Your church is home.Your brothers areacross the city.
EcuNet brings the men's groups of Dallas–Fort Worth together: two gatherings a month, every Protestant tradition, no one asked to leave his church. Your group joins free.
Faithful men, a few miles apart, who have never met.
Every week across DFW, men open their Bibles together. A Baptist study in Frisco. A Presbyterian breakfast in Park Cities. A Methodist group in Fort Worth. Good men doing the slow work of discipleship, who almost never cross paths.
We agree on what matters most: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his divinity, one God in three Persons, and the moral teaching of Scripture. We differ on worship style, on how our churches are governed, on secondary questions. Those differences deserve respect. They should not keep brothers strangers.
EcuNet is not a new church and will never ask you to leave yours. It is the network between the groups that already exist. Your group keeps its name, its leaders and its home congregation. EcuNet plans and hosts the gatherings where you meet the others: a debate, a league, an evening with cigars and hymns, a service project too big for one group. You carry the friendships back to your Tuesday morning study, and the group chat keeps them going in between.
We will not
- Blend churches into a new denomination
- Ask any church to soften its convictions
- Ask any man to set aside his tradition's distinctives
We will
- Honor each church's traditions as they are
- Gather men around the essentials we share
- Build unity through friendship, not paperwork
Four kinds of gatherings.
Every month has two: one for fellowship, one for formation or service. Some are network-wide. Some pair two or three churches. All of them are open to every member group, and to men who do not have a group yet.
Debates
Moderated, charitable debates on Scripture, theology and culture. Learn to reason for your tradition and hear the best case for your brother's. Every debate ends with a few encouraging words about the other side.
Church-vs-church sports
Softball, flag football, basketball and golf. Leagues and tournaments where teammates and rivals become friends.
Evenings together
Cigar nights, banquets and luncheons: conversation, hymns and prayer, and time to hear each other's stories.
Joint ministry
Home-repair builds, food drives, outreach and mentoring. Work too big for one group, carried by several.
What a year looks like.
A sample first year. Dates and venues get set with the member groups, and announced in the network chat and on social.
January
Cigar night
Kickoff debate
February
Basketball tourney
Food-bank service day
March
Cigar night
Apologetics debate
April
Softball league opens
Easter outreach
May
Softball league
Home-repair build
June
Golf scramble
Business luncheon
July
Cigar night
Faith & liberty debate
August
Flag football opens
Back-to-school drive
September
Flag football league
Mentoring kickoff
October
Flag football finals
Theology debate
November
Thanksgiving cigar night
Thanksgiving food drive
December
Christmas banquet
Christmas outreach
Between gatherings, every member is in the network group chats for prayer requests, event details and the everyday encouragement that holds a brotherhood together. Debate clips, game highlights and testimonies go out on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Bring your group. It costs nothing.
Any existing men's group or Bible study in a DFW church that affirms the essentials can join. You keep your identity, your leaders and your home church. EcuNet handles venues, logistics and the invitations.
- 1
Tell us about your group
Your church, roughly how many men, when you meet. One email is enough; Patrick will call you back.
- 2
Get added to the network
Your group goes on the roster and your men get the network chat and the calendar.
- 3
Show up
Come to the next gathering. Bring your brothers. Meet theirs.
The first gatherings start when the first groups are in. Founding groups shape the calendar: which nights, which sports, which debates.
- The essentials we share
- Every member group affirms a common, orthodox statement of faith rooted in Scripture: the Gospel, the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, and the Bible's moral teaching.
- Led by the groups
- EcuNet is governed by a volunteer board of ambassadors drawn from the member groups and their churches.
- Pastors welcome
- If your pastor has questions about what EcuNet is and is not, Patrick is glad to meet him first.
Straight answers.
Is EcuNet a church?
No. It is the network between men's groups that already exist in their own churches. Nobody is asked to change membership, and EcuNet holds no services.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Groups join free and gatherings are free to attend. EcuNet covers venues, equipment and food.
Which churches are in?
EcuNet is Protestant by design and gathers around the essentials: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his divinity, one God in three Persons, and the Bible's moral teaching. Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, non-denominational and the rest are brothers here. Differences in worship and polity stay differences; they are not a bar to the table.
Do I have to debate?
No. Come to the gatherings you want. Softball and cigar nights count just as much, and the debates are better with a full room of listeners anyway.
I'm not in a men's group.
Come anyway. Gatherings are open, and Patrick will connect you with a group near you that meets when you can.
Who runs it?
Patrick Thornhill founded EcuNet. It is governed by a volunteer board of ambassadors drawn from the member groups and their churches, not by any one congregation. Pastors with questions are welcome to meet Patrick first.
Keep it free for every man.
No man ever pays to show up. Venues, fields, food and the work of running two gatherings a month are covered by the men who want this to exist. If that is you, pick an amount.
EcuNet's nonprofit status is in formation. Gifts are not yet tax-deductible; we will say so plainly the day that changes.
Online giving opens as soon as the account is connected. Until then: text Patrick and he will tell you how to give by check or transfer.
Thinking bigger? Founding partners and event sponsors talk to Patrick directly: Patrick@Ecunet.org.
Start with a conversation.
Patrick Thornhill is building EcuNet and would rather talk than send a flyer. Write or call about your group, your church, or just to find out when the next gathering is.