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  • Ephesians 4 says, "And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God."

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Mentor

July 01, 2009

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

The greatest gift we can give to our nation is investing in the younger generation and giving them the opportunity to succeed. Here is a post by Brian Rice of Leadership ConneXtions International that is worth reading regardless of which side of 40 you are on. It is called Reverse Mentoring.

For those of you who are interested in and involved in mentoring and learning from younger, emerging leaders, here is a new book: Reverse Mentoring. 

Here is a short review of it from the publisher.

6a00d8341cbf9a53ef0105359118fb970c-200wi Earl Creps is known for his work in connecting the younger generation of postmoderns with their Boomer predecessors. The author of Off-Road Disciplines, Creps, in this new book, takes up the topic of how older church leaders can learn from younger leaders who are more conversant with culture, technology, and social context.

In addition to making the benefits of what he calls "reverse mentoring" apparent, he also makes it accessible by offering practical steps to implement this discipline at both personal and organizational levels, particularly in communication, evangelism, and leadership.

Creps' new book is a topic of interest both inside and outside the church as older leaders realize that they're not "getting it" when it comes to technologies (iPod, IM, blogging) or cultural issues such as the fact that younger people see the world in an entirely different way.

Creps has been personally involved in reverse mentoring for several years and has spoken and written on the subject extensively. He has pastored three churches (one Boomer, one Builder, on X'er) and is currently a church planter in Berkeley, California. He has also served as a consultant and and a seminary professor and administrator, holding a PhD in Communication Studies and a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.

June 07, 2008

MINISTERS & MENTORS

As I think of all the meetings I've had lately with ministers, I am struck by the fact that most are busy doing ministry while few are employing their real pastoral skills by personally developing others.

It used to be that your trade was passed on to the next generation, father to son or mother to daughter. Today the word apprentice is only popular when associated with Donald Trump's program. Yet it is touching on something very important. We all need mentoring. We all need that hands-on training from confident leaders.

If my read of ministers is accurate, we lack confidence to invest in others personally. We are all good at the pulpit level but are failing at the personal level. The core issue here is being isolated from our 'sons and daughters' who so desperately need us in their lives.

The hardest lesson to learn in ministry is to deal with our pride. It is easy to keep hidden behind a desk and hard to become transparent. Repenting of our fears and isolation will help us begin the relational journey we have been called to walk.  Just look at the ministry of Jesus. He was always pouring His life into the personal lives of others!

More than how to pastor, we need to remind ourselves of the why we pastor. The harvest keeps coming but what are we doing to conserve, develop and multiply it?

At Mission O, Ministers Matter!

Mission O is a monthly gathering of ministry leaders from the National Capital Region. We are building friendships over breakfast and sharing our spiritual life together. Our meetings conclude with personal prayer and ministry to each other. barry@missiono.ca

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January 01, 2008

Every minister needs a mentor!

Welcome. I am looking forward to sharing 30 years of ministry history with you. I am excited about a meaningful dialogue between us on those things, at the end of the day, that matter most to us who serve in local churches and para-church ministries.

I am hoping for input by ministers, their spouses and even their children. I would love this blog to have links for every member of the minister's immediate and extended family. We need to build each other up through our stories, prayers and our unique journeys.

How wonderful it will be to hear described our most meaningful moments in ministry?

Also, how we deal with the 'stuff' of ministry that can leave us crying, angry, lonely or broken? What do we do to protect ourselves from carelessness in our calling?

Let us serve one another by sharing our stories together and creating ways for us to actually 'minister to the ministers' of our area. It is time for us to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, cry with the hurting and walk with those who shepherd the sheep of His pasture 365 days each year.

Let us begin creating a culture of honour in ministry throughout the New Year!

At Mission O, Ministers Matter!