matt led the organization in various roles for more than twenty years. During his tenure, Credera was recognized as an Inc 5000 growth company for 7 consecutive years and as a “Best Place to Work” company by various 3rd parties for the last 10 straight years.
Matt is also the co-author of The Business of Faith: How to Lead Yourself, Unify Your Team, and Create a Remarkable Organization. Learning to practice The Business of Faith has turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of Matt’s career.
Matt and his wife, Amy, live in Dallas, TX and are active members of Watermark Community Church. They have two young adult children and enjoy adventures together in Colorado.
JP is the Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX. Previously, he was the leader of The Porch and teaching pastor of Watermark Community Church, both in Dallas, TX. Under his leadership, The Porch grew to be the largest young adult ministry of its kind in the world.
JP came to understand the grace of the gospel in his early twenties after being involved in different denominational churches his entire life. This ignited a desire in him to inspire young adults to radically follow Jesus Christ and unleash them to change the world. Most recently, he has seen this passion expressed through writing. His best-selling book, Welcome to Adulting, offers Millennials a roadmap to navigate faith, finances, friendships, and the future. His most recent book release, Welcome to Adulting Survival Guide, is a 42-day guide dedicated to those in their 20s and 30s. JP is passionate about equipping ministries around the world to reach the future of the Church.
JP’s partner in ministry is Monica, his wife of fifteen years, and together they disciple their children Presley, Finley, and Weston.
A family man and ardent supporter of BetterMan, Bill Smith lives in Dallas with his wife, where they are active members of Watermark Community Church, serving in the premarital ministry, Merge. When not lending wisdom and direction to his Church and BetterMan, Mr. Smith is devoted to loving and serving his family—his three sons, their wives and his wonderful grandchildren.
Mr. Smith is a gifted and talented servant-leader. During his career at IBM, he held numerous executive positions, managing large organizations in banking, insurance, capital markets, and technology.
Recently, Mr. Smith was the CEO of IBM Global Financing, the world’s largest information technology financier, with a total asset base of $41B and $3.2B in revenue, doing business with customers in 60 countries with the help of 4000 colleagues.
Before joining IBM, Mr. Smith was President and Chief Operating Officer of a public software and business process outsourcing company.
A graduate of Texas Tech University, his heart is to see men of all ages walk in the full inheritance and joy that God has for them.
Carson’s background is a hybrid of ministry and business. Most recently, Carson was the Operations Director for The Porch, one of largest Young Adult ministries in the world. Before that, Carson worked in the business world, including John Deere dealers and Deloitte Consulting in their management consulting practice.
Kyle has a deep desire to be a part of a movement marked by men embracing their role in the story of God. His passion for ministry was shaped when he came to Christ at 19 through the investment of his baseball coach and a local church in Gardendale, AL.
In addition to working with the BetterMan Team, Kyle serves as the Senior Pastor at Crossgates Church in Brandon, MS, a multiplying church family with prayer-filled dreams of playing a part in the coming move of God across America.
Kyle and his incredible wife, Katie, have been blessed with four sons and one daughter.
Emily was born and raised in Dallas, TX and came to know Jesus in junior high at summer camp. She is passionate about sharing the gospel with the next generation and leads a small group at her local church.
Before joining the Betterman team, Emily worked at Watermark Community Church serving in The Porch ministry for 8 years.
Emily has a Human Resource degree from Texas A&M University. She is married to Chad and has two sweet boys, Walker and Brooks. In their spare time, they love being outdoors, playing with their two pups, and sitting on patios in East Dallas.
Emma King is passionate about fighting for the voiceless, training up the next generation in the Word of God, and teaching others to put on the Armor of God in all things. She has worked in Churches in various different roles including worship leading, children's ministry and administrative assistance. No matter the role, Emma's desire to pour biblical truths into the lives of others runs deep.
Emma graduated from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Elementary Education. She taught in Temple, Texas in a Title 1 school for 2 years. Her husband, Bryant, is a Varsity football coach at Temple High School as well. Their passion for serving students who are consistently overlooked and have unmet needs drives their every effort. Emma and Bryant pray that they are a safe place and supportive team that champions for students who need it.
Emma and Bryant have been married for two years. They live in Temple, Texas with their two chocolate labs. They are expecting their first child, a boy, on Christmas of 2022. The Kings love to travel, renovate their home, hike, make music together and love their community. Emma is so excited for this new season of working with BetterMan. She truly believes in the mission to equip men with truth and is so thankful to be a part of this ministry.
Our Speakers
Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the co-founder and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped church in the Charlotte, NC area. Dr. Gray has been married since 1992 and has two adult children. He was an All-American Safety at Brigham Young University. He then went on to play 5 years with the Indianapolis Colts and 1 year with the Carolina Panthers.
In 2015, Derwin was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. In 2018, he received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary. He is the author of several books, including the national bestseller, The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness.
JP is the Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX. Previously, he was the leader of The Porch and teaching pastor of Watermark Community Church, both in Dallas, TX. Under his leadership, The Porch grew to be the largest young adult ministry of its kind in the world.
JP came to understand the grace of the gospel in his early twenties after being involved in different denominational churches his entire life. This ignited a desire in him to inspire young adults to radically follow Jesus Christ and unleash them to change the world. Most recently, he has seen this passion expressed through writing. His best-selling book, Welcome to Adulting, offers Millennials a roadmap to navigate faith, finances, friendships, and the future. His most recent book release, Welcome to Adulting Survival Guide, is a 42-day guide dedicated to those in their 20s and 30s. JP is passionate about equipping ministries around the world to reach the future of the Church.
JP’s partner in ministry is Monica, his wife of fifteen years, and together they disciple their children Presley, Finley, and Weston.
Kyle has a deep desire to be a part of a movement marked by men embracing their role in the story of God. His passion for ministry was shaped when he came to Christ at 19 through the investment of his baseball coach and a local church in Gardendale, AL.
In addition to working with the BetterMan Team, Kyle serves as the Senior Pastor at Crossgates Church in Brandon, MS, a multiplying church family with prayer-filled dreams of playing a part in the coming move of God across America.
Kyle and his incredible wife, Katie, have been blessed with four sons and one daughter.
Since 2004, Bryan has been the lead and founding pastor of Lifeline Community Church in West Jordan, Utah, where his mission has been to cultivate holistic disciples of Christ with lives of passionate engagement and intellectual depth. He has discipled men for over 20 years, teaching from an authentic place where his own story fits into God’s grand story.
In addition to pastoring, Bryan teaches and writes on a wide range of topics, including theology, worldview, and discipleship. His book, “Tasty Jesus: Liberating Christ from the Power of Our Predilections,” equips believers to respond to the distortions of Christ created by the personal tastes of our culture that conflict with the Bible and historic Christian orthodoxy. He also published “Cohort: Forming a Legion of Disciples in the
Local Church” to teach church leaders effective strategies for developing discipleship structures and curriculum.
He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Talbot School of Theology and a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary.
Bryan is joined in life and ministry by his best friend and wife of over 25 years, Jennifer. Together, they have poured their lives into three beautiful and precious daughters: Brynne, Reghan and Tierney.