“I want to be just like you when I grow up.” How often mothers hear this from their young children. It starts at an early age, the desire to emulate people we admire. And it never ends. As teenagers, we try to copy the look and attitude of our favorite celebrities. As adults, we seek to be more like the successful people we envy.
Mentoring
January is National Mentoring Month, a time that encourages people to become a mentor to someone. While the focus is often on helping young people, everyone still needs a mentor – someone to look up to.
As a Christian woman in ministry, someone is always watching you. This is a golden opportunity to take that person by the hand and equip her for ministry. She may be the quiet one at your meetings, the one who helps out in the background but is too afraid to get more involved. She may be someone in your church who would make a great helper in a key role but is too busy to volunteer.
Making Time
If you are like most women who are involved in ministry, you already have a full schedule. How can you fit one more thing in? The idea of mentoring seems like a “nice idea” but not a requirement for ministry. However, when you look at your current place in ministry, who do you see replacing you in five or ten years or even sooner? If you want your ministry to continue on even after you have moved on, you need to train up future ministers.
You might be surprised to find out that having a mentee actually gives you more time. She helps you out with tasks while you provide guidance and support. As she becomes more independent at these jobs, you have more time to think about your future role.
Jesus was extremely busy in His years of ministry, and yet He recognized the importance of training the twelve disciples to continue on after His death. He spent time teaching them, praying with them and fellowshipping with them. In return, they learned more about Him and His ministry and were able to become the leaders He knew they would be.
Don’t forget that sometimes the most unlikely person can be the one you should be mentoring. Remember Peter? Headstrong, rush-in-without-thinking, fearful Peter? He ended up having a powerful ministry that changed thousands of lives. That ministry couldn’t have happened without spending time with Jesus.
Impact lives today by being involved in ministry. Impact them tomorrow by mentoring others and developing them for ministry.
