The Importance of Mentorship
As a young adult living in an ever-changing, fast-paced world, influence is heavy. The influence of my friends, peers, adults, and even my parents stirs my thoughts. As I seek to grow closer to the Lord and grow in my spiritual life with Christ, I find more and more that having mentors is an incredibly valuable gift. With this in mind, I believe that there are 5 key facets that should frame our approach to mentorship.
1. Pursuit of Christ
Above all else, pursuing Christ is the ultimate goal. Mentorship is just a tool that we use to encourage one another in our walk with Jesus. In reality, the job of a mentor is to point the mentee back to Jesus. Take Paul for instance. Titus 3:14 says, “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.”
Paul’s encouragement to Titus is that we must learn devotion. Devotion means fervent and prayerful worship that continues habitually. The walk of a Christian is zeal and servitude as a way of living. It’s taking up our cross daily and serving Him with all we are. As we pursue Christ, we must pursue Him with our devotion.
2. People Pursuit
As a Christian ministry major, I want and have gained content and character formation from some of my professors and the students I live with on campus. This summer, I have entered a new sphere of influence. Intentionally, I’m seeking to find more wise mentors as I am here studying and working as a Resident Intern. In our congregation, I see endless possibilities for mentors. I think a lot of the time people wait around for a mentor to appear and help them instead of seeking out Christians that they see actively following Jesus. Mentorship does not always have to start with the mentor but can start with the mentee. However, this goes both ways. If you feel you have something to offer in the field of mentorship, pursue it.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8).
3. The Great Commission
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:16-20).
One of the most important benefits to mentorship is that it fulfills the Great Commission. Shortly before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave this command to the apostles: go into the nations and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything the Lord has commanded. As Christians we are called to be a witness of Christ and all He has done as we teach and make teachers of His great name. Mentorship is exactly this: A tool we can use for making disciples for God’s Kingdom.
4. Formal & Informal
Mentorship in its essence is walking closely with others as you grow to become more like Christ. This can look different for everyone, and therefore can be a formal and informal walk. This could include formal meetings with a mentor (or mentee if you are the mentor) where you meet regularly, or maybe this is just a friend that you do life with that adds to your life.
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:9-10).
I consider many of my friends and professors to be mentors in my life. In addition to these informal mentors, I have a mentor that I meet with formally. Honestly, any mentoring relationship can be formal if it’s intentional. If we come into learning and teaching with the intentionality of growing in the Lord for His glory alone, we are approaching mentorship right.
5. Fruit of the Spirit
When we pursue mentorship there are some traits that we should strive for. The Bible gives us a clear picture of what we should look and strive for as we continually seek Christ with our whole heart. In Galatians 5, Paul describes the life after the flesh, using the Fruit of the Spirit. Through this picture, we see that the Fruit of the Spirit has one work to do in all of the body of Christ. Fruit is not achieved by working but is planted through abiding. It nourishes, attracts, and is fragile to our existence.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth”
Martin Luther even concludes that “It would have been enough to mention only love, for it embraces all [the attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit].”
As you seek out mentorship within your life, I encourage you to pray fervently. Pray that your spirit would be teachable and discerning. We are all on a journey, and our walk as Christians will always be filled with more to gain and more to earn. We will never be enough; we can only work to know Him and His word more each day. As the ever-growing Body of Christ, our daily goal should be devotion, a teachable spirit, and discernment. I pray that as we grow together, our Fruit will be good and pleasing to our Father.
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16).
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).