Mentoring

Mentoring is intentional, individualized

Teaching

Guiding

Coaching

with the goal of preparing spiritual leaders for the body of Christ.

One of the ministries we provide at Christview Ministries is mentoring. Mentoring is intentional, individualized teaching, guiding, and coaching. This definition indicates several models for how we mentor.

An Example of Teaching/Mentoring

When a Christian has certain things he or she wants to learn, the mentoring is a combination of tutoring and practical application. We had just moved into the Christview Ministries Center in mid-November. During Thanksgiving weekend, John was in an art gallery in downtown Eureka Springs, talking with the artist. She asked what brought us to the area. John explained that we were starting a ministry to help train spiritual leaders for the body of Christ. Her eyes got wide and she pulled John aside, saying, “We need to talk.”

She explained that she is an awakening Christian and wants to know more about who Jesus is and more about the Bible. Later, we found out that, not long before meeting John, the artist had talked with her sister in California about her need to know more to grow in faith. Her sister said that in California they have mentors who can work with people individually. The artist replied, “That’s fine for you, but you live in California and I live in the outskirts of Beaver, Arkansas!”

“And then you walk in the door and say that you have moved here to mentor people!” the artist said to John. “I think I’m looking at an answered prayer. With my learning style, I have trouble learning in traditional classes. I need an individualized approach.”

John and the artist meet once a week for several-hour sessions. John has just completed guiding her in a study of the entire Gospel of Mark. They read short portions of the text and discuss what the text means. She can raise her questions and try out her new understandings. Her insights are fresh and stunning. They also talk about how the text applies to her life. She is so excited about what she is learning! When people come into her gallery, she often says something like, “I’m studying the Gospel of Mark, and Jesus is so amazing!”

John’s method in teaching/mentoring is to help students learn both content and interpretive skills that they need; he also helps them in their reflecting on and applying texts. John prepares for each session by carefully studying the assigned passages and preparing study notes that he Emails to the student. He uses a variety of study methods in order to help the student practice them. But much learning really happens as the student begins to express her understandings and John draws in his general knowledge to show how her insights relate to other passages of scripture.

An Example of Guiding/Mentoring

I (Judy) was blessed for a number of years while living in Indianapolis to meet monthly with a spiritual director. He mostly listened to where I was with God, and sometimes made suggestions for how God was at work in my situation. After I’d talked about some area of struggle (and I usually had one), he would point out what a great grace I’d been given in the midst of that struggle. And I would be reminded of God’s love for me and God’s faithfulness. It was a gift to have someone who had walked closely with the Lord for many years to walk with me. I not only looked forward to that hour, but it also gave me accountability. It was an added incentive to spend time in prayer and to journal. Before going to my spiritual direction appointment, I reviewed the journal for the month to get a sense of how my life in God was going.

When we started Christview, I felt called by God to offer to others this kind of mentoring I had received. Through visiting a congregation in a nearby town, I met a woman in mid-life who believes that God has more for her to be and do than she has yet discovered. She believes she is at a crossroads of some kind, and is waiting for God to show her the next steps. She was looking for some kind of mentoring. I offered to serve as a spiritual friend/guide. She meets with me once a month. I ask her questions like, “When have you been most aware of God’s presence this month?” “When has it seemed that God was absent?” “When have you felt the most joy in serving God?”

My friend is gifted in working with children and has worked with children for years. “I really love children. I don’t know why I feel so tired,” my friend told me when we met several months ago. When offering the ministry of guiding/ mentoring, I practice “2-track listening”. I seek to be attentive to what the person is saying, and also to what God might be saying. As I prayed in my spirit while listening to my friend, I heard the word, “Rest.” I got a tablet and pen and said to her, “Let’s list all the things you are doing with children.” The list was long and involved daily responsibilities. “What if we could wave a magic wand and remove all these responsibilities?” I asked. I turned to a blank sheet of paper. “This blank sheet represents the next 3 months. What do you really want to put on this sheet? Not what you think you ‘should’ do, but what you really ‘want’ to do. She said, “I would pray and create resources for other teachers. That’s all.” “Could God be inviting you to a season of prayer and rest?” I asked. Tears of relief came to her eyes. “Oh, that would be wonderful!” she exclaimed.

“Obstacles” was the word that came to my spirit. “What would keep you from accepting God’s invitation?” I asked. We explored the obstacles, and she saw her way through them. She looked so much lighter when she left. She is really looking forward to some time with God. We will continue meeting monthly through the summer.

The Guiding/Mentoring model focuses on the person’s relationship with God. It provides enough accountability to encourage us to be faithful in our spiritual practices. The spiritual friend helps us be more aware of how God is at work in our lives, what God may be inviting us toward. The guiding mentor can give us support as we take that next step.

An Example of Coaching/Mentoring

The coaching model of mentoring involves a more experienced person doing ministry with a less experienced person. John and I are coaching a man who is already serving as a spiritual leader in his congregation. His life was radically changed several years ago when he asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior and Lord. He was freed from alcohol addiction and chaotic living. God spoke to him in some personal and powerful ways. He became an enthusiastic follower of Jesus Christ, spending much time in reading the scriptures and sharing Christ with everyone around him. Now he is preaching several times a month and is one of the leaders of his church. But he feels unprepared for spiritual leadership, so he came to Christview seeking training.

We meet once a week, and we focus on the ministry issue the leader brings. He wants to know how to prepare better sermons. We help him with Bible study skills. We share with him our own process of sermon preparation. He selects a text and lists his insights. He also lists insights from commentaries he has read. Then we work together on an outline. John and I are in the congregation as he delivers his sermon. The next week when we meet, we talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the sermon. The leader offers his evaluation first, then we offer suggestions.

At Christview, our model for coaching is coming alongside of one who is already engaged in serving Christ, providing “on the job” training. Instead of starting with a curriculum of material that the inexperienced leader needs to know, we start with the challenges and issues he is facing. We help him articulate his goals and accomplish them. We teach him how to use tools, such as Bible reference materials. We share from our experience, but we encourage him to develop the methods that work for him and to find his “own voice” in preaching. Yet we also provide evaluation other than his own to help him continually develop as a preacher. As his leadership develops into other areas of ministry, we will work together on those areas.

Helpful Questions for Mentors

Teaching

What knowledge does this person need to have in order to serve Christ more effectively?
What is the person’s learning style?
What can I affirm in what the person already knows?
What additional perspectives and insight can we add to what the person already knows?

Guiding

How is God at work in this person’s life?
What is God inviting this person toward?
How can he/she make a faithful response and take the next step?

Coaching

What is the one issue the inexperienced leader wants to work on during this session? What is his/her goal?
What skills and resources do I as coach have to offer?
How can I help him/her avoid some pitfalls yet also help him/her learn from mistakes?
What have I learned in my life in ministry that is relevant to the challenges this inexperienced leader is facing? How can I share from my experience yet leave him/her free to develop as God leads?
What does God want to bring forth in this person’s life, and how does God want to use me as a coach in this process?

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