We need to realize that Jesus trained his apprentices for only 3 years. In comparison, the Apostle Paul engaged in the ministry of mentoring for more than 25 years (dating from his first missionary journey, when I believe he entered into his apostolic calling after perhaps 14 years of preparation). In his letter to the Corinthians written during his third missionary journey, Paul refers to himself as a “wise master builder” (I Cor. 3:10). I encourage mentors to learn much from his letters, given how much experience Paul had. Continue reading “Mentoring Part 4: A Case Study from Paul”
Tag: Mentoring
Jesus gradually gave his disciples opportunity to do ministry with him. He first invited them to observe as he modeled ministry, and often would take a good deal of time explaining things afterwards. He went on to release them into ministry. A look at Luke 10 will be helpful to see the process of how he equipped and sent out 70 disciples into ministry. Continue reading “Mentoring Part 3: A Case Study from Jesus (Luke 10)”
Our primary example for mentoring is Jesus. He spent the bulk of His ministry mentoring his twelve disciples, eleven of whom eventually mentored many more of their own disciples. His closing charge to his disciples (which Paul’s charge to Timothy is but an echo, 2 Timothy 2:2) is a charge to keep making disciples, and keep mentoring others: Continue reading “Mentoring Part 2: A Few Thoughts from Jesus’ Mentoring Example”
Though the word “mentoring” is not used in the Bible, the concept is evident throughout the Scripture. There are some excellent passages related to mentoring as seen in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 14 and 16, in addition to examples from Jesus and the Apostle Paul who both applied mentoring principles to their own ministries.
As demonstrated in John 14:15,18, 20, and 21, Jesus’ mentoring relationship with his disciples (mentees) was intensely personal. Effective mentoring is a love relationship established between God and people through His Holy Spirit. Mentoring is not a matter of passing on a few tidbits of information or “how to’s” of ministry. It is a matter of pouring yourself into another person and sharing yourself with them, not just your knowledge. Paul even goes as far as to compare this kind of ministry to mothering: Continue reading
The Guild Network 