Mentorship is so important in all stages of life.
Guidance is the gift often shunned in our youth and longed for in our mid-twenties. During the times in our lives that we experience firsts, lasts, struggles with which endeavors to pursue and who to do life with- friendships and romantic relationships. It is a stretching time. A time that truly teaches us that relationships matter. The best types of relationships are those that pour into you, grow you and challenge you. Mentorships!
Mentorship is a relational learning process. It is an opportunity for the mentor to pass on knowledge and wisdom and a time for the mentee to inherit and apply. There are four types of mentorship that I believe everyone needs.
The Four Most Beneficial Types of Mentorship…
And later why everyone should have them.
Christian Mentorship
Christian mentorship is so necessary and important in communities today. If you are a christian, striving and growing daily in your faith and desiring to know God more, you live and fellowship in community with other believers-babes and seasoned, you are qualified to partner with and help in pointing others to Christ.
As a Christian mentor, some of the conversation and work should include:
- Bible Study and Application
- Combating ungodly thinking and behavior
- How to pursue the right relationships
- Identifying areas needing refining and those of growth
- Progression in maturity as it relates to biblical understanding
- How to disciple others
- Living with and handling all things in all seasons with integrity
- Modeling how to love your neighbor and serve God
“ Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
God mentored the disciples.
Jethro mentored Moses.
Moses mentored Joshua.
Naomi mentored Ruth.
Through mentorship, the mentee should be challenged and stretched and ultimately grow in their faith as well. As did all of those mentioned above.
Marriage Mentorship
Marriage mentorship is when a veteran couple through fellowship, workshops, and consistent communication models for and encourages a newly married couple in the ways to live out a God-honoring marriage.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with hanging and doing life with another newly married couple, but like you, they are just starting out and have not been faced with many of the difficulties that await most marriages down the road.
It’s the equivalent of signing up for CPR classes. You don’t wish that there will ever be a time that you will need to use the skills taught, but you prepare, you learn, you practice so that in the case of an emergency, you know what to do and how to do it. You have the practice and when applied can save a life.
Just, in this case, it’s a union. You know the signs of trouble- of a marriage gasping for air. You know the position and posture to get into in order to clear the airway. Then you pray and work and work and pray. You trust what you know to work and the God you serve to help. And eventually in the midst of chaos, fear, uncertainty, and the work you come out on the other side with a clear airway- stronger and wiser. And thankful.
Marriage is a holy union. Something that pleases the Lord should be handled with so much care.
Professional Mentorship
A professional mentor offers resources, training, and methods for doing a job effectively and efficiently to a newcomer in the field.
Professional mentors are an extension of education in that they offer on-the-job training after a person has transitioned from unpaid intern to full-time coworker.
College prepares, but in my experience has left out, at least in the field of education, some very important details.
As a mentor
- Support your mentee
- Observe and give feedback
- Model, but leave room for them to develop their own approaches
- Communicate often, honestly and with integrity
Life Mentorship
Girls need older girls and boys need older boys. Women need women and men need men. Positive role models and friendships that you can grow through are essential in our lives. We are called to community and if our influence can impact positive change in the life of another, I believe it is worth it to invest.
Why?
Accountability, direction, shared experience, friendship, and partnership.
But more than these, the world is watching to see the difference that the love of Jesus can make in our relationships. Show them the covenantal, kind, merciful, longsuffering, patient, and wondrous love!
Note: There are seasons to be mentored and seasons that the role should reverse and the mentee becomes for another what someone has been to them. The cycle of positive influence should be ongoing.
Ways To Exercise Your Mentor Muscle-
Christian Mentor:
- Adopt a college student or younger member of your church. Begin by speaking with their parents, build a rapport, keep in touch, send care packages or attend games, discuss the Bible and pray for them.
- Start a mentorship program. Get buy-in from all age groups. Create and distribute personality/ interest surveys and pair the group. Meet weekly or monthly to start as a group.Definitely meet with your pastor to get an approved Bible study program/ curriculum and the ok to discuss various topics.
Professionally:
- Most often you will be assigned a mentor. Sit with them and discuss your role as mentor, ask them their goals and areas that they know they need support in. Then develop a plan to support and grow them.
- Book study. Now your role is not to add more to their workload, but finding a good resource that you know will benefit them is worth the extra hour a week you all spend reading and discussing. Try it.
Marriage:
- Discuss with your spouse the desires that you both have for a long healthy and rich marriage. Then identify mentors in your local church that exhibit the type of marriage you aspire to or a local marriage group.
- Research marriage retreats and attend marriage retreats aligned to healthy christian marriages. Take what you need, leave what you don’t. All marriages are not the same.
- Read books by experienced individuals and have discussions with your spouse.
Life:
- Partner with your local school district to adopt a mentee. You can help with homework, host workshops on bullying and social emotional learning, finances and budgeting, etc.
- You can partner with CPS and work with specific needs kids. For example other race parents fostering African american girls, would need help with hair care. You could help with this.
Resources:
#mentorship #mentorshipmatters # relationship