Mentoring
I recently went to a workshop on Christian mentoring. There
was so much good information, and thought maybe some of you may be interested
in it.
Jesus didn’t mentor everyone. He picked three to be closest
to. He of course was close to all 12, but picked three for the closest
mentoring relationship.
When you are mentoring remember this:
M-modeling
E- encouraging
N- nurturing
T- transparency
O- opportunities
R- relationship
M- Modeling is the most powerful form of learning.
What you do impacts people more than what you say.
E-encouraging, find things that you appreciate about
the person you are mentoring, and tell them.
N-nurturing Look inside them for the person they long
to be. Ask lots of questions to figure this out. Jesus used 288 questions.
Questions are good. Ask lots of questions. One might be: What would you like
your life to look like 10 years from now? Recognize that there are no two
people alike. What worked in a past
mentoring relationship may not work in the current one. Be a good listener.
More listening and asking questions than speaking.
T- Transparency, tell them up front that you do not
have all the answers. Give what you have to give. Be who God has made you to
be. Be approachable and available. Be loyal. Be open. Be more willing to be
John the Baptist and point them to Jesus, and less willing to be their Jesus.
O-Opportunities, look around and quit making excuses
as to why you can’t mentor someone. If you had a bad experience in the past it
doesn’t mean you can’t still mentor. Jesus had two who betrayed him, but that
wasn’t the mentor’s fault. He never said to any of the 12, “I’ve had it with
you.”
Also just because you yourself have had failures doesn’t
mean you can’t give to someone else. Focus on what you learned through the
trial you went through and share it.
R-relationship, this means the person you are
mentoring is in a relationship with you. They are NOT your project, the minute
you start thinking that you are no longer a mentor you have made your mentor
your idol. This is God’s work. God’s plan. God’s hand. Also remember to start
where the person is, not where you want them to be.
Where do I begin? What questions do I start with?
- Goals: Where do you want to be in your walk with the Lord?
- Reality: where do you see yourself now?
- Options: How can you get there? Help them make a list of options.
- Walk: Let’s look at our list and do at least one today.
Love this, Denise! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rhonda! I had no idea you were reading my "stuff"
ReplyDeleteI loved this workshop and the one on prayer. I will try to write up some notes on that one and post it as well. I love to learn new ways to serve our Lord!