Mentoring Matters

"And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well" (2 Timothy 2:2). "Likewise, tell the older women to . . . encourage the young women" (Titus 2:3-4). It has always been God's plan of leadership development to connect people with others from whom they can learn by word and example. Joshua was trained to lead the people of Israel by serving as a personal assistant to Moses. Elijah invited Elisha into a relationship that led to an extension of his prophetic ministry into the next generation. Jesus called twelve men to follow him, and for a period of three years, they were formed into his disciples as they observed Him in all the joys and demands of everyday life. In each of these biblical examples, emerging leaders were formed by the personal relationships they enjoyed with their mentor. Recently I received a quarterly newsletter from Scott, my financial advisor. The focus of this communication was not the state of the market or any investment advice. Instead, he shared stories about his family and his office staff, and he also told about another aspect of his work that I had not known before. He said that his firm "is a unique company in that we foster a culture of volunteerism," which is expressed through mentoring relationships. Scott continued: "Just as I received a tremendous amount of support during the early stages of my career, I have recently been asked to take a more active role in training some of our new advisors. This has resulted in volunteering many days and weeks to training the future of [our company]. Most notably, for a six month period, I am working closely with a new financial advisor in West Michigan to ensure that they are up to speed with how to grow and operate a successful branch office. In addition to this support, I am committed to spending three separate weeks in our home office to serve as a 'visiting veteran' . . . with thirteen new financial advisors from all over the country . . . " It is apparent that Scott does this, not grudgingly or out of obligation, but cheerfully, because he enjoys helping these new advisors as he was helped by others earlier in his career. He observes that "by serving in these volunteer roles, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be with [this company] and to work with you all on a daily basis." How interesting that the value of mentoring is so widely recognized! In our work with Commissioned Pastor candidates, we have also become convinced as to how crucial these kinds of relationships are. We believe that a well-designed training plan and top-notch courses contribute in important ways to the development of people as leaders in Christian ministry. We are also convinced, however, that the personal investment made in each life by one's mentor is equally important. God uses mentors today, as He did in biblical times, to form and transform people to become the leaders He has designed them to be. Current and past Commissioned Pastor candidates have been blessed by the willing service of several dozen pastors and other Christian leaders who have served as mentors. These mentors have also experienced blessing as they are reminded of how privileged they are to have the opportunity to serve God as leaders in their faith communities. If you are interested in learning more about our guidelines for mentoring or mentoring a lay leader in your church, please reply to this email. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.   This article was written by Mark Veldt, Ph.D. He is a Leadership Development Specialist with Church Leadership Center and may be contacted at veldtmark@gmail.com