Video Transcript: Everyone Needs a Mentor

At this point in your training, you're getting a good idea whether or not you are called to be a  Christian leader, who is a minister, called to reach the world for Christ in whatever your  situation is like. Now, in that process to be a Christian leader, a mentor is so important, not  just in your training, but in your life, your ministry life, maybe not just one mentor in a  lifetime, but lots of mentors, I have many mentors. In fact, as I have grown in life, I've grown  in the need for more mentors, I will be constantly looking for mentors, asking them to help me in a specific area. Everyone needs a mentor. And that's what we're going to talk about today.  Now, in the process of talking about this, let me just make some interesting observations  about Christian Leaders Institute. Now mentors make things possible. Christian Leaders  Institute training method works well with mentors, we have these correspondence classes  that are being to you on your individual path, you find someone in your interest area to  connect with, who is further down that path. This thinking then could be applied to all levels  of education, and most topics. Now, let me talk about that briefly. What's neat about this is  here, you're called to ministry. And we have these classes. And there's lots of them. They're  formal classes. It's extensive training, they deal with the cognitive practices of ministry, and  being called into ministry and doing ministry. But yet, there's a local piece. Now, I want to  contrast this to the way most of education operates in the world, most of it operates in a  factory model, you come to a factory, the teacher is the kind of the manufacturing machine,  you're a cog, you come in, the teacher is an expert in a specific area, you leave the class with  that specific area addressed. Now, that model of education really was perfected in the  industrial age. And it has worked reasonably well for you know, generations, now the Internet  has come along, and the internet allows to go back to a much more mentorship style, where  education is personalized, these classes that you're going to be taking here at Christian  Leaders Institute, are specifically on your path, you do them. But when you're in this style of  education, there is something you lose, you don't have a teacher who is there in that expert  area to mentor you in that subject area. So what's needed is that you find some help. And  that's what Christian Leaders Institute, in a local mentor relationship is all about, if you can  find local mentors, is something that can really help you become better at that ministry,  calling to reach more people and to do so more effectively. Now, I also mentioned that this  can be done at all levels of education. That's right, I can envision that someday. Christian High Schools are set up where parents are more of the mentors and co-opping of parents come  together. And then the high school kids, for instance, can, you know, learn the cognitive with  excellent professors. And then there's a mentor context in sports could be done there and so  forth. You know, I think about that with Christian education. But so many ways that this could  be applied. But it's the mentality of actually getting a mentor. That becomes really important.  So, yes, correspondence training is beamed to you on an individual path. You find someone in  your interest area to connect with, and I really believe this thinking is only the tip of the  iceberg of where this could go in the future. One more thing, I just want to point out that this  thinking is basically the method of the church. So this method of the church, in the  educational realm, if you think about it, each person is on his or her own correspondence  journey with the Word of God, that's a walk with God, the minister team, so those who are  part of the local church, that team is a former of a formal mentor structure that's in place.  Now, maybe the team has only one pastor, it's a small church, but the pastor or the Minister  is the formal mentor for those who come to the church, and the Holy Spirit mentors and  guides each person. And we read about that, in Acts 14 Is that the Holy Spirit is the counselor, the mentor. Again, I find this fascinating that Christian Leaders Institute in the whole training  process is like, the local church, the local church on has meant or structure in place, you  know, elders, deacons, leaders in the community. You know, I remember growing up in my  church, and I felt like I had so many mentors, right there in my local church, I had the pastor,  and if I had a question, I just make an appointment. But in my own walk with God growing up,  you know, that was my walk with God, than I am my parents, they were some of my mentors.  If you don't have Christian parents, you at least have church leaders. It is such a powerful  thing. And when education left the local context, it changed so many things. And some of  those things were changed in the negative where people left their local context. What  Christian Leaders Institute does in Christian Leaders Ministry does is that returned, training 

and mentorship to local churches, where local pastors and local leaders are back in play in  raising up the next generation of leaders. What I want to do next is I want to talk about how  this whole mentorship thing is in the Bible, and how you can see that this understanding of  leadership and development of leadership is right there in the Word of God. Now, I titled this,  everyone needs Minister mentor. And the reality is, is that even the Apostle Paul did, but I  want to talk about one interview. Look in the book of Acts, verse 36, you read about Joseph, a  Levite, from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. So here is a mentor in place in a structure of building and growing a local church, God set the  structure up, Jesus came down on the cross, rose from the dead sits on high. The early church was founded, there's Pentecost, and early in the book of Acts, we read about Joseph, and  there is no question that he has this mentor call. So what does motivate a mentor? A mentor  is motivated to build a culture by investing in the lives of leaders with great potential mentors are motivated to help others because they love the culture, they are helping to reproduce and expand. Now, this can be said of mentors in general. But if you apply this to the church, it's  very powerful. So when we have invited Christian Leaders, Institute students to welcome  mentors then into their lives, and these mentors may know the student or the leader, and  sometimes they don't, I mean, you can request a Christian Leaders Institute mentor, for  instance, to help you. If you just don't have a local Christian leader, mentor, in existing pastor  who's experienced comes into CLI, let's say they become a mentor, and then they get  involved. For more training, we will even encourage them to find a mentor to become or to  become one of them to a student that they have enrolled. Now, what I find interesting about  this, is that right away, mentor culture is formative. A mentor is someone who's down the  path a little bit in general. But even here at Christian Institute, we find if this right away, gets  put into the DNA of your life long ministry training. And then maybe you become a pastor or a meant a minister someday ordained minister. And then right away, you think about how you  can raise up others. Because everyone needs a mentor. Like I mentioned earlier, I still have  mentors, and I am still looking for mentors. Because I realize that the leadership they call  that's that relational capital is so important. So everyone needs a mentor. So what does that  mentor do? First of all, mentors are self aware about their calling to build Christian culture. So  Christian mentors are self aware. In fact, they intuitively look for opportunities to help people  fit in or make an impact. These mentors know that God is calling them to invest in the lives of  podit potential difference makers. So interesting. Everyone needs every Christian leader  needs to be in a mentor culture. And mentors need to be seen. Mentors are recognized as  leaders who noticed those who need encouragement. Barnabas was that way. He of course,  encouraged the apostle Paul, to be the leader God had called him to be and to disciple him.  When he first became called on the road to Damascus. Acts 4:36, talks about Barnabas, this is what's that of him. Joseph, a Levite, from Cypress, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which  means, Son of Encouragement, sold the field he owned and brought the money and put it at  the apostles feet. The apostles called him Barnabas. I find that fascinating that in the early  church, it was already a structure of recognized mentorship and names were even being  changed from Joseph to Barnabas, from Joseph is his Hebrew name to Barnabas as Son of  Encouragement. We have mentors already functioning in the early church, and they are  recognizing these mentors in their role in the culture. I find that especially interesting, and we see that right away with Barnabas the generosity of His Spirit. Mentors are generous with  their resources, they are not stingy. They take their resources of time and money and bring  them to the feet of Jesus. Barnabas was generous with his resources. The second thing we  read about Barnabas in the Bible is that he's sold a field to help others in need. Mentors make connections, mentors will introduce students, or future students into ministry opportunities,  they leverage who they know to help new leaders get opportunities for ministries. Barnabas  did this to the point of taking a risk with Saul, after Saul was first called by Jesus, we read in  Acts 9:27, that Barnabas took Saul to the apostles, even though everyone else was afraid of  Saul. I mean, this is incredible. Often, mentors are connectors. They see something in  someone and they take a risk. Now I grant you, I'm gonna just tell you that I have been a  mentor for many over the years. And there is risk involved. Not everyone works out. We seek  to open doors as mentors, because everyone needs a mentor. Um, because when you first 

started out as a Christian leader, maybe you're new called Christian leader, maybe you've  had a past like the apostle Paul, in those days, he was named Saul, he had a past and people  didn't trust him right away. And maybe you have that. So a mentor is needed to someone else to get to know you, someone else that believes in you that can promote you to others. It  becomes really important as you start out to get a mentor. Because what happens is these  mentors become promoters, mentors appropriately and publicly build up a potential leader.  Mentors talk that leader up mentors tell positive stories about that potential leader, these  potential leaders. They don't threaten their mentors, their mentors want them to succeed. In  even after those initial promoting connections, mentor, stay connected. Ministry capitals,  ultimately about leaders partnering together and building a culture that honors Christ. Those  who go before students later work with those very students, mentors, really stay connected  with their potential leaders, even after they have left the preparation stage, and are now  ministering. Now for me, I have seen this now here at Christian Leaders Ministries since 2001,  I have now been connected with hundreds 1000s of leaders. Now it gets more difficult for me  because the impact of Christian Leaders Ministries is global and going all over. And I noticed  that leaders that I've been part of raising up or now raising up others in being connected, we  have mentor ministers, we have local ministers promoting others, ministers promoting others  in other countries, all over the globe, this process of mentorship with training, and mentors  locally helping out it is absolutely amazing what God is doing, as we return to this biblical way of understanding. And I'm, I'm impressed. And the one thing I learned over the years is, in  some ways, I have to keep becoming less, and the structure of leaders becomes more  mentors desire to become less an effective mentor is looking for people who who will exceed  them and impact they will invest in encourage leaders to be their best for God. You know, I  always am amazed that Jesus said, It's better that I leave you and that you become greater.  And I remember as a young person, why would Jesus say that? But now I see. That's so true,  that it's all about the leadership's of more leaders, multiplying leaders, a mentor and other  leaders, helping other leaders, mentor other leaders. And what happens is, God's Kingdom is  powerfully advanced. Mentor and mentors are not afraid of doing their own thing, then the  relationship of mentor and mentored can change even as circumstances change. Look at Paul  and Barnabas, they parted company over a disagreement. Now, I'm so glad to state in the  Bible, sometimes a sponsor or mentor, and the one who was being sponsored or mentored,  disagree about something. And this disagreement in the kingdom of God does not have to be  this thing that hurts the movement. In fact, God uses things like that. New Visions, new  seasons, and then in this case, it was over a disagreement over Mark. And we even find later  in the Bible that the apostle Paul and Mark get reconnected. So it's not like it was this  permanent disagreement in Christ. Things that have different seasons occur, and people can  have disagreements, you know, some of the most amazing churches have been planted over  disagreements now. It's can be messy, and sometimes there's, you know, there's dissension  they have to be repented from. But sometimes there are churches, I believe that that just are  ready to plant churches. And maybe they're not self aware of how the mentoring process  goes. I mean, to me, when I see someone who's got a vision, they're a person filled with  integrity. And when I was a church planter, the last thing I want to do is hold them back. I  want them to send them out and build the kingdom even more. And that's what happens. It is  fascinating to me, what God is doing in life and I tell you I love staying connected. There's  ministered capital mentors will connect students in a culture so they will be able to be more  effective and minister in that culture. Minister mentors will play an important role in  connecting students to people expectations and opportunities for effective ministry. Everyone  needs mentors. And as you are mentored by a generous mentor, then as open doors are  given to you, you want to open doors for others. And again, this is something to be so self  aware about all along your ministry training, immediately start thinking about you can open  doors for other someday, in the next presentation, we're going to talk about that everyone  truly is a mentor. But you start that seed of being a mentor, by becoming mentored, and  always having that concept. Like you need to learn something, you need to grow, you need  connections with others, in what starts happening, that self awareness, that discussion of self  awareness builds Christian capital, the elements of building Christian capital must include a 

self aware discussion of what makes a Christian culture sustainable for generations, I find the  topic of ministry training fascinating in a relation in relationship to how that training function  within us works within a specific people group. Now, what's interesting to me, and it continues to always be interesting to me, is how each culture or the world understands the building of  leaders. But I find it goes back to the book of Acts. Like there is a social capital function,  there's a leader function in for many years, the seminary systems and the education systems  were one that would take people out of that local structure and function. And then all of a  sudden, people would find their way somehow. But at Christian Leaders Institute through  these correspondence types classes, where there's local mentorship, you can stay where  you're at, and then cross pollinate. You think about that word cross pollenization, where  Christian leaders Institute training comes in and helps you with ideas you didn't necessarily  think of, but you're still in your mentor connection. So as you are going forward on your  training, I understand it's is truly about getting mentored, and being mentored, the rest of  your life is about looking for more leaders. You know, I can look back at my life and I see  Marty Ozinga was, in my first church, I asked him to mentor me, and he did Rich DeVos, I  asked him to mentor me in in areas of the kingdom, Steve Elzinga, was a little my senior as a  minister and asked him to mentor me, my board members at Christian Leaders, Institute and  Institute and Ministries, I mean, it's all about mentorship, it's about what do I need to learn  from others. And then what I find is that these mentors launch me to be even be a mentor for  others. And then there's interesting when peers come into my life, you know, I'll ask someone  who's basically my age, will you mentor me? And they say, No, I'll partner with you. And a lot  of times, mentors become partners, hey, let's cross pollinate each other. You know, I don't  really feel older or a generation in, but I'm a partner. And maybe that's how it often is. As you  become more and more ministry, you know, you still have the mentality, what can I learn?  And how could someone mentor me, but you know, you become partners, and that becomes  colleagues and you know, all of that, but it still comes with that idea. What can I learn? How  can I be teachable? So as you are on this ministry, training journey, that is what I challenge  you to do is say, Lord, who can you put in my life? It's like the Holy Spirit is a counselor, Lord,  Holy Spirit. Just always teach me through Your Word. Ah, do you see, it really is indigenously a Christian thing? The Bible in a lot of ways is the correspondence course, that we access every  day, and the Word of God is there. And the Holy Spirit encourages us. If we have a question,  maybe we'll ask our local minister or will in these courses will learn Ministry training along the way. So this seed this operating system of being teachable, and getting mentors, is vitally  important as we become ministers, and reach people and encourage people in our Lord Jesus  Christ.