Matt Wright, a pastor at Manawaru Bible Chapel, notes that “Every church contains rich veins of wisdom, experience and faithfulness, but we must be willing to dig for them. We need to create opportunities for men of different generations to gather, listen and learn from one another.”
To help bring this gold to the surface, Matt facilitates Breaky, Books and Bikes (BBB). Once a month, men from the church and wider community gather for a cooked breakfast, Bible study and fellowship, before heading out on their bikes for a ride together. BBB intentionally combines three environments where men often learn best: shared activity, shared meals and honest conversation around a table.
This ministry is shaped by the picture Paul gives in Titus 2:1–8, where older and younger men are encouraged to grow together in godly character. Church pews are filled with older men who have walked with the Lord through many seasons of life, alongside younger men who need to hear what they have learned. BBB creates space for this cross generational discipleship to happen—not through preaching from a pulpit, but through shared life, honest questions and careful listening.
After breakfast, the group moves into study time. They are currently working through R. Kent Hughes’ book Disciplines of a Godly Man, taking one chapter each month and exploring how Scripture informs what they’ve learned. These conversations often become so rich that the bikes never leave the shed—especially during the colder months when riding is less appealing!
Matt notes how encouraging it has been to see younger and older men sharing openly with one another. At times, a younger man will respond to something an older man has shared by saying, “Ah, I can’t believe he struggles with this issue as well.”
For Matt personally, BBB has been hugely valuable. He writes that he has learned he is not alone in his struggles, but is surrounded by “a brotherhood of imperfect men who love Jesus.” Spending time with these men has blessed and encouraged him, helping him grow in his relationship with God.
