The Heart of Mentoring
The Heart of Mentoring
by: David McPherson II
From the beginning…
For me, the heart of mentoring begins in creation. In the beginning, God created mankind (men and women) in his image. God’s image, or identity, exists as relationship – Trinity. The goal of creation was not to make a subservient world that would pay homage to God. Instead, the goal was for man to thrive in community, interacting with others and with God. As one reads the creation account, it is interesting to note that Adam was hungry for relationships with others like him as well as with God. God’s response to Adam’s complaint demonstrates a passion for community. In Genesis 2:18, we read God proclaiming that it is not good for man to be alone. God caused the man, Adam, to fall asleep so that he could create another human to walk with him. As we continue to read the narrative, we begin to realize that there is a dynamic at play from the inception of the universe where humanity longs for community. The creator not only reinforces this longing, but encourages it through further creation.
I think this is because God himself exists as community. God is such a relational being that He desires for creation to enjoy relational community. God is such a relational being that He invites others to participate and enter into the community He shares within the Trinity. When sin entered the world, it created a barrier to community. Sin, at its core, threatens community. Sin forces persons into isolation and hiding. Sin cannot have a home in community, though. If people are genuinely concerned about the needs of others, they cannot allow sin to prevail.
Through Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, we are given an opportunity to re-enter into community with God.
What does this mean for us? If God exists as community and calls us to live within community, how can that play out in our lives? How can we foster community and spread the gospel?
Small groups play a large role in fostering community. As churches continue to grow and mega churches become the normal face of evangelical Christianity in the United States, people have to find community through small groups. Connecting and growing with ten to twelve other people is crucial to living in the Kingdom.
Jesus understood this concept well. It may be all to cliché to point to his discipleship team: twelve men that he poured his life into. It is interesting to note that Christ’s disciples went out and taught others just as He did after He died. John, Peter, Matthew, and others arguably started communities where they too poured into the lives of others.
How does this fit into Mentoring?
This is all great and dandy, you might be thinking. But what does this have to do with mentoring and discipleship ministry? I’m glad you asked…
The ultimate goal of mentoring is helping to transform ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ. Whether this comes in the context of small groups or one on one mentoring, our goal is to help transform people to become better followers of Jesus.
What does mentoring look like? It can look as elaborate or as simple as you choose to make it. Mentoring could be meeting with someone two hours a week over coffee or once a month. Whatever your involvement, I would encourage you to start with something simple. As I look back and reflect on some of the formative times in my life, I remember people coming along side of me as friends. I did not recognize any formal mentoring process at the time, but can look back and see how much of an impact my friends made in my life.
Years ago, I had a friend who invited me to have breakfast with him one Saturday morning. It was a simple, plain breakfast. I think we had runny scrambled eggs and poorly cooked bacon. But we spent time looking over the Bible together. We started reading through the gospel of Luke. I went another Saturday, missed a Saturday, went again, missed a couple of times, and so on. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was getting something out our times together. Eventually, I got it. My friend was really mentoring me. I’d never thought of it through that lens before.
Mentoring can and will naturally happen as you grow in community with others. There are times where it might be more difficult to walk along side of someone who doesn’t recognize what you are trying to do. There may even be times when you will have to walk through a more formalized process.
Maybe all you have time for is to meet with someone once a month. That’s ok. Pray about who God would have you mentor and what mentoring with that person should look like. Maybe you can get together with that person over coffee or lunch once a month, and just find out how things are going. Maybe you can agree to read through John together and talk about it when you meet. Maybe all you will do is talk about life. There is no formula to mentoring. The goal is simply to connect with others and challenge them in both big and small ways to grow closer to the Lord.
Interested in Mentoring Ministry? Contact Dave McPherson (dave@vcfnp.com).
by: David McPherson II
From the beginning…
For me, the heart of mentoring begins in creation. In the beginning, God created mankind (men and women) in his image. God’s image, or identity, exists as relationship – Trinity. The goal of creation was not to make a subservient world that would pay homage to God. Instead, the goal was for man to thrive in community, interacting with others and with God. As one reads the creation account, it is interesting to note that Adam was hungry for relationships with others like him as well as with God. God’s response to Adam’s complaint demonstrates a passion for community. In Genesis 2:18, we read God proclaiming that it is not good for man to be alone. God caused the man, Adam, to fall asleep so that he could create another human to walk with him. As we continue to read the narrative, we begin to realize that there is a dynamic at play from the inception of the universe where humanity longs for community. The creator not only reinforces this longing, but encourages it through further creation.
I think this is because God himself exists as community. God is such a relational being that He desires for creation to enjoy relational community. God is such a relational being that He invites others to participate and enter into the community He shares within the Trinity. When sin entered the world, it created a barrier to community. Sin, at its core, threatens community. Sin forces persons into isolation and hiding. Sin cannot have a home in community, though. If people are genuinely concerned about the needs of others, they cannot allow sin to prevail.
Through Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, we are given an opportunity to re-enter into community with God.
What does this mean for us? If God exists as community and calls us to live within community, how can that play out in our lives? How can we foster community and spread the gospel?
Small groups play a large role in fostering community. As churches continue to grow and mega churches become the normal face of evangelical Christianity in the United States, people have to find community through small groups. Connecting and growing with ten to twelve other people is crucial to living in the Kingdom.
Jesus understood this concept well. It may be all to cliché to point to his discipleship team: twelve men that he poured his life into. It is interesting to note that Christ’s disciples went out and taught others just as He did after He died. John, Peter, Matthew, and others arguably started communities where they too poured into the lives of others.
How does this fit into Mentoring?
This is all great and dandy, you might be thinking. But what does this have to do with mentoring and discipleship ministry? I’m glad you asked…
The ultimate goal of mentoring is helping to transform ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ. Whether this comes in the context of small groups or one on one mentoring, our goal is to help transform people to become better followers of Jesus.
What does mentoring look like? It can look as elaborate or as simple as you choose to make it. Mentoring could be meeting with someone two hours a week over coffee or once a month. Whatever your involvement, I would encourage you to start with something simple. As I look back and reflect on some of the formative times in my life, I remember people coming along side of me as friends. I did not recognize any formal mentoring process at the time, but can look back and see how much of an impact my friends made in my life.
Years ago, I had a friend who invited me to have breakfast with him one Saturday morning. It was a simple, plain breakfast. I think we had runny scrambled eggs and poorly cooked bacon. But we spent time looking over the Bible together. We started reading through the gospel of Luke. I went another Saturday, missed a Saturday, went again, missed a couple of times, and so on. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was getting something out our times together. Eventually, I got it. My friend was really mentoring me. I’d never thought of it through that lens before.
Mentoring can and will naturally happen as you grow in community with others. There are times where it might be more difficult to walk along side of someone who doesn’t recognize what you are trying to do. There may even be times when you will have to walk through a more formalized process.
Maybe all you have time for is to meet with someone once a month. That’s ok. Pray about who God would have you mentor and what mentoring with that person should look like. Maybe you can get together with that person over coffee or lunch once a month, and just find out how things are going. Maybe you can agree to read through John together and talk about it when you meet. Maybe all you will do is talk about life. There is no formula to mentoring. The goal is simply to connect with others and challenge them in both big and small ways to grow closer to the Lord.
Interested in Mentoring Ministry? Contact Dave McPherson (dave@vcfnp.com).
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