Member Spotlight: Scott MacNaughton, Fathers in the Field

Scott MacNaughton loves the outdoors, but he loves Jesus even more and wants to share both with young men in an effort to disciple them.

Scott is co-founder with John Smithbaker of Fathers in the Field, a ministry that helps churches to help men be mentors of boys who don’t have a father in their home. The two Wyoming men get their walking papers from James 1:27:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (ESV).

The two have created a curriculum that churches can use to create their own local Fathers in the Field program. The focus is on men who have a passion for the outdoors in some form, whether it be hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, camping, all of the above or more, and want to share it with a boy between the ages of 7 and 17 who doesn’t live with his father.

Another part of the program commits the mentoring father to having at least four contacts with the boy per month, including bringing him to church at least twice a month. They also are expected to spend time together planning a “year-end adventure” and discussing spiritual matters.

“Our dream is to be there for that boy all the way through grade school, high school, graduation—as long as they’re willing and as long as the man is available,” Scott says.

Scott MacNaughton is featured in the Member Spotlight of the June 2011 Christian Health Care Newsletter. If you’d like to receive a PDF of the article or entire newsletter, send an e-mail to mikemiller(at)smchcn.net.