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A
New Concept for "Specific" Mentoring
from Pat Morley
Frankly,
mentoring is an idea that should have taken off by now. It hasn’t.
Why is that?
Mentoring
the way I’ve heard it presented is a difficult idea. The idea overwhelms
men because it seems so all-encompassing and pervasive. Older men feel
inadequate for the task. They may not believe they have much to offer,
that they’re not really wanted, or they fear being turned down.
Younger men may be intimidated or feel like older guys are not really
that interested in their challenges.
New
concept: Move from “general” mentoring to “specific”
mentoring. Don’t ask a man to, generally, be a mentor. Instead,
ask a man “to mentor (name) for (number) weeks about how to be a
Godly husband and father (or other topic). Share what you’ve learned
through trial and error, pitfalls to avoid, and best practices.”
Suggested
steps:
First,
have your younger men fill out a card during church that asks. . .
-
Would you like to be mentored?
- In
what areas? (list spiritual, husband, father, work, church, civic, and
other with places to check)
- How
many weeks would you want to meet? (list once, twice, three times, weekly,
monthly, long term with places to check)
- What’s
the best time for you to meet?
Second,
have the older men in church fill out a card at the same time (same card,
two sections). Ask. . .
- Would
you like to be a mentor?
- In which areas do you feel confident to mentor? (same list as “b” above)
- What
times are out for you?
Third,
collect the cards and let the church secretary or a competent volunteer
who knows most of the men pair them up.
When
I talk to older men they say, “I’m looking for something to
do.” When I talk to younger men building families and careers they
say, “I have too much to do.” We should be able to get together
on this! I believe we can, if we get “specific.” What would
your church look like if younger men were being mentored by older men?
For the glory
of Christ and no other reason,
Pat
© 2003 Patrick
M. Morley. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for any
non-commercial use with proper attribution.
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