Mentoring

“Ownership, and
Empowerment in
Youth Ministry”

Paul J. Harris
Youth Representative
GUYC, Executive Committee
 ■ Common mentoring
terms
Topical Areas ■ Mentoring definition

■ Types of mentoring

■ Mentoring History
Topical Areas

• Biblical Mentors
• Biblical view of mentorship
• SOP view of Mentorship
• Empowering Youth
• Assignments
 What is a Mentor?
• “Mentor” isn’t as common
a word as some others we
would more commonly use
for people in a similar role:
❑Coach
❑Teacher
❑Tutor
❑Advisor
❑Friend
 • Are there other words you can think of for the
ACTIVITY: influential roles people play in our lives?
WHAT DID • Think of five people outside of your immediate
YOU CALL family who have been influential in your life.
THEM? • Write down their names and the title or
relationship you had/have with that person
(without using the term, ‘mentor’).
What did you call them?
• We tend to use many
different terms to describe
people of influence in our
lives.
• But they all act as mentors
when we allow them to be
a positive influence in our
own lives.
 A mentor is….
• A mentor is more than just a coach or a
teacher, or even a relative.
• A mentor is a person who is in one of
those influential roles, but ALSO takes
an interest in the development of
another person.
• The key word here is ‘also’.
• This is a person who comes into contact
with us somehow, but ‘also’ takes an
interest in who we are.
 DISCUSS:
• Did the fact that the writer couldn’t
think of a mentor mean that there were
none?
• From what is written, name some of the
key factors in this mentoring
A mentor is relationship.
ALSO… • How did the couple show they were
interested in the writer?
• What guesses can you make about how
the mentors ‘shaped’ the life of the
writer?
• Why do you think it is important that the
couple viewed the writer as ‘unique’?
Definition of Mentoring

• Mentoring is an
intentional relationship
where one person
encourages another to
realize their potential.
 ACTIVITY:

With a partner decide what you see as the three

most important words in this definition.
 • A mentor is intentional about being a positive
influence in another person’s life. The intention is
positive and encouraging.
Mentoring • Mentoring is also a relationship. It involves two
Concepts people who interact with each other.
• A mentor can invite a relationship but cannot force
or create it as an individual.
• There must be a response from the other person.
Mentoring Concepts

•A mentor encourages
another person to realise
potential.
• Mentoring is positive. A
mentor sees potential and
fosters it.
• A mentor is there to
acknowledge potential and
intentionally seek to develop
it in another person.
 Mentoring the “other” person

Mentor: Mentee

Mentor: Mentoree

Mentor: Protégé

Mentor: Partner
 Intentional Mentoring
Intentional mentoring involves a process of invitation
and response.

That is, one party takes an interest, remains open or

‘invites’ another person to be in a positive, supportive
relationship.
If the other person responds positively, the two can
then enter a mentoring relationship.
Mentoring is a process of Invitation and Response

• One person invites another to be a part of their life and the other
person either accepts or rejects that invitation.
• For instance, an older person may ‘invite’ a younger person to learn
from them, to be encouraged by them or just spend time together.
• The older person is ‘offering’ to be a mentor to a younger mentor
‘partner’. The younger person can accept or reject the offer.
• Or — a younger person could ask (or ‘invite’) an older person to be a
mentor for them.
• The older person also has the right to accept or reject the offer.
 Mentoring Relationships
Can take several forms:
• It can consist of frequent contacts and may last
for a long period of time.
• Consist of only occasional contact.
• Happen only once for a short period of time.
• Could be quite casual and not even be
acknowledged as a ‘mentoring’ relationship.
• Could also be quite structured or formal so that
both people clearly know their roles in the
relationship.
 Major Types of Mentoring
Informal Mentoring:
• An older person takes an interest in the life of an adolescent or
youth without being formally invited by the younger person.
• This is the most common mentoring, one that most of us do
naturally.
• This is the mentor who is in our lives and taking an interest in
us, but we may not acknowledge it as formal ‘mentoring’.
• Invitation — Mentor: I’m interested in you
• Response — Partner: I recognize you as a positive person
in my life
 Major Types of Mentoring
Situational Mentoring
• Mentor and partner are involved together in an
activity for a determined period.
• This is the kind of short-term mentoring relationship
that happens often at school, or at a camp, or
sometimes in a sporting club.
• The relationship only lasts for a short period of time,
and it may or may not be formally acknowledged.
• Again, in this type of mentoring, the mentor is offering
to be a positive influence in the life of the younger
person. That invitation may or may not be accepted.
 Major Types of
Mentoring
• Invitation — Mentor:
I’ll show an interest in
you
• Response — Partner:
I may or may not
acknowledge you as a
mentor at this time
 Invitational Mentoring
• Partner and mentor engage in a formal mentoring
Major Types relationship.
of Mentoring • This type of mentoring relationship is one where the
mentor partner asks a person to be a mentor.
• It is quite different from the other two because now
the partner is inviting a mentor to be a part of his/her
life.
• It could either be long term or only for a short time
period.
 Major Types of
Mentoring

• Invitation-Partner: I would
like you to be a mentor in my
life
• Response-Mentor: I will
commit to being involved as
a mentor in your life
Major Types of Mentoring

Life Mentoring
• Partner and mentor develop an ongoing
relationship leading to a more equally
balanced friendship.
• In this situation, the mentoring relationship
has evolved over a period of time so that the
relationship turns more and more into
friendship and becomes more ‘equal’ with
time.
 Major Types of Mentoring

Invitation — Partner: I will

continue to value you as a
mentor in my life

Response — Mentor: I will allow

our mentoring relationship to
develop into a friendship
 Major Types of Mentoring
•A mentoring relationship can
progress from one type of mentoring
to another.
• Informal or Situational mentoring
could develop into an invitational
mentoring relationship.
• In that situation, a relationship will
have already begun — and then the
mentor partner would have asked the
mentor to formally be a mentor.
 Mentoring can also continue to
develop into life mentoring.
Major
Types of
What may have started as a
Mentoring young person and an adult
mentor might finish years later
as adult friends in a lifelong
mentoring relationship.
 • In Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek warrior
Odysseus leaves his wife and his young
son, Telemarchus, at home while he
journeys to fight in the Trojan War.
• To ensure that his son is adequately
cared for, Odysseus appoints a teacher
History named Mentor to tutor the boy and act
as a guardian and friend while he is
away.
• The siege of Troy lasts ten years, and it
takes Odysseus another ten years to
find his way home.
 • When he finally returns, he finds
that Telemarchus has developed
into a fine young man, thanks to
the faithful tutelage of Mentor.
History • This 3000-year-old story gives us
the modern term ‘mentor’ to
describe a close, trusted,
experienced counselor and guide.
Biblical Mentors

Jethro and Jonathan and Elijah and

Moses Ex David 1 Sam Elisha 1 Kings
18:13–27 18:1–4 19:19–21

Jesus and
Eunice and
Disciple Matt
Lois 1 Tim 1:5
16:20
WHAT DOES THE
BIBLE SAY ?

• The spiritual potential of

young people:
“I have written to you, young
men, because you are strong,
and the word of God dwells in
you, and you have conquered
the evil” (1 John 2:14).
“Strength is the glory of young
men” (Proverbs 20:29).
 Jesus began His official ministry at 30,
but He began giving spiritual guidance as
needed, even to temple leaders, at 12.
WHAT DOES THE

The spiritual work to be done by elders is the

BIBLE SAY ?

same as that of the youth.

“Treat younger men as brothers, older women

as mothers, and younger women as sisters,
with absolute purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
 • Young people have deep spiritual
abilities. They have the same
spiritual potentialities as adults.
• “I have written to you, young men,
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE because you are strong, and the
SAY ? word of God dwells in you, and you
have conquered the evil” (1 John
2:14).
 WHAT DOES THE
SOP SAY?

• The Spirit of Prophecy shows

the importance of the
emphasis that should be
given to the youth:
• “Let not the youth be
ignored; let them share in the
labors and responsibility. Let
them feel they are part of the
act in helping and blessing
others” (6T, p.435).
 WHAT DOES THE SOP SAY?
• “Very much has been lost to the
cause of God because of inattention
to the young. Ministers of the gospel
should form a happy acquaintance
with the youth of their congregations.
There is great reluctance on the part
of many to become acquainted with
the youth, but it is accounted of
Heaven a great neglect of duty, a sin
against the souls for whom Christ has
died.” (Pastoral Ministry, p.275)
 The need of mentors:
• “We should seek to enter into the
feeling of the youth, sympathizing
WHAT with them in their joys and sorrows,
DOES THE their conflicts and victories. Jesus
did not remain in heaven, away from
SOP SAY? the sorrowing and sinful; He came
down to this world, that He might
become acquainted with the
weakness, … ” (Gospel Workers, p.
209).
 WHAT DOES THE
SOP SAY?
• Give them responsibilities:

• “God wants the youth to become

men of earnest mind, to be prepared
for action in His noble work, and
fitted to bear
responsibilities”(Messages to Young
People, p. 21).
 QUOTES
Involvement of young people in the life of the church is the most
effective means of developing their spiritual life and preserving it.
When they feel part of the ecclesiastical structure, they will have a
sense of belonging and they will remain in the church.

It is time for leaders to seize the moment by recognizing the spiritual

gifts of the youth and elevating them to positions of leadership as
they are trained for them and develop the abilities.

We need to have a plan in place for passing on the baton of mission

and leadership. It must be an intentional effort and a thorough
promotion and advocacy by the youth leader to the church
leadership.
EMPOWERMENT OF
YOUTH
Help them gain experience by :
• Giving them responsibilities
in the church
• Involving them in the life of
the church
• Helping them grow in
knowledge
• Giving them opportunities to
take initiative
EMPOWERMENT OF
YOUTH
Help them gain experience by:
• Giving them authority
• Implementing program with
them and for them
• Allow them to make mistakes
• Guide gently
 EMPOWERMENT OF
YOUTH
WELCOME THEM
• Wilson's (2017) advice to pastors
and leaders regarding mentoring is
that the leaders should not try to
control or hold them back from
moving forward with producing good
biblical fruit (Matthew 7:17, Phil 4:8).
• Listening to them. “outside of our
own boxes”
• Learn from them. Symbiotic
relationship
EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH
• MENTOR THEM

• Mentoring is an intentional
relationship that is created
between a less experienced
person and an experienced one.
• The experienced person thus
becomes a growth model for the
inexperienced one.
EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH
• Praying with
Spiritual them
Accompaniment • Life
exemple
Help in Healthy
relationship
Practical
Help in choice
activities
of partner
Physical
Social Support
Nuclear family
Mentoring Accompaniment
School family
Church family Help to have a
Life of
commitment
Help them
Moral “Cleanse their
Accompanime way”

nt
 EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH
Practical mentoring
Young
Choir Mentors
Mus
To Choir
Director become Director
Sabbath Young To
Mentors
Teacher Unit Teacher
School become
Leader Young
Elder or Mentors Elder or
Leader To
Pastor become Pastor, etc
EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH
• Try the youth in the church
• Give them the key to put on the
church machine
• Permit them to drive the
machine
• Permit them to make mistakes
and show them the right thing
with love
• Give them the sense of
belonging to their church family
 WHAT TO DO?
• Have a strong will of the community to
welcome them.
• Help the congregation develop
dedicated and trained mentors.
• Invite young people to participate in
events that will strengthen them
spiritually, intellectually, physically, etc.
 WHAT TO DO?

• Encourage and allow them to

organize activities, camps, sports
events, etc.
• Give them opportunities to lead
church programs.
• Appoint young people in diverse
positions of the church and train
them to perform. They will do better
and better each time they try.
 WHAT TO DO?
• 7. Value them. Say and it show it
• 8. Invest time in them. Be
accessible
• 9. Be real. Its OK to be Vulnerable
• 10. Stay true to Principle.
Methodology can be altered.
 ASSIGNMENTS
Identify the departments of your church and prepare a report
showing how many young people are appointed in each area.
(use graphs to depict)
Prepare a report on the involvement of the youth in the
church’s spiritual program during each quarter.

Choose a young person and mentor him/her for a year

and provide quarterly progress reports.
Organize a church activity led by the youth for the entire
church. (Evangelism, Sabbath program, etc.) This should be
done at least yearly.
 • Young people have plenty of strength,
energy, and ideas, and as they usually
have time they can commit
themselves fully (and free of charge)
to the church.
Conclusion • The sooner the young person feels
needed and important, the more loyal
they will become, and the more
difficult it will be for them to leave the
church.