Why is discipleship so appealing today? Let’s talk about four possibilities.

1.  Many people were not established in the basics of the Christian faith and realize later that something is missing.  Discipleship is not head knowledge and does not happen from the pulpit or in a class room setting.  These people often long for clarity and practical help in developing an authentic, stable and consistent growth pattern for their spiritual life resulting in a dynamic walk with Christ.

2.  Many people who become followers of Christ are products of dysfunctional family situations. They are willing to go through a relational discipleship process if it will help bring wholeness.

3.  People come to realize that a well designed discipleship experience instills a basic Christ-centered life that will provide a foundation for a lifetime of following Christ.  The disciplines learned and practiced will strengthen and develop the believer so she is quick to sense the Spirit’s leading and draw upon God’s grace and resources.  It is similar to a well trained athlete, who has far greater capacity to fully use all her talents in a challenging situation than a lesser-conditioned one with equal ability.  We are often exhorted in Scripture in this area (2 Timothy 2, I Corinthians 9, Hebrews 5 and 12). 

4.  People catch a vision for the Biblical basis of discipleship. They realize that God’s primary plan for the church is for discipleship.  They see in Matthew 28 that the Great Commission is not an option to be considered but a command to be obeyed.  (quote?)  As people develop a Biblical philosophy of ministry they understand that the goal of evangelism is not converts but the goal of evangelism is discipleship. 

So whatever your age or however long you have been a Christian, this type of mentoring may well apply to you or others in your church or ministry.  Comments?

The discipler is the mentoring type which the majority of us are probably the most familiar.   The definition of discipleship I like best is a simple one:  leading someone to Christ and teaching them to obey God’s Word.  (Matthew 28:18-20)  What comes to mind is an individual who helps a believer grow in the basics of a disciple’s life…showing her how to pray, have a quiet time, study the Bible, share the faith, being filled with the Holy Spirit, holiness,  etc.  One amazing fact is how many believers miss this part of their walk and therefore spend years with stunted growth floundering in their faith.  When a Christian is not grounded it is too easy to fall away from the faith.  I wonder if this is one reason for dysfunctional homes and that 50%  of all Christian marriages end in divorce? 

There are many books that have been written on the biblical basis of discipleship.  The classic that I like best is “Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert Coleman.  I love this book.  My husband still laughs about the fact that when I was single and guys would ask me out on a date, I would respond by asking they had read this book.  Todd had actually read the book twice so we had a lot to talk about.  Another great book on discipleship is “The Complete Book of Discipleship” by Bill Hull. 

I’m excited that people in their mid-thirties and forties who have been church members for years are asking for discipling—even full time Christian workers who never received that personal one-on-one help in their earlier years.  When meeting with church staff and church leaders I used to expect that they wanted mentoring in  leadership development first.  Often they request help with basic discipleship.  They understand that this foundation is a prerequisite for being the leader God wants them to be. 

What about you?  Have you been discipled?  If so, who are you investing in so that you can multiply your leadership?

No matter what the subject, someone will always know more than you do and may be eager to pass it on.  I’ve been mentored by teachers in areas like leadership, small groups, assimilation in the church, event planning, setting long range goals and objectives, marriage and child development, etc.  Learning with a teacher- mentor is more focused and personal, and therefore can be faster and deeper.  Try it….you’ll love it. 

A mentoring relationship with a teacher-mentor can be informal or formal.  The time can be short. The subject matter can be large or small.  I remember when I accepted my first full time ministry staff position at Briarwood, a church of about 3000 at the time.  I was hired to develop an assimilation process.  It was in the 80’s and this was a unique position and at the time few churches around the country were into this.  By nature I’m a pioneer and therefore love to start new things.  I was young and knew little about assimilation.  For some reason the church saw potential in me and gave me this wonderful opportunity.  The first few weeks I called several of the largest churches in America to learn what they were doing with assimilation.  What I gained was specific need-centered mentoring.  Notice in this case that I, the mentoree, took the initiative.  I knew I had a need and was able to specify that need.  I did not wait around for someone to come along and help me.  I approached others who I thought could be learned from.  The words “up to speed” connote the important function of teacher-mentors.  They can organize information and present it in such a way that the mentoree covers ground rapidly—much more than would be the case if it just happened over long periods of time.  This kind of mentoring ought to be going on all the time with middle and upper level leaders.  The pattern:  a challenging assignment, recognizing a need for knowledge or understanding, identifying a teacher-mentor who can meet that need, and receiving empowerment through the mentoring process. 

Teachers are special kinds of mentors.  They have knowledge in a specific area, the ability to organize that knowledge, and the desire to empower another.  It is not just information that is put in a notebook but material that is relevant, practical and will be used immediately.  

Teacher-mentors are always available.  You simply have to look for them.  On the next post we will talk about how to find them and their function.  What teacher-mentor has helped you most to get moving in the right direction?

When we are first introduced to mentoring, we often think of one ideal mentor – a perfect model who can do almost everything.  I am blessed to know a few people like this.  But not many.  So what is mentoring?  Mentoring is an intentional experience or relationship in which one person is empowered by another.  The person giving is called the mentor. The person receiving is called the mentoree.  Mentoring can take place over a short period of time or over a long period of time.  It may occur face to face or from a distance.  It might be regular like weekly or bi-weekly or monthly.  The mentor may initiate the relationship, or it may be introduced by the mentoree.

There are 7 different types of mentoring with potential for empowering a person who desires to learn and grow.  The 7 mentoring types are:  Heroes, Teacher, Discipler, Counselor, Equipper, Life Coach and Champion.  In future posts I will define each of these in detail. 

Do you sense the potential that mentoring has in helping us reach our potential?  Do you feel that God wants you to seek out a mentor?  Or perhaps you are beginning to sense that God may want you to establish mentoring relationships that will empower others.  Let’s explore this more later.

Last June Todd and I got to sit in on a SS class for seniors at Briarwood Church in Birmingham.  No we are not seniors yet! They did not check ID at the door and maybe did not notice we were just in our 40’s.  The teacher in the class, Tom Bradford, was a godly man in his 80’s. Both Todd and I felt we could sit at his feet for hours listening to his words of wisdom. Do you know anyone like that?  This man was a layman and his powerful message could have been shared behind any pulpit in America.  It was on finishing well. I  think often about finishing well.  Do you? Paul encourages us in I Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 

The research on Christian  leaders is startling. Few finish well.  But research shows the ones who do finish well have something in common.  These men and women had mentors who coached them in timely situations along the way.  Mentoring relationships significantly enhance the development of those who stay the course.  A simple definition of mentoring is a coaching relationship where one person helps equip, develop or empower a person by sharing God-given resources.

Think about leadership failures you have heard of in the past 10 years?  I’m sure there are many more we don’t hear about.  Do you think adequate mentoring might have prevented most of these failures?  Mentoring can reduce the probability of leadership failure, provide needed accountability and empower a responsive leader.  In my own life I feel so grateful for the mentors who have been in my life.  I was not brought up in a Christian home but in different seasons of my life I  sought out a variety of mentors. The benefit is too great to communicate in a short blog.  Today I continue to learn from others.

As a woman in mnistry I recognize that there don’t seem to be enough mentors to go around.  I also realize that the more you grow in leadership that list grows smaller. But I want to give you hope that mentors are out there for you.  In a future blog I will share a few insights on how you can be mentored no matter what your circumstances. 

What are you doing today to ensure that you finish well?

 If you are familiar with the DISC profile or other similar assessments, my nature is a “D” or one that tends to be independent.  If you met me today this is not as obvious to others as in my earlier years. God has a way of breaking and molding us to better fit his image, but I am still in process.  There are several personality types that lean toward an independence that can be hazardous to your health. Are you one of them? Regardless of your personality, I do believe it is human nature for us to look to ourselves for personal growth instead of another.  We can even take pride in this claiming “I never had a mentor.”  There are many ways that mentoring can be provided in our lives but that is for another post. Today I want to warn you that too much independence can be hazardous to your health.  God made us for each other.  None of us are fully equipped to become all that we can on our own.  Even a Sr. pastor of a mega church or president of an organization needs accountability. Our weaknesses and blind spots all point to our need to be interdependent.  This is why connecting with others in this way plays such an indispensable role in healthy personal growth and leadership development. 

Mentoring from others will put you years ahead of where you will be on your own.  I see it all the time.  A woman in her 50’s that will seem younger in areas and a woman in her 20’s will seem so much older.  In mentoring I look at all of life’s growth areas (spiritual, emotional, relational, professional, etc.) In addition to enhancing your own potential, what you discover in a mentoring relationship will help equip you to help others as well.  So why don’t we place a higher priority on developing these empowering relationships?  Are we uneasy with the vulnerability, assuming it will be perceived as weakness? Do we hesitate to ask, not wanting to impose on anyone else’s busy schedule?  Are we reluctant to provide mentoring for others, not wanting to come across as proud or someone who has arrived? Each of these factors play a part, but the main reason we miss out is that we simply don’t understand the true nature of mentoring, a problem that is easily overcome. 

Let’s continue this tomorrow.  Comments?