TMC - Highlight #7 - Mentoring Young Leaders
A question that we get often from Pastors who want to start planting churches is, “Where do we start?” The answer is simple, mentor young leaders. On pg. 90 you’ll see the following mentoring principles:
1) “Live the life and do the stuff you talk about.” - You can’t teach it if you don’t do it
2) “Teach first from what you’ve experienced.” - Too many people want to start with what they have read lately or the latest speaker they heard, don’t do that. Start with where you have been and go from there.
3) “Let others be around you in your context.” - Allow people to see you in your daily life and what you do from day-to-day.
4) “Hold people accountable.” - If you ask someone to do something, follow up with them! Hold their feet to the fire.
5) “Give them bite-size things and watch them.” - Don’t give them the whole load - just a part. Then watch what they do with it.
6) “Watch what’s unique about others and help them discover their own uniqueness.” - You have to first know what is unique about you, then help others find their own uniqueness.
7) “Let them see who you really are.” - Admit your faults. When you’re honest about your weaknesses, you will increase your credibility with them.
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May 14, 2008 at 09:09 AM
You did these things for me, Bob. I can never thank you enough! Keep rockin'.
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May 14, 2008 at 09:10 AM
I went to an American high school in Germany - small (300 students 7-12) and 40% non-Americans - so in spite of being athletically average, I was able to play varsity football and soccer throughout high school. My senior year I decided to try out for basketball, which I hadn't played (on a team) since probably 5th grade. I didn't make the team, because - as the coach told me - if he's going to play a rookie, he wants it to be someone he can work with for 3-4 years. Makes sense in high school sports - even for a small school, and especially one with a historically strong basketball team.
Fast forward a quarter of a century, and I feel like I'm in very much the same position: I have 20+ years of lay ministry leadership experience, almost 20 years of professional work experience, and have (finally!) responded to what I believe is God's call toward full-time church ministry by enrolling in an MDiv program in seminary. (Which I really enjoy, even just one class at a time!) But I often feel like I'm a high school senior trying out for the basketball team: too old to be a rookie but no "professional pastor experience" to get a role in an established church.
Maybe I am just crying out (whining?!) to God to give me the chance to participate alongside these young, passionate up-and-coming leaders. I want to have a part in this transformation that begins with individuals, impacts the church, and flows over into the world. Maybe I just would add a couple notes to your list:
8) Don't neglect those middle-aged folks who have seen the good, bad, and ugly of church-as-we-know-it. Give them a chance to bring their "secular" and "lay" experience to bear on the process of transformation...'cause I think they (we) have much to offer.
9) To you passionate young (20- & 30-something) leaders out to change the world: don't write off those "ancient" 45-year-olds believing that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Contrary to popular belief, you may not actually know everything, and could probably benefit greatly from the experience of those who really have seen the good, bad, and ugly of church-as-we-know-it...and who can cull out the good; or, to use more biblical terminology, can separate the wheat from the chaff.
May 14, 2008 at 09:15 AM
Randy,
Just a question, but why are you waiting to be mentored? Why not mentor someone with all that life experience you have? Don't wait any longer to get in the game! You have so much to offer (even without a seminary degree... or maybe even especially without a seminary degree)!
May 14, 2008 at 05:03 PM
Bobby, it's not so much that I'm waiting to be mentored - or that I'm avoiding mentoring someone myself - it's more a matter of time commitments, and credibility. That's part of the challenge of making a major mid-life change; on top of being a husband and father to three kids (5, 8, & 13), working full time, and being involved in a variety of church activities, I am also now a seminary student. That's the time challenge; the credibility challenge comes from "others", and is primarily derived from the fact that we moved 1000 miles to attend seminary and now find that we have to "prove" ourselves to our adopted church community - a frustratingly-slow process.
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