[Tony Evans is pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and author of a number of books. He has become well known recently for his involvement with Promise Keepers, a movement which calls men to renewed spiritual leadership in their homes.]

Preaching: You have spoken for several Promise Keepers events and been involved with the renewal movement for Christian men. Within the pastoral setting, is it important for preachers to focus their attention on preaching to men and their specific needs?

Evans: There definitely is a need. As I understand the word of God and God's hierarchy, God calls men to take a lead role in a number of areas. One is certainly in our homes, just to set a spiritual pace with the family and then in our churches. That certainly is not to negate the significant and critical world of ladies but it is to recognize that God has called men to this responsibility. That means that men must understand the relevance of the scripture to them and their responsibility. So I think the pulpit has to address that and not to skirt it, skip it or ignore it.

Preaching: Are there some particular areas in your own preaching in which you are putting greater emphasis on the needs of men?

Evans: Yes, first of all I call on men to take responsibility for their own families. Because as the foundation, the institution, as the family goes so goes civilization. Plato was right on this one, and that is the life of the nation is the life of the family writ large. And so, as a result, men must own that, and we must convince a man his own happiness is not the first issue. The first issue is guarding the future through strong families. So we press that with not only our own family but with the men in our church and across the country. And I think Promise Keepers epitomizes that. Then calling on men to stop sitting on the sidelines of the church and to get involved -- using gifts, skills and talents for the Kingdom and not only for themselves. And then to represent Christ in the marketplace. That kind of fundamental value -- if we get men active we'd be in a lot better shape.

Preaching: Are there other cultural issues that preachers need to address over the next several years?

Evans: Well I think the issue of race is a dominant issue. The mere fact that the White House has made it a watershed issue says that this issue of taking responsibility for racial harmony through the church -- rather than waiting to find out what 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is going to do -- is a critical issue. It is a massive issue that we are going to face as we reach the 21st century and as we watch the browning of America.

Preaching: What are some things specifically within the work of the preacher that can be done to address that issue?

Evans: Well, first of all you're going to have to use the pulpit more strategically to deal with this sin, as you do with other sins. Secondly, he's got to create sermonically and programmatically illustrations of his point where they reach out to people who are unlike the mass of people in his congregation. Where there's a great sense of welcome, where they partner with other churches of like faith, but which are different culturally and racially, for impact strategies. It starts with the pulpit, because the priority of the pulpit comes to be the priority of the pew.