Ed Cole has been called the Father of the Christian Men’s movement in the US. Born in Dallas, Texas, Edwin Louis Cole didn’t stay long in Big D. His mother moved him to LA when he was just four years old after a doctor told her Ed would not survive without the sea air and sun to heal a severe case of scarlet fever.

In Los Angeles, Ed grew up in and around the Angelus Temple. During the depression his life centered around the church and on Skid Row where he played a trumpet with street corner witnessing teams.

While serving in World War II, Ed met and married a fellow member of the Coast Guard, Nancy Corbett of Brookline, Massachusetts. Ed’s mother steadfastly prayed for her son’s and his new wife’s dedication to Christ. Ed Cole returned to the faith of his mother, then led his bride into the Kingdom as well, and immediately returned to his roots in street witnessing, leading dozens of Marines stationed nearby to Christ.

Within two years of his conversion, Ed accepted the pastorate of a church in the mountains of Northern California. Ten years later, Ed became the first full-time district men’s minister for a major denomination.

After two decades of pastoring, evangelizing, missionary travels and a career in Christian television, Ed was ready for a new calling. It came in February 1980, at a men’s retreat in the mountains of Oregon, where God impressed on Ed Cole’s heart a conviction that men were wasting themselves in selfish pursuits rather than pursuing the things of God. Ed knew he was influence men in the direction of personal repentance and renewal.

Ed began to hold rallies and speak at conferences. His first event drew only 38 men, but a Christian men’s movement was nonetheless started. Four years later, 7,800 men attended the first National Christian Men’s Event in the US. It was Ed’s focus on men and passion to for seeing Godly men take their place in the church that sparked a movement.

By September 1984, Ed was committed to fulltime ministry with and to men. Through his books, tapes and videos, and conference presentations, Ed reached thousands of men worldwide, challenging them to fulfill their potential for Christ-like manhood. His books eventually sold millions, including the landmark Maximized Manhood.

Ed took the ministry back to the Dallas metro area in 1993, where he and Nancy spent their last ten years of life in ministry, surrounded by children and grandchildren.

Ed loved and encouraged men. His writing and his talks to men were challenging and very practical. Listen to a few of his pithy insights – what have become know as “Coleisms:”
About wives:

When your wife whispers, “Do you love me?” the correct answer is, “Is the sky blue, is water wet, are mountains high? That’s how much I love you!”

God, and women, desire men who have consistency, decisiveness and strength.

When a man acts like a child, it forces his wife to act like his mother.

Concerning kids:

A broken promise to a child, is the same as a lie.

Children may not always listen to you, but they will always imitate you.

A man must first talk to God about his children before talking to his children about God.

About finishing well:

A man who lives on a level below what God intended is a slave to desires he doesn’t like, is ruled by spirits that hate him, and is destined to be lost to the presence of God for eternity.

Every man is limited by three things in life: The knowledge in his mind, the worth of his character, the principles upon which he is building his life.

The men of 2007 honor Ed Cole for his devotion to God, his commitment to raising the standard of Biblical manhood, and his passion to see men become better than they are.

Stand in the Gap 2007
Washington, D.C.
October 6, 2007