MINISTERS MATTER

LESSONS ON MENTORING - Thom S Rainer

Key Lessons

I have learned through the years some key lessons about mentoring. I’m sure that my insights are neither original nor exhaustive. Perhaps, though, they might be of some value to you.

1. Mentoring can be formal or informal. On occasion, I would intentionally decide to work with a young man. I never declared that I was mentoring him. But, through different events where we were together, a mentoring relationship did exist.

2. I did my best mentoring when I enjoyed the person whom I was mentoring. Okay, there’s no abundance of wisdom with that comment. Still, I found myself a more effective mentor when the relationship was fun and enjoyable.

3. Mentoring is not a one-way effort. I have learned much from those I've mentored, probably more than they have ever learned from me.

4. Mentoring works best when it is built on the foundation of prayer. This past week, I called because I wanted a man to pray for someone. My relationship with those I mentored was strongest when it was built on a common trust and dependence on Christ.

5. When mentoring is effective, the one who is mentored becomes an effective mentor as well.

And the Gift Goes On . . .

I do have some regrets. I do wish I had taken more young men under my wing and offered them my time and what little wisdom I had to offer. But I also know that, God willing, I still have years left to mentor others.

And lest I fail to mention the obvious, my three sons have always been my most intense focus in mentoring. God gave me three of the greatest gifts in the world in Sam Rainer, Art Rainer, and Jess Rainer. The times I have invested in them have been some of the most precious times of my life.

One final word in this somewhat rambling blog. A young man named Jimmy Scroggins is now mentoring my son, Art, who serves on the staff of the church with Jimmy. And I am watching how he is doing so much better with Art than I ever did with Jimmy.

Of all the investments we can make, nothing is as valuable as investing in a life. I am grateful for the times I have. And I am grateful to see the legacy of mentoring continue.

The gift truly does go on.

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.

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.

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

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!