FAQ
Q: What is the Every Man’s Battle Workshop?
A: Three day weekend intensive program for men who are struggling with sexual integrity. If a man is involved with pornography, affairs, or other sexual temptations, this workshop will give him the tools to achieve victory in this battle. It is Christ-centered, and uses a combination of teaching sessions and small group work, led by licensed Christian counselors. Every Man’s Battle Workshop is presented by New Life Ministries.
Q: What kinds of topics are covered?
A: Here is a list of topics:
- The Nature of Sexual Temptation
- False Intimacy
- Boundaries
- Restoring Trust and Communication in Marriage
- Temptation Cycles and How to Manage Them
- Emotional Conflicts Common in Recovery
- The Daily Disciplines in Recovery
- Shame: Its Impact and Its Management
- Relapse Prevention
Q: Where are the workshops located?
A: The workshops are held monthly at hotels in cities around the country. We always encourage a person in need to attend the next workshop scheduled rather than one that may be closer to home scheduled further in the future. Each workshop draws men from all over the country, some traveling a distance even when a workshop is coming to their area further out in the future.
Q: Is weekend lodging and meals included in the price?
A: Yes! Two nights lodging and six meals.
Q: How many teaching and group sessions are there?
A: Eight teaching sessions and Eight small-group sessions led by Christian counselors. A ratio of one counselor for every eight to ten attendees.
Q: How did the Every Man’s Battle workshops begin?
A: Immediately following the release of the book, Every Man’s Battle, written by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, New Life Ministries saw a sharp increase in calls from those seeking help in this area. In November, 2000 we held our first workshop at a retreat center in eastern Maryland. The response was so great we immediately made plans to hold these workshops once per month in cities around the country. Now, over 6,000 men have attended an Every Man’s Battle workshop.
Q: Who leads the workshop?
A: We are pleased to have these gifted communicators serve as our main speakers for the EMB teaching sessions:
David Wever — David has had the privilege of being a counselor and speaker with the Every Man's Battle Workshop since its inception in 2000. A crisis of truth in David’s life in 1995 brought him to a place of facing his own obsession to adult pornography and masturbation. David brings a special blend to his teaching through his counseling and pastoral experience as well as his own sexual purity recovery. David is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he received a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology. David is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina. David has private practices in California and North Carolina as well as a Professional Life Coach Practice around the rest of the globe. In his practice he specializes in sexuality and marriage issues from a Christian perspective. David has also worked as a Christian therapist with Rapha Treatment Centers in inpatient mental health care. David was a professor at Western Seminary in Sacramento, CA for four years helping to train future Christian counselors in their field. Prior to his time as a therapist and speaker, David was a licensed pastor with the Evangelical Free Church of America.
Jason Martinkus — After sexual addiction almost took his life and his marriage, he began the recovery process and by the grace of God is now a free man. He was called out of the corporate world and into the ministry where today his personal mission is to help other men understand, prevent and break free from sexual sin. As and EMB Program Director he speaks at events monthly, leads Sustained Victory groups and trains leaders to help other men. Jason received his Masters in Counseling from Denver Seminary and currently has a private practice in Denver, CO.
Each EMB workshop also has a team of licensed Christian counselors to lead the small group counseling sessions. They bring a wealth of experience, both through their clinical work and the challenges in their own lives.
Each EMB small group counselor is a minimum masters-level clinician, licensed by his state, and is a credentialed member of the New Life Ministries Christian Counseling Network. At New Life we require each counselor to go through a credentials verification process conducted by an outside verification organization. This verification process includes contacts to a counselor’s colleges and state licensing board. We seek out counselors within our network who are experienced in sexuality issues from a Christian perspective. Our goal is to ensure that we have the highest quality staff working with workshop attendees.
Q: Is there a limit to how many can attend?
A: Capacity varies depending on the location. We encourage early registration to ensure a place. Regardless of attendance, we are committed to having at least one counselor for every ten attendees.
Q: Who should attend this workshop?
A: The EMB workshop is for men who find themselves pulled into use of pornography, those who seek out sexual gratification through compulsive masturbation, massage parlors, or prostitutes, or those who have been involved in extra-marital affairs.
The EMB workshop has had attendees who are married, single and divorced, those who have come from every denomination and major religion. Most men come to EMB reluctantly. The decision to get help is often at the urging—or in some cases ultimatum—of a wife who has reached a point where she cannot stay married unless her husband takes action. Other men are self-motivated, determined to rid themselves of this burden to their lives and finally willing to admit that they cannot do it alone. At New Life Ministries we have seen countless incidents of families being destroyed by this destructive problem. We’ve seen men lose their families and their spiritual walk as the sexual temptations that started in small ways begin to consume them.
Sexual addiction, like all other addictive behaviors, is progressive. What satisfies today at some point will not be enough, and the need for more intense stimulation will be required. Over the years we’ve spoken to hundreds of men who waited, able to convince themselves—and often their wives—that occasional use of pornography was no big deal. Many of these men hit bottom only when the addiction worsened to include other forms of sexual acting-out. For some this only occurs after something worse – such as divorce – or irreversible – like a sexually transmitted disease, had crept into their lives. We want to help men take the steps necessary to be victorious over sexual temptation one day at a time. Our biggest goal is to help reach men before the problem ever becomes a consuming addiction; that is why we began the Every Man’s Battle Workshop.
We at New Life Ministries believe God has given us the mission of being agents of spiritual transformation in the lives of people. We would be honored for you to allow us the privilege of being even a small part God’s work at transforming you into the man He has called you to be.
Q: Do you have anything for wives?
A: When a married man is struggling with sexual integrity problems, the emotional effects on the wife are often devastating. All of the hopes of fidelity and security that began on the wedding day may be shattered, and those wounds are not easily healed. Feelings of anger, mistrust, and betrayal are not repaired quickly or without work. We know that every married woman’s desire is to be in a relationship that is built on trust, secure in knowing that her husband is faithful to her in every way. For that reason we have established our three-day Every Heart Restored program within the New Life Weekend intensive, which is designed to help a wife in this situation understand her role in her husband’s struggle and recovery.
In the Every Heart Restored workshop track, attendees hear Steve Arterburn present material in six general sessions. After each main session attendees participate in small group counseling sessions led by a licensed Christian counselor. The program begins on Friday afternoon and ends around noon on Sunday. Women are welcome to attend this seminar whether or not their husbands have completed the Every Man’s Battle program. Please call 1-800-NEW-LIFE (639-5433) for more information on this workshop for wives.