Character is easier to address with words than it is with a systematic, intentional, development plan, but it is possible to provide opportunities for character to develop within the programming ministry of the church.

One method is to weave character teaching and accountability into the small group ministry. I know at least one church that uses a character component in all men's weekly small group meetings. A character issue is related to each week's Bible study, and the men are accountable to each other for punctuality, honesty, health, sexual conduct, and transparency in conduct. By design, the church separated these from the spiritual disciplines, believing that the character issues would be neglected if included in the spiritual disciplines category.

In the church I serve, I write a blog dedicated to the subject of character development in adults. We began this blog after realizing that almost all character development material is designed for children, high school youth, or college ...