Marcus Meneese: Helping End the Fatherless Cycle

HARD COLD STATISTICS

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING!

“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I; here am I; send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8)

Marcus Meneese stepped up.

As Executive Director of Stronger Than My Father, Inc., a Christian 501(c)(3) organization, Meneese deals with hard cold statistics. He pronounces fatherless homes the “silent pandemic nobody wants to talk about.” As a young man, he began asking “why don’t churches bring this up and do something about it?” The mission of his organization is to educate, inspire, and transform today’s youth to fulfill their God-given purpose (the lack of which is another pandemic few in society choose to talk about). Meneese has actively worked as a youth mentor for 20 years. He believes his God-given purpose is to coach, teach, and develop youth to become responsible adults and good parents, preparing them to become stronger than their fathers.

In the same vein, Dr. Ben Carson attributes “fatherlessness [as] a key indicator of a variety of life outcomes; fatherless children perform worse by nearly every measurable metric . . . another glaring factor in the chaos taking over our streets is our country’s drift from faith itself. . ..  Without faith, humanity easily drifts astray and falls prey to any negative influences and ideologies that present themselves. Added to that is the breakdown of political decisions and accountability . . .  A rebuilding of the American family structure, a return to faith as a fundamental cornerstone of society, and a vigorous commitment to the rule of law in our cities help provide solutions to these problems.” Indeed, the role Marcus Meneese has in Stronger than My Father—helping end the cycle of fatherlessness—iscrucial to our society’s survival.

MOTIVATION

Growing up in a two-parent home rooted in church was just plain normal for Meneese. However, eventually came the realization his normal wasn’t normal at all for many children. Meneese realized he grew up with huge opportunities simply because he had two parents and church in his life. He began to see how un-normal such advantage is. Daily, he sees many young kids growing up without a father, and some not even knowing who their father is.

One major advantage during his childhood and into adulthood was working side by side with his father who challenged him and his brothers to be both ethical and hard working. In everyday life his father modeled taking care of the family, showing up on time, looking presentable, being polite in conversation with “yes, ma’am and yes, sir,” staying with the task until it was done well, shouldering the ups and downs, making sure their home was a home of peace, and communicating throughout the process—basically, serving home and clients from a godly perspective.

Meneese says “I never saw my dad disrespect my mom. I never saw abuse or drunkenness in our home. My dad’s dad was the same way—generational traits. My boys see that cycle in our home, but the boys I work with don’t have that view of family or the world. They don’t know what it means or looks like to treat a woman right. God put in every child the desire to have a father, and when that element is taken out, we have current pandemic fatherless situations. The only way I know how to be a good father is because of my father and his father. That’s what I want to give the boys I work with. I want to help them break the cycle of fatherlessness. As one young man recently said on one of my podcasts, fatherless children watch when you don’t know they’re watching.” Family done God’s way is a beautiful cycle.

Integrity. Hard work. Respect. A strong work ethic. Accomplished together, side by side with father and mother—irreplaceable life lessons. During these times, Meneese’s father spoke and demonstrated, “how to treat [their] mom and other women with respect and how to build a responsible family.” Meneese saw that in action every day even when disruptive family “stuff” happened.

After college and many work applications and many closed doors, Meneese finally got around to listening to God. To understanding better how to put into practice those psychology and organizational leadership degrees he had earned—to knowing his God-given purpose. That “renewing of [his] mind” brought his inner unction into alignment with God’s purpose for him. So was born Stronger Than My Father for multitudes of fatherless lives.

Meneese and his wife LaToya, parents of two sons, reside in Antioch, Tennessee. Marcus is a Nashville native, graduated from Whites Creek High School, earned his B.S. degree in Psychology from Tennessee State University, and an M.S. degree in Organizational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

The Meneeses’15- and 8-year-old sons are part of mentoring sessions with their father and painting-and-lunch mentoring classes with their mom, working alongside their parents. LaToya helps with mentoring the moms who call her when challenges come up. Marcus and LaToya don’t want their sons growing up feeling excluded from their parents’ lives because of work obligations. They don’t want their boys to ever need to say, “You spend time with everybody else but not with us.” Their boys, as well as other people’s boys, are the goal of breaking the fatherless cycle.

STRONGER SONS

Stronger Sons Mentoring Program focuses on personal responsibility, dream building, and the importance of nutrition and physical fitness. In addition, young men in this program are surrounded by carefully selected male role models who are outstanding community leaders. Meneese meets and works with these future mentors and guides them through a “training process where [he] observes how they interact with the children. These mentors exhibit and meet the core values established for Stronger Than My Father. In mentoring fragile children, these core values are essential.”

MOMS WITH PURPOSE

Moms with Purpose: Stronger Sons Mentorship Program Support Group provides mothers with tools, resources, and community support necessary to nurture and mentor their young men. The goals include (1) equipping mothers with knowledge and tools to effectively guide their sons through various life stages; (2) creating a strong, supportive network of mothers who can rely on each other for advice and encouragement; (3) encouraging personal growth for both mothers and their sons through continuous learning and development.

Program components include educational workshops, parenting skills, effective communication, discipline strategies, fostering independence, life skills, financial literacy, career planning, and personal development. Occasionally, educators, psychologists, and community leaders serve as guest speakers. Participating moms have access to a comprehensive collection of books, articles, and online materials focused on parenting and mentorship. Moms train in effective mentorship techniques and community service projects, ensuring they can provide guidance that is both compassionate and constructive and fosters a sense of responsibility and community engagement.

CORE VALUES

Integrity—The mentoring program teaches mentees that being a real man means being honest, reliable, and accountable. Mentees learn that their personal integrity shapes their identity and how they are perceived in the world.

Responsibility—Mentees learn to take full responsibility for their actions and choices. They learn the importance of following through on commitments and taking responsibility for their decisions.

Self-awareness—Mentees learn to control their emotions and accept responsibility for their decisions, actions, and consequences.

Emotional Expressions—Mentees learn vital concepts in coping skills and identifying triggers and techniques to control anger to reduce negative consequences in conflicts with parents, teachers, and school suspensions.

The Man They Want to Be—Mentees are guided to envision their desired future selves and with the support of the program, they can create a roadmap from their current state to their desired destination while being held accountable for their progress along the way.

Meneese also recognizes the changing perspectives from “everybody has to go to college to be successful” to seeing such choices as “entrepreneurs and trades, using skills in personal gifting to bless the world.”

YOUTH: ENTREPRENEURSHIP

To empower tomorrow’s leaders, Meneese endeavors to meet the changing needs of today’s youth with skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving job market: practical, hands-on experience in the world of business—bypassing the conventional college route if they choose—financial literacy; business planning; marketing; and leadership through viable business ventures. The program includes training sessions focused on public speaking, teamwork, and professional etiquette. The original mission remains the same: empowering youth to reach their fullest potential, becoming responsible leaders of tomorrow, and ending the fatherless cycle.

FIXING EVERY PROBLEM?

Meneese ponders: “Can we fix every problem? Absolutely not, but what we can do is give boys tools and skills to use in life decisions, in how to take care of a family. A vital part of that for me is teaching Sunday school ever since my mom gave me a book and asked me to read it and then tell others what I learned.” Meneese knows how vital it is to hear from God and quotes Tony Evans, “when you go outside of that, you’re putting other people ahead of God.”

​FATHERHOOD IS 365

“Fatherhood is 365—an everyday job,” emphasizes Meneese. Seeing the lack of that input in so many lives, Meneese began a podcast to address relevant issues. The goal? Always to help youth reach their God-given purpose. He shares his life experiences and knowledge to help others think about how to live out their dreams using God’s gifts.

Who will go for Us into the silent pandemic nobody wants to talk about?

“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I; here am I; send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8)

Marcus Meneese stepped up, but he can’t do it all. As the statistics attest, the needs are tremendous. The resources are few.

Can you help? Will you help? How will you help? When will you help? Somebody needs to do something.