Mentoring Is Not An Option
Below is a great article by my pastor Austin Gardner, who is a tremendous mentor to myself and many others who are serving around the world. I really want to encourage you to read this article and consider what you could do to mentor someone else.
Mentoring is not optional, but required if you plan on making a difference around the world with world evangelism. Here are some instructions on how to mentor:
Number one, never talk about a student behind their back without talking to their face. They ought to know they can trust you, they ought to know you’re up front and frank with them. They ought to know that you don’t go to anybody else, that you would fight to protect their reputation, but that you don’t mind telling them straight to their face what they need to do to get fixed.
Always love them like your son or daughter in the ministry. It’s amazing the way we would treat our sons and daughters literally and physically, and the way we treat our sons and daughters in the ministry. We would talk to our kids, we would fight for our kids, we would straighten up our kids, and we would give our kids another chance. So be careful that they know that’s how you would handle the situation with them.
Always keep your distance from the opposite sex. Be very careful that you maintain your distance, men only train men, and we don’t mentor the other sex. Any comments made about the other sex means a women to women, man to man, and you need to set up every safeguard you can so your wife knows where you are, your wife knows what you’re doing, and there are no secrets about any meetings with her.
Always, if possible, show affection in public with your wife; make it clear that you’re in love with your wife. Let everybody know that, and stay at arm’s length and let everyone know that you are separate. Let people develop the attitude that you nearly hate the opposite sex because you are there to protect your wedding and your marriage.
You must be consumed about what you are going to teach them. Another problem that many people have is that they want to be a mentor, but they’re not all that excited about what they’re teaching themselves. So whenever they are alone, a lot of people that think they are mentoring, and they do spend one-on-one time, but when they do it’s to play a Nintendo game, go to a ballgame, choose a fad about anything from politics to sports, and never go to the subject.
Mentoring and discipleship is being so consumed with it that it’s what you talk about, its what’s on your heart, its what’s on your mind. It’s what you talk about when you’re playing, it’s what you talk about when you’re working, and it becomes real to you. If it’s not, you are not going be able to help them.
As a traveling missionary, I can tell you that many pastors I visited didn’t seem to want to talk about ministry. They didn’t want to talk about their ministry, and definitely did not want to talk about mr ministry.
You must not have that attitude if you expect to be a mentor and to train them. If you do not have an consuming passion or desire for the things of God then you have no ability or right to mentor someone. You have to be what you want them to be; you have to live out, do, what you want them to do; you have to be a picture and an example of what you want them to be. Paul said “follow my example.”
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9
“For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.”
1 Peter 2:21
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”
Matthew 16:24
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Every mentor should read quite a few books and learn on how to talk about it, what to teach, and having the right attitude about mentoring and world evangelism. I strongly suggest that you get Mentoring for Missions by Gunther Krallman!