A Calling of Advancement
U.S. missionary Jason Jacques ministers to men.
Jason W. Jacques, a U.S. missionary with U.S. Specialized, felt called to ministry at age 14. Both his father, Don Jacques, and his maternal grandfather, Hollis Lawson, were heavily involved in men’s ministry, with his grandfather being one of the founders of Light for the Lost.
His ministerial call reignited at a men’s conference in 2019 when the speaker stopped, pointed toward him, and said, “You’ve been called. Now, it’s time to walk in that call.”
Instantly, Jacques recalled the ministerial call he felt as a teenager. Though he worked in a local church at the time of the 2019 encounter, he knew he needed to do more.
“Up until that point I was perfectly content with my involvement in ministry,” says Jacques, 45. “But then God flipped the script.”
He decided to stop working for the real estate company owned by his father and fully commit to ministry, not knowing what that meant for his life.
Jacques knew that God wanted him to minister to men, so he got in touch with Rick C. Allen, the Assemblies of God national Men’s Ministries and Light for the Lost director, to discuss next steps. It became clear that the way to best follow God’s calling would be for Jacques to become a U.S. missionary with U.S. Specialized.
Founded in 2020, one aspect of U.S. Specialized is district advancement. In this field of work, designated district advancement missionaries work within AG districts/networks to advance various missions initiatives. These initiatives can include anything that AG districts/networks need that the missionary feels called and equipped to do, including women’s or men’s ministry advancement, clerical skills, and children’s ministry training.
“With the missionary position, I can fully commit to men’s ministry and pioneer it as something completely different from what it currently is,” Jacques says.
The missionary role allows Jacques to come alongside rural churches in the Southern Missouri Ministry Network to help establish leadership teams through a core group of men in each church. “We are hoping to create evangelistic momentum through the men of the church,” he says.
Jacques believes there is a clear distinction between men’s ministry and ministry to men.
“When we talk about men’s ministries, that refers to men who are already attending our churches,” he says. “Ministry to men gives purpose to minister to men outside of the church.”
With less than one-third of churchgoers being men, Jacques believes bringing more men into churches will make an impact.
“If every church in Southern Missouri has a healthy ministry to men, our churches will begin to change and grow,” he says. “If we make a very intentional effort, we will see a generational shift.”
Southern Missouri Ministry Network Superintendent Don E. Miller says having Jacques as a network advancement missionary has been a blessing from God.
“This is a way that we can move the ministry of this network forward with an individual who is fully dedicated to the ministry,” Miller says.
His ministerial call reignited at a men’s conference in 2019 when the speaker stopped, pointed toward him, and said, “You’ve been called. Now, it’s time to walk in that call.”
Instantly, Jacques recalled the ministerial call he felt as a teenager. Though he worked in a local church at the time of the 2019 encounter, he knew he needed to do more.
“Up until that point I was perfectly content with my involvement in ministry,” says Jacques, 45. “But then God flipped the script.”
He decided to stop working for the real estate company owned by his father and fully commit to ministry, not knowing what that meant for his life.
Jacques knew that God wanted him to minister to men, so he got in touch with Rick C. Allen, the Assemblies of God national Men’s Ministries and Light for the Lost director, to discuss next steps. It became clear that the way to best follow God’s calling would be for Jacques to become a U.S. missionary with U.S. Specialized.
Founded in 2020, one aspect of U.S. Specialized is district advancement. In this field of work, designated district advancement missionaries work within AG districts/networks to advance various missions initiatives. These initiatives can include anything that AG districts/networks need that the missionary feels called and equipped to do, including women’s or men’s ministry advancement, clerical skills, and children’s ministry training.
“With the missionary position, I can fully commit to men’s ministry and pioneer it as something completely different from what it currently is,” Jacques says.
The missionary role allows Jacques to come alongside rural churches in the Southern Missouri Ministry Network to help establish leadership teams through a core group of men in each church. “We are hoping to create evangelistic momentum through the men of the church,” he says.
Jacques believes there is a clear distinction between men’s ministry and ministry to men.
“When we talk about men’s ministries, that refers to men who are already attending our churches,” he says. “Ministry to men gives purpose to minister to men outside of the church.”
With less than one-third of churchgoers being men, Jacques believes bringing more men into churches will make an impact.
“If every church in Southern Missouri has a healthy ministry to men, our churches will begin to change and grow,” he says. “If we make a very intentional effort, we will see a generational shift.”
Southern Missouri Ministry Network Superintendent Don E. Miller says having Jacques as a network advancement missionary has been a blessing from God.
“This is a way that we can move the ministry of this network forward with an individual who is fully dedicated to the ministry,” Miller says.