ABOUT SONS OF THUNDER

Who we are:
 

Sons, husbands, fathers, grandfathers, brothers.

Construction workers, doctors, truck drivers, salesmen, plant workers, retirees, managers, cooks, accountants, veterinarians, medical workers, lawyers, etc.

Sinners saved by the grace of God.

What we battle:

Anger, bitterness, pride, greed, addictions, obsessions, self-pity, self-hate, health problems of our own or of those we love (physical, mental and emotional), financial problems, etc.

What we seek:

The power of God to survive and win the battles in our lives, peace and joy that can only come from God, and God's purpose for our lives.

Our purpose:

To encourage men to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

To encourage each other to seek God's purpose for our lives each day through reading the Bible and to turn away from selfish and destructive behaviors.

To provide a safe environment for men to share their struggles and victories with each other.

To promote understanding of the Bible through study and discussion of the scriptures.

To build lifelong friendships.

To support each other during our struggles and suffering.

When and where we meet:

SOT chapters meet weekly at various churches of various denominations.

 Click here for Chapters and Meetings page

Sons of Thunder Non-Negotiables:

CONFIDENTIALITY- What's said in this group stays in this group. We have to learn to trust each other. If you can't keep your mouth shut this is not the place for you. (1 Peter 5:8) Everybody struggles with something. This must be a safe place.
 

FILLING - God's man is a self-feeder. Consistently studying and applying God's Word independent of the church or small group is essential. To do this, a man must have his quiet time with the lord everyday. (1 Peter 2:1-3; Psalm 1:1-3).
 

TRAINING - God's man receives regular/weekly biblical instruction (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13). This can be achieved through a weekly small-group Bible study or large-group study with small-group discussion.
 

PRACTICING - God's man learns how to apply God's Word to all areas of life. It is essential to allowing room for accountability within the men's ministry for the purpose of consistency and obedience to God's Word (James 1:22-25; Ezekiel 33:30-32).
 

UNITING - God's man makes it a priority to connect with other men for the purpose of community, accountability, confession, and prayer (1 John 1:9, James 5:16, Galatians 6:1-3, Hebrews 10:24-25).
 

SURVIVING - God's man learns to address major life temptations and/or crises according to his need and life-stage. Support and encouragement from the ministry leader and small group is essential (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
 

REACHING - God's man gets involved in some form of men's ministry based on his gifts and talents. God has called each of us to pour out to others what He has poured into us (1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11-13).
 

IMPACTING - God's man invests time and resources into the lives of other men. By way of one-on-one connection through shared activities, spiritual mentoring, and modeling (2 Tim. 2:22; Proverbs 27:17; Mark 3:13-14).
 

SHARING - God's man learns to actively share his faith in order to lead others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 28:18-20).
 

Our History:
 

Sons of Thunder was started by Michael Miller, the associate pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Northport, Alabama.  At first only eight or ten of us would meet on Wednesday evenings in the basement at St. Mark UMC.  Over a period of about eight years the group has grown substantially. Now there are SOT chapters at about nine different churches of various denominations with several hundred men meeting each week.
 

As the group began to grow, Michael noticed Tim Clements emerging as a leader. So Michael started spending time with Tim nurturing and encouraging him to step into a position of leadership. Tim was apprehensive about the idea because he doubted his ability to lead, re-enforcing his doubt with all sorts of excuses. But Michael kept on encouraging Tim and praying for him. Soon Tim agreed to step up as a leader of SOT and it quickly became obvious that his calling was truly from God.  Tim is just a regular guy. He likes to hunt and fish and do guy stuff just as much as anybody else. He's transparent and straight-forward and makes himself available to do whatever God wants him to do, and that's exactly what he encourages everybody else to do. 
 

Not long after Tim began leading we had our first annual Men's Crusade (we call it a crusade rather than a retreat because retreat sounds like you're backing up; we're not backing up, we're gaining ground and claiming new territory in Jesus' name). We went to a cabin out in the woods overlooking a hundred acre lake. We had grilled steak, boiled shrimp, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and an assortment of deserts.  That night we had a guest speaker named Dale Hathorn. Dale was a Methodist minister for thirteen years before he went into international evangelism. He said one day the Holy Spirit told him he wasn't hungry anymore so evangelism is what God led him into. After Dale spoke that night the forty or fifty of us that were there broke off into small groups, assembled in different rooms in the house and discussed what Dale had said. Afterward, Dale went around from person to person engaging in conversation eventually with every single person there. It didn't take long for Dale's gift to become obvious to everybody there. When he speaks to people he speaks directly to their hearts. As he was speaking, sometimes the man he was speaking to would break down and cry while Dale would pray for him.  That night those men came to know Jesus on a level they had never experienced before and became truly sold out for Christ. And God's ministry through the Sons of Thunder gained momentum that hasn't stopped yet. That's what this group is about: being sold out for Christ. It's about being all in.It's about being done with spiritual mediocrity and stepping into what God has planned for us. Men have heard God's call and have responded with obedience and devotion.  And men have experienced the power, peace, joy and fulfillment that can only come from God.
 

Sons of Thunder has hosted an annual Men's Crusade each year for about the past 7 years.  And each year the attendance at the Crusade has nearly doubled.  It is estimated that around 1,000 men attended the 2010 Men's Crusade, in Elrod, Alabama.
 

The focus of Sons of Thunder is not about numbers or denomination. We invite men to join us because we want to see God work. Jesus didn't die for just a select few clean-cut Methodist men; he died for everybody, everywhere, for every reason. This group doesn't push any kind of doctrinal beliefs. What we stand for is the word of God. What we represent is Jesus Christ. The aim of the group is to inspire men to build God's kingdom. As ambassadors of Christ, His business is our business, and His business is saving souls.
 

Now about our name: Sons of Thunder.  The apostles, James and John (two fishermen) were the original Sons of Thunder. Mark 3:17 says Jesus called James and John Sons of Thunder.The exact meaning of that term is not known but they were two of Jesus' three closest companions and they followed him loyally. The apostle Peter owned a fishing business and James, John, and their dad Zebedee, were his partners (Luke 5:10).  When Jesus called James and John, they dropped everything and followed Him (Mark 1:19-20), as did Peter (Mark 1:17-18, Luke 5:8-11). Whether Jesus was raising the dead (Mark 5:35-37), being transfigured by exposure to the physical presence of God (Matt 17:1-3), or looking for some friends to talk to while he was filled with anguish and distress just before his death, (Matt 26:36-38) he requested the presence of Peter, James, and John. When Jesus was dying on the cross, it was John who Jesus entrusted with the care of his mother (John 19:25-27). When Jesus was rejected by the Samaritans on his way to Jerusalem, James and John wanted to call down fire from Heaven to defend Jesus' honor (Luke 9: 51-54). James and John were the first to make it known that they were willing to suffer for Christ when He asked them, "Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink?" and they replied, "Oh yes, we are able!" (Matt 20:22). Peter and John were the first to be threatened not to preach in Jesus' name, to which they responded, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard." (Acts 4: 17-22).  James was the first apostle to die for the faith (Acts 12:1-2). John was the last apostle to die for the faith, after he wrote the book of Revelation as instructed by the voice of God that sounded like a trumpet blast (Rev. 1:10-11). James and John were bold and zealous in their sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ and it was their heart's desire to see men's souls saved.  It is the desire of this group to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the same boldness and zeal of James and John, and to see God save the souls of men everywhere.