Which Way?

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

 

The Women’s Ministry leader stated that in her church they were trying to “develop a culture of mentoring.”

The Word mentoring in that context usually refers to the one on one relationship where the “older woman is to teach the younger woman” (Titus 2:3). The Lord used this request to broaden my understanding of something He has shown me before: We are all mentors.

We tend to think of mentoring in a regular meeting of two people, usually one older, one younger (in faith if not in age).

But, we mentor in many  settings. There are business mentors, gardening mentors, and teaching mentors as well as mentors in the faith. In fact, mentoring should cover whatever areas of life a Christian is dealing with at any given time.

As I have looked at what it means to mentor, it occurs to me that it is also discipleship that we need in the Church setting. When someone is called a disciple in the Bible it is because they are being taught the ways of a specific person.

• Joseph from Arimathea had become a disciple of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:57).
• The Pharisees in John 9 said they were disciples of Moses (John 928).
• Jesus said it was only possible to be His disciple if we are willing to bear His cross and forsake all that we have for Him (Luke 14:27, 33).

As Christians, mentoring relationships should point others to life in Jesus Christ; His sacrifice, His teaching, His example.

The phrase “culture of mentoring” is a wonderful concept. People should be learning to follow Jesus because of the use of the gifts God has given to every believer in the Church:

• Modeling the use of our gifts (from teaching and preaching, to administration and giving).
• Living the truth of the scriptures.
• Practicing patience after worship services so we can interact with our brothers and sisters in the Lord from a pew or the back of the church (lunch can wait).
• Mentoring about marriage in the way we treat and talk about our spouses.
• Mentoring about parenting by the way we interact with our children.
• Mentoring in business by taking the time to talk about it with those who are younger or younger in the faith.
• Practicing hospitality so that others see relationships and keeping a home, with a host of other possibilities that could come up in conversation around a dinner table or over a cup of coffee.

A culture of mentoring is set up by the modeling of Christianity for everyone who comes and goes from the congregation. It exalts Christ as King above all, not just on Sunday but in every area of life as others observe.

Mentoring or discipling is teaching. Understand  this: Every church has this “culture of mentoring” in every worship service, every committee meeting, every children’s class, Bible Study, and even in Vacation Bible School.

The question is, which way are we mentoring?

Are we mentoring with an eye on bringing others into a discipling relationship with Jesus Christ? Is He who we follow so faithfully that others can see it and learn from our lives?