Leadership – Page 7 – LifeCoach4God

15 Great Questions for Personal Evaluation by Carson Pue

(Adapted from *Carson Pue, Mentoring Leaders, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2005, p. 243)

Spiritual Questions

Distractions: Have you used anything other than God in an attempt to meet your emotional or spiritual needs this week?

God’s Word: Have you been purposefully filling your mind with the knowledge of God’s Word daily? If not, how often? How do you plan to change?

Fasting: Have you fasted and prayed in the last month? If not, when was the last time? When have you next scheduled these disciplines?

Obedience: Is your conscience clear? If not, why? How do you plan to attain a clear conscience?

Physical Health Questions

Sleep: Are you getting enough sleep each night? If not, how much are you getting? How do you plan to change?

Exercise: Are you exercising daily? If not, how often are you exercising? How do you plan to change?

Eating: Are you eating properly? If not, what are you eating/not eating? How do you plan to change?

Substances: Are you abusing harmful substances? If not, when and how often have you taken them? How do you plan to change?

Action Oriented Questions

Finances: Where are you financially right now? Are things under control? Are you feeling anxious? Is there any great debt? How are you planning to proceed in this area of your life?

Purity: Have you kept your mind pure (thoughts of anger, bitterness, movies, magazines, Internet pornography, other)? If not, when did you fall?

What temptations need to be removed or precautions taken to prevent it?

Material Goods: Do you have anything that is used for evil needing to be destroyed or removed? If so, what? When and how will you (we) destroy or remove them?

Control: Have you lost control either verbally or otherwise since we last met? If so, when? When and how will you do something to restore and correct your actions?

Relational Questions

Deposits: Have you made positive emotional and spiritual deposits with your kids and your spouse? If not, why? What might you be able to do to make this a natural response?

Family: Have you offended any family member since we last met? If so, when? When and how will you restore and correct those actions?

Truthfulness: Have you told the whole truth in your answers to the questions I have asked you? If not, what do you need to correct? What actions do we need to take to stay and remain accountable?

Process: Is the asking of any of these questions adequate for you? If not, what changes are needed? Who else needs to be a part of this process?

*Carson Pue is the Executive Director at First Baptist Church right smack in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada. He describes the church this way, “Congregating in this historic stone building in the very heart of the downtown is a community. We are young, old and in-between, rich, poor, employed and re-training, multicultural, families and singles, Bible scholars, seekers. All share a heart for the city.”

For fourteen years Carson served as CEO of Arrow Leadership a ministry recognized as a global leader in Christian leadership development. Arrow develops leaders worldwide “to be led more by Jesus, lead more like Jesus, and to lead more to Jesus.” They have been highly successful in transforming and enriching the lives and leadership of men and women who are now deployed around the world.

Recognized as a leader of leaders Carson has an ability to identify leaders and invest wisdom into their development through mentoring, teaching and spiritual guidance.He is also best-selling author: “Mentoring Leaders: Wisdom for Developing Character, Calling and Competency” by Baker Books and his new Mentoring Wisdom: Living and leading well. Carson is known through his speaking at conferences, published articles, national radio programs and commentaries. Through referrals over 50,000 leaders benefit from his monthly leadership emails “To the Point” “Mentoring Questions” and magazine columns.

With his encouraging style, creative ideas, engaging humor and ministry experience, people find Carson well fitted for his role. In a straightforward manner Carson shares both from success and failure in ministry, believing that leaders learn from both. He is a popular keynote speaker on themes around leadership, spiritual development and the realities of being a pastor today.Carson extends his leadership by serving on the board of directors for World Vision, Crossroad Communications and CTS Television Network. In addition he is an advisor for the boards of The Billy Graham Center, Truefaced, and the Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization. He is a trusted advisor to Christian leaders across Canada and the USA and connects globally with The Lausanne Movement and World Evangelical Alliance.

When not traveling the world encouraging leaders, he loves sailing with his BFF and first mateBrenda whom he has been married to since 1976. He loves time with his three sons, two daughters by marriage and three grandsons. He is also restored by laughter, sailing, Ireland, writing and spiritual retreats.

What is the Difference Between Discipleship & Mentoring? By Ted Engstrom

“A discipler is one who helps an understudy (1) give up his own will for the will of God the Father, (2) live daily a life of spiritual sacrifice for the glory of Christ, and (3) strive to be consistently obedient to the commands of his Master. A mentor, on the other hand, provides modeling, close supervision on special projects, individualized help in many areas—discipline, encouragement, correction, confrontation, and a calling to accountability.” – Ted Engstrom (The Fine Art of Mentoring, recently re-published by Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008 )

Dr. Ted W. Engstrom (1916-2006) dedicated his life to effective Christian ministry leadership. His 60 years of Christian service include careers as Christian book editor at Zondervan, president of Youth for Christ International, president of World Vision, and author of more than 50 books. He was a board member for dozens of Christian organizations and assisted religious and political leaders in 136 other countries where he stood as a model of godly leadership.

The Importance of Reproducing Leaders by Neil Cole

“If you can’t reproduce disciples, you can’t reproduce leaders. If you can’t reproduce leaders, you can’t reproduce churches. If you can’t reproduce churches, you can’t reproduce movements.” – Niel Cole, Qouted in the book The Forgotten Ways, by Alan Hirsch, p.119

Neil Cole was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. While studying at CSULB he encountered the Good News of Jesus Christ and turned his life over to Him, never looking back. His journey in God’s kingdom brought him to serve in a mega church, a local community church and now small rapidly multiplying organic churches that meet in homes, campuses and places of business all over the world. Neil travels around the world sowing the seeds of God’s kingdom, catalyzing the development of organic church networks and coaching leaders. He has been married for over 27 years to Dana and has three adult children–Heather, Erin and Zach.

Twelve Steps Toward Balance by Carson Pue

12 WAYS TO BRING MORE BALANCE INTO YOUR LIFE

(Adapted from *Carson Pue, Mentoring Leaders, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2005, p. 227)

(1) Set boundaries…If you don’t set boundaries, other people will set them for you. Establish ones that are healthy for you and your family without taking advantage of the ministry God has called you to do.

(2) Watch, ask, and listen…Observe other leaders and talk with a mentor about managing the demands of ministry, marriage, and family life.

(3) Work smarter, not harder…Often people default to do what is easiest first, rather than those things that are most important.

(4) Make appointments…Entries in our day planner should reflect what’s important to us, such as family, reading times, time for neighbors and friends, etc. Write them in!

(5) Begin small…Give yourself the gift of a couple of hours of freedom. Then expand it to a half-day block of time.

(6) Leave work at the office…Or it can ruin your days off, cause feelings of guilt, consume emotional energy; turn off your cell phone, BlackBerry, etc.

(7) Teach yourself to grow into your leisure time…It takes practice, but it’s fun. Develop a healthy theology of leisure.

(8) Find other ways to get all the work done…Keep chipping away at the tasks and delegate.

(9) Let people know when you are “off”…Keep staff informed and set boundaries.

(10) Find ways to clear your mind after work…Take an hour every Friday to organize your next week; it helps to unclutter your mind for the weekend.

(11) Create more space around activities…Resist packing more into each day, and instead build a little margin into your activities.

(12) Learn to not over schedule errands…Avoid pushing all your personal errands onto your days off.

Carson is today the Executive Director at First Baptist Church right smack in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada. He describes the church this way, “Congregating in this historic stone building in the very heart of the downtown is a community. We are young, old and in-between, rich, poor, employed and re-training, multicultural, families and singles, Bible scholars, seekers. All share a heart for the city.”

For fourteen years Carson served as CEO of Arrow Leadership a ministry recognized as a global leader in Christian leadership development. Arrow develops leaders worldwide “to be led more by Jesus, lead more like Jesus, and to lead more to Jesus.” They have been highly successful in transforming and enriching the lives and leadership of men and women who are now deployed around the world.

Developing Vision in Those You Are Mentoring By Asking Great Questions by Bobb Biehl

Developing Vision in Your Mentoree/Disciple

(Adapted from Bobb Biehl, Mentoring, pp. 201-202)

DREAMING…about the Future in a Practical Way

God: What three changes in me would most please our Eternal God in His Holy Heaven?

Dream/Purpose: What can I do to make the most significant difference for God in my lifetime? Why am I on the earth? What is the very best organizational context for my dream?

Primary Result: What is the single best measurable indicator that I am making progress with my dream?

Life Priorities: If I could accomplish only three measurable priorities before I die, what would I accomplish?

Ten-Year Focus: If I could accomplish only three measurable priorities in the next ten years what would make a 50% difference in my life-long contribution, what would I accomplish?

Annual Focus:

Focus – What single word best captures the focus of my next year?

Opportunity – Where was my greatest unexpected success last year? Why? What three steps could I take now to take full advantage of this “Window of Opportunity” this coming year?

Land Mines – What three land mines or roadblocks need my immediate attention? What have I been praying most about in the past 30 days? What three changes could reduce my “risk” by 50%?

30/10/50% – If I could only accomplish three measurable priorities in the next twelve months that would make a 50% difference in my contribution in the next ten years, which 3 things would I most want to accomplish?

Quarterly Focus: What three measurable priorities could I accomplish in the next ninety days to make a 50% difference in the results I see by the end of the year?

Organization: What three categories could I make to see a 50% difference in our morale as a family or team?

Cash: If I had to cut my budget 21%, what would be the first three things to go? If I got a surprise gift of 21% of my budget, what three things would I do immediately?

Quality: What three changes could improve the quality of my work by 50% in the next twelve months?

*Bobb Biehl is an executive mentor. He graduated from Michigan State University (psychology major) in 1964 and received a Master’s degree (counseling) from Michigan State in 1966.

In 1976, Bobb founded Masterplanning Group International. As its president, he has consulted personally with over 400 clients. In that time, he has met one-on-one with over 3,500 executives (board members, senior executives, and staff members) and invested an estimated 40,000 hours in private sessions with some of the finest leaders of our generation. His clients are primarily large or fast-growing churches, nonprofit organizations, for profit corporations, and government agencies.

Based on these thousands of hours of practical “rubber-meets-the-runway” experience, Bobb has originated 35 resources (books, tapes, notebooks) in the area of personal and organizational development. These resources include published books entitled Boardroom Confidence, Dreaming, Leading with Confidence, Masterplanning, Mentoring, Stop Setting Goals, and Why You Do What You Do. His latest book, Dreaming Big, is co-authored with Dr. Paul Swets.

Bobb is a founding member of the board of directors of Focus on the Family. He is also a member of the board of directors of Liquid Metal (publicly traded). Prior to starting Masterplanning Group, Bobb was on the executive staff of World Vision International. While at World Vision he designed and developed the Love Loaf program, which has raised millions of dollars worldwide.

Bobb and his wife, Cheryl, have been married since 1964.

5 Rules I Follow When Meeting With A Mentor by Perry Noble

From *Perry Noble’s Blog (http://www.perrynoble.com) March 28, 2012

I originally posted this back in 2008…but I modified it just a tad and really thought it was necessary to share again…I have had the privilege of being mentored by some incredible leaders, some you would know, others you might not–but nonetheless, God has used them to teach me SO MUCH about life and ministry.Over the years I have developed five rules for meeting with a mentor that I would love to share here today…you may agree or disagree, all I know is that they have worked for me.

#1 – I Always Adjust To Their Schedule–ALWAYS!

When I am attempting to set up an appointment with someone I want to meet with–I always ask them (or their assistant) to throw two or three dates at me that is most convenient for them…and then I adjust my schedule to make the meeting happen.I NEVER send them the times I want and then ask them to adjust their schedules. I am the one who wants the meeting…and if they are available to me I will bend over backwards to hang out with them.

#2 – I Am Always Early For The Appointment

If I am driving from out of town I always make sure I arrive around 30 minutes early. If I get there TOO early then I will find a coffee shop–OR break out a book (ALWAYS have a book with you.) AND…if I see I am going to be late because of traffic or unforeseen circumstance I always give them (or their assistant) a call informing them that I am on my way. (I do this EVEN if I am going to be five minutes late–to me it’s simply a matter of respect.) Usually I will arrive at the person’s office to meet them about 15 minutes early…and quite a few times the person I am meeting with has been ready, thus giving me “bonus time!”

#3 – I Have A List Of At Least Five Questions That I Want To Ask.

I remember John Maxwell saying to me once, “I will mentor you, but you have to ask the questions. I am not preparing a lesson for you…YOU guide this meeting. If you want to know something–ASK. If you don’t ask anything then we don’t really have anything to talk about.” SO…anytime I meet with a mentor (especially JOHN) I am LOADED with questions. Sometimes I get them all answered…sometimes I don’t…but I NEVER walk into a meeting without having a list of what I would like to know.

#4 – I Don’t Talk About Myself Unless They Ask.

When I meet with a mentor I don’t spend 30 minutes telling them about myself, my daily routine, my philosophy of ministry and how good I think I am. I ask questions and then SHUT UP! If I disagree I do not argue; in fact, if I disagree with something I will usually ask them to explain their point of view a little more…which often times has helped me in SO many ways as I have learned that I really can love people even if we disagree! If they ask me a question in regards to what I believe about certain things then I will answer…if not then I will keep on asking them my questions. They didn’t ask to meet with me…I wanted to meet with them–TO LEARN from them, not debate them.

#5 – I Always Send A Note/Gift Saying Thanks.

I haven’t done this until recently…but anytime someone gives me time I will send them a Starbucks gift card or a restaurant gift card–just to thank them for the time. (And I jot them about a four sentence note–NOT A BOOK, but a note.) Those are my rules…hope they help!

*Perry Noble is the Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church, located in Anderson, SC.

10 Qualifications of a Church Planter by Scott Thomas

By *Scott Thomas  Former Acts 29 President and Director

The qualities of a successful basketball player are consistent. He or she can dribble, shoot, pass, play defense, rebound, play as a team, think, move quickly and work hard. They don’t have to do all of these at the same level but all of the qualities characterize a succesful player at the highest level.

Church planters similarily have qualities that determine their God-given capacity to plant a reproducing church.

Chuck Ridley, professor at Texas A&M University compiled the germinal research on church planting assessments with his Church Planter Profile (CPP). Most assessment instruments start with Ridley’s 13 characteristics in mind as they formulate their own church planter profiles. (Charles R. Ridley and Tweed Moore, ChurchSmart Resources). This is the most utilized profile in church planter selection. The first six on the list are what he calls “knock-out factors,” meaning these are, according to Ridley, non-negotiable.

(1) Visioning Capacity

(2) Personal Motivation

(3) Creating Ownership of Ministry/Building a Core Team

(4) Reaching the Un-churched

(5) Spousal Cooperation

(6) Relationship Building

(7) Commitment to a Healthy Reproducing Church

(8) Responsiveness to Community

(9) Gift Utilization

(10) Flexibility and Adaptability

(11) Builds Group Cohesiveness

(12) Resilience

(13) Exercising Faith

I told Chuck that my challenge with his outstanding list was that one doesn’t have to be a Christian or be competent theologically or biblically to qualify. His gracious response was that a planter’s sending church or denomination will have already examined that. I would hesitate to assume those two factors today.

My friend, J. Allen Thompson, PhD, is an expert in church planter assessment and regular consultant for Redeemer Presbyterian. He compiled the following list of 18 characteristics of a successful church planter. He also compiled a list for wives that will be covered elsewhere. Allen divides his categories into personal, ministerial and intrapersonal characteristics. (J. Allen Thompson, Church Planter Competencies as Perceived by Church Planters and Assessment Center Leaders: a protestant North American study, Ph.D. dissertation, Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois, 1995. To complete the profile positive and negative indicators are supplied for each characteristic.)

Personal Characteristics

(1) Prayer

(2) Spiritual Vitality

(3) Integrity

(4) God’s Call

(5) Family Life:

(6) Conscientiousness

(7) Humility

Ministerial Characteristics

(1) Leadership

(2) Evangelism

(3) Management

(4) Preaching

(5) Philosophy of Ministry

(6) Training leaders

Interpersonal Characteristics

(1) Flexibility

(2) Likeability

(3) Emotional stability

(4) Sensitivity

(5) Dynamism

Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church compiled a list of 20 characteristics for a church planter. He divided them into eight clusters.

(1) Humility Cluster

(2) Love Cluster

(3) Integrity Cluster

(4) Spirituality Cluster

(5) Nurture Cluster

(6) Communication Cluster

(7) Leadership Cluster

(8) Mission Cluster

Although it seems a little reductionist and arrogant to make a list of what a church looks like, I humbly offer ten qualities based on evidence in the Acts 29 Network, Ridley, Thompson, Keller as well as Dr. Bob Logan and a plethora of books and articles associated with church planting. After reading this list, some men may be more discouraged from church planting than drawn to it. Church planting is difficult for the most qualified men and nearly impossible for those unqualified. If a man does not have the essential tools for the job, he will frustrate himself and everyone around him.

The following ten qualities are in prioritized order as the Acts 29 members rank them. We will look at all ten of these qualities over the course of a year beginning with Spiritual Vitality. It is our goal to produce small e-books covering each of the ten qualities and then produce a book length e-book that will help church planters and those developing them as they explore the mission of making disciples through the planting of reproductive churches.

(1) Spiritual Vitality

(2) Strong Marriage and Family Life

(3) Theological Clarity

(4) Missional Lifestyle

(5) Emotional Health

(6) Entrepreneurial Aptitude

(7) Disciple-Making Skills

(8) Leadership Abilities

(9) Clarity and Strength of Calling

(10) Relationship Building

Church Plant Stoppers

In addition to the ten qualities of a church planter, Thompson’s research adds a section he calls Church Plant Stallers/Stoppers. Acts 29 has adapted this into their assessment as well to address self-centeredness. Church leaders must find their identity in Christ’s forgiveness and acceptance. When they are overly preoccupied with themselves they show signs of insecurity, pride, love of attention and acclaim and at times irritation and anger. Being eager for quick success they may cut corners and betray trust. The following characteristics may curb a church plant from maturing and reproducing.

Arrogance: displays conceited self-sufficiency.

Betraying of trust: breaks confidence placed in him by others.

Unethical Lifestyle: lives on the margins of moral standards and values.

Conclusion

Mark Dever has said the local church, in all its glory, makes the audible gospel visible [A Display of God’s Glory (9marks: Washington, D.C., 2001)]. The gospel is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Jesus Christ died and rose again and ascended. The Church is His Body here on earth. The place where Jesus Christ is made visible is His Body, not just by one individual. When one meets a congregation that is “displaying God’s glory” faithfully, one encounters Jesus in one sense. So planting a church is an exercise in making visible the audible gospel of the Blessed God.

What if I am called to plant a church? What if I am not sure? What do I do?

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:12-16).

*Scott Thomas was the President of Acts 29 Network and now is the Pastor of Global Church at Mars Hill Church. Scott has been a pastor for 30 years—first as a youth pastor and then as a lead pastor and church planter/church replanter for 16 years.

The Discipleship Process by Glenn C. Daman

Going From Conversion To Completion in Christ in the Discipleship Process:

(Adapted from Glenn C. Daman’s Shepherding the Small Church, Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2008, p. 170)

STAGE 1 – INFANT	STAGE 2 – MATURE	STAGE 3 – LEADER
Scripture Reading	Doctrine & Theology	Leadership Skills
Prayer	Bible Study Skills	Mentoring Relationships
Obedience	Conduct	Personal Vision
Fellowship	Service	Encourage Others
Service	Disciple Infants	Disciple the Mature
Stewardship	Shedding the Horizontal	Vertically Focused

20 Questions to Ask in Getting to Know Your Mentoree/Disciple by Bobb Biehl

*(Adapted from Bobb Biehl, Mentoring, pp. 197-200)

1) What do you see as your top three strengths in rank order?

2) What ten specific measurable things do you want to get done before age 65?

3) What do you consider your lifework?

4) What are your three deepest personal needs which make you potentially vulnerable…morally, ethically or legally?

5) Which three people threaten you most personally? Why?

6) Who are the three people who are (or could be) your mentors/disciplers?

7) Who are three people who could be your mentorees/disciples?

8) What is your “preferred ideal hope-to-have-someday” title (president, doctor, teacher, friend, encourager, leader, etc.)?

9) What three things would you most like to change about yourself if you could? Why?

10) What three things are you most committed to doing before you die?

11) What three things do you feel are your greatest roadblocks in your life at this point?

12) In what three areas would you most like to grow personally in the next one to five years?

13) What one to three things are keeping you from being as close to God as you would like?

14) How do you picture yourself in ten years, ideally?

15) What one subject would you most like to share from your heart of hearts that you have never been able to put into words?

16) What have been your life’s: a) Milestones? b) Traumas? c) Questions?

17) How would you describe your general style of leading?

18) How would you describe your relationship with each of your immediate family members when you were growing up?

19) What three relational bridges do you need/want to rebuild?

20) Who are your five closest friends? Why?

* Bobb Biehl is an Executive Mentor. His personal dream is “Strengthening Christian Leaders Internationally”. In 1976, he founded Masterplanning Group International. As its president, he has consulted personally with over 500 clients. In that time, he has met one-to-one with over 5,000 executives (board members, senior executives, and staff members) and invested an estimated 50,000 hours in private sessions with some of the finest leaders of our generation. His clients are primarily: For-profit corporations; Government agencies; Large or fast-growing churches and Nonprofit organizations. Bobb is a proven “Behind the Scenes” leader. He consistently brings practical / proven insight to the process of Leading, Managing, and Living life. His experience is reflected in all of the practical proven tools available on this web site … each designed to make you an even stronger Christian leader.

What is Biblical Mentoring? By David P. Craig

Mentoring: What it is and Why it’s Practice is Crucial

“Mentoring is a relational experience in which one person empowers another by sharing God-given resources.” – Paul Stanley & J.R. Clinton

“Discipling is a relational process in which a more experienced follower of Christ shares with a newer believer the commitment, understanding, and basic skills necessary to know and obey Jesus as Lord.” – Paul Stanley & J.R. Clinton

“Mentoring is a process of opening our lives to others, of sharing our lives with others; a process of living for the next generation.” – Ron Lee Davis

“If you are planting for a year, plant grain.

If you are planting for a decade, plant trees.

If you are planting for a century, plant people.” – Old Chinese Proverb

More time spent with fewer people equals greater lasting impact for God. – Principle of Mentoring from the Life of Jesus

Some Biblical Examples of Mentoring: Moses mentored Joshua, Naomi mentored her daughter-in-law, Ruth, Ezra mentored Nehemiah, Elijah mentored Elisha, Elizabeth mentored her cousin Mary. Barnabas mentored Paul and John Mark, Paul mentored his spiritual son Timothy. Paul also mentored Priscilla and Aquila, who in turn mentored Apollos.

Mentor #1 – Who Is Your Paul or Elizabeth?

Do you have a spiritual mentor who is pouring his/her life into you the way Paul poured his life into Timothy or Elizabeth poured her life into her cousin Mary?

Do you have someone you can go to for wise counsel?

Do you have someone who is a godly example for you and a model worth imitating?

Do you have someone who lives out biblical values and spiritual maturity?

Do you have someone with solid skills that can help you improve where you are weak?

THE JOB DESCRIPTION OF A MENTOR

(Adapted from Ron Lee Davis, Mentoring, pp. 50-51, unfortunately out of print)

A willingness to spend the time it takes to build an intensely bonded relationship with the learner.

A commitment to believing in the potential and future of the learner; to telling the learner what kind of exciting future you see ahead for him or her; to visualizing and verbalizing the possibilities of his or her life.

A willingness to be vulnerable and transparent before the learner, willing to share not only strengths and successes, but also weaknesses, failures, brokenness, and sins.

A willingness to be honest yet affirming in confronting the learner’s errors, faults, and areas of immaturity.

A commitment to standing by the learner through trials—even trials that are self-inflicted as a result of ignorance or error.

A commitment to helping the learner set goals for his or her spiritual life, career, or ministry, and to helping the learner dream his or her dream.

A willingness to objectively evaluate the learner’s progress toward his or her goal.

Above all, a commitment to faithfully put into practice all that one teaches the learner.

“Be what you would have your pupils to be.” – Thomas Carlyle

“A mentor is not a person who can do the work better than his followers. He is a person who can get his followers to do the work better than he can.” – Fred Smith

“In truth, the deepest dimensions of the Christian life cannot simply be taught in a classroom or a book. They must be heard, seen, studied intently, handled, lived, and experienced in order to be proven and assimilated.” – Ron Lee Davis

Mentor #2 – Who is Your Barnabas?

Do you have someone in your life to encourage you?

Do you have someone to believe in you, support you, and guide you?

Encouragement: “is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough.” – Dr. Larry Crabb

“A person is never more like Christ than when full of compassion for those who are down, needy, discouraged, or forgotten.” – Chuck Swindoll

Lessons From Barnabas:

1) He was generous with his finances (Acts 4:32-37).

2) He reached out to Paul when everyone else was skeptical about him (Acts 9:26-31 & 11:25-30).

3) He spent time with Mark when he had failed (Acts 15:36-39)

The Results of Barnabas’ Encouragement: If it were not for Barnabas we would not have Paul’s epistles nor Mark’s gospel; nor the rapid spread of the gospel.

Four Key’s to Barnabas’ Life (Acts 11:24):

1) He was a man of integrity.

2) He was a man full of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26).

3) He was a man full of faith.

4) He was teachable. (Acts 13:43, 50)

#3 Mentoree – Who is Your Timothy or Mary?

Do you have someone in whom to invest your own life?

If married, you should look at your spouse, children, or grandchildren as “Timothy’s” or “Mary’s,” but is there anyone outside your family in whom you are investing?

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others. – 2 Tim. 2:1-2

What Mentoring is in a Nutshell?

Relational – The you in v.2 above refers to Timothy and the me refers to the Apostle Paul. People learn how to better love and follow Jesus in the context of a focused friendship.

Personal – The basics that Timothy learned from Paul were mediated through his unique personality, gifting, and style.

Theologically Grounded – Paul is faithfully delivering what he himself received from many witnesses or marturon (“martyrs”). In the first century a martyr denoted a public witness to the truth. The meaning of the word martyr into its present meaning is evidence that Christian truth-telling could be terminally costly. In the Greek the word entrust means making a secure run to the bank to deposit a treasure.

Intentional – All of us are involved in hundreds of unintentional relationships. However, in the case of Paul and Timothy we see a relationship that was established for a specific purpose.

Transformational – Mentoring involves study; reflection; action; and receptivity.

Reproducible – who will be able to teach others.

The Power of Multiplication

(adapted from Keith Philips, The Making of a Disciple, p. 23)

Year Evangelist Discipler

1 365 2

2 730 4

3 1095 8

4 1460 16

5 1825 32

6 2190 64

7 2555 128

8 2920 256

9 3285 512

10 3650 1,024

11 4015 2,048

12 4380 4,096

13 4745 8,192

14 5110 16,384

15 5475 32,768

16 5840 65,536

*Keith’s chart compares the numeric difference between one person coming to Christ a day and one person a year being discipled to maturity. Catch the vision and start making disciples now!

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