“MENTORING---A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE”

BY SCOTT ADAIR

The word mentor is not a Biblical term.  Originally, Mentor was the name of a friend in Homer's Odyssey, who Odysseus appointed to educate his son.  Now it is a buzzword in corporate culture and volunteer organizations, used synonymously with “coach”, “trainer” or “role model.”

You won't find mentor in your concordance, but the idea certainly resonates with Scripture.  In concept, this culturally relevant word has Christian meaning that makes it an orienting principle for ministry.

There are several roles in the Bible, such as teacher (John 13:13; Eph. 4:11) or guardian (I Cor. 4:15; Gal. 3:24) that might prove helpful in shaping a Biblical perspective of mentoring.  But the closest corollary---and by far the most challenging---is Paul's metaphor of spiritual parenting as seen in the following passages.

“But we are gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.  We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well...For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God...” (I Thess. 2:7,8,11,12).

“Even though you have ten thousand guardians of Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.  Therefore, I urge you to imitate me” (I Cor. 4:15,16).

If we use spiritual parenting as our model, a Christian perspective of mentoring would include the following principles:

EVANGELISM - Just as a parent/child relationship begins at birth, so a mentoring relationship begins when we share the story of Jesus with someone (facilitating a new birth).  Paul reminded the Corinthians that he became their father “through the gospel” (I Cor, 4:15).

EXAMPLE - The child will generally become like the parent.  Paul urged his Corinthian children, “Imitate me” (I Cor. 4:16).  He repeats this later and adds, “As I imitate Christ” (I Cor. 11:1).  Our life-style and teaching must be in submission to Christ, like Paul's in order for us to be mentors worth emulating.

INVESTEMENT - The parent invests time and resources for the development of the child.  We, like Paul, must be willing to share not only the gospel but our very lives, setting aside time to encourage, comfort and urge those we mentor to be godly (I Thess. 2:8,12).  This investment must also include praying with them and for them.

MULTIPLICATION - God told Adam and Eve, the first parents, to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28).  Paul encouraged Timothy, his “true son in the faith” (I Tim. 1:2) to entrust Paul's message to reliable men who would in turn teach others (II Tim. 2:2).

Nowhere is the mentoring principle more important than between adults and teens.  Our young people choose role models from movie stars, athletes and popular music stars more often than from the Christian people who surround them in worship every week.  Through our evangelism, example, investment and multiplication principles, we must model for them lives that they will want to emulate so that they may find their mentor in someone whose life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).

We must mentor others in Christ so that they will become mentors for the next generation.  Do you have a mentor?  Are you mentoring someone?  Whom will they mentor?