To have a mentor
To this point in my life I have had two relationships that would fall under the category of mentor/protege. The first developed with Rinus Janson, who was my youth pastor when during my High School days. The mentorship he provided was not so much on the one-to-one level. I was a part of a "care group" consisting of 6 or so teenage guys hanging out with our youth pastor on a weekly basis. Between rounds of hacki-sack and the inevitable wedgie war I know his spiritual influence had a profound impact upon each of our lives. I don't think it is an understatement to say that without Rinus' influence upon my life I never would have went to Bible college.
The second mentor relationship in which I have shared developed during my fourth year of Bible college. John Nicholson was the senior pastor of the church where I was intern. Our working relationship quickly progressed into a genuine friendship where he was able to illuminate so many areas of my own life with powerful advice because he had already passed by the road I was traveling.
Several years has passed from this last point in time and I have known many deep, profound and spiritual individuals but I have not fostered another relationship with another person that I would consider to be a mentor. It is not as though I didn't recognize my need to have one, or that I did not desire a mentor but for some reason a relationship with this kind of dynamic has not materialized.
Perhaps relationships of this stature are few and far between, or maybe there is something within myself that creates and artificial distance making it difficult to build a relationship of this kind.
The second mentor relationship in which I have shared developed during my fourth year of Bible college. John Nicholson was the senior pastor of the church where I was intern. Our working relationship quickly progressed into a genuine friendship where he was able to illuminate so many areas of my own life with powerful advice because he had already passed by the road I was traveling.
Several years has passed from this last point in time and I have known many deep, profound and spiritual individuals but I have not fostered another relationship with another person that I would consider to be a mentor. It is not as though I didn't recognize my need to have one, or that I did not desire a mentor but for some reason a relationship with this kind of dynamic has not materialized.
Perhaps relationships of this stature are few and far between, or maybe there is something within myself that creates and artificial distance making it difficult to build a relationship of this kind.
posted by Jason at 12:35 p.m.
2 Comments:
Hey Jason,
I've longed for a mentor. Someone that could help me with some of the tough questions, someone with wisdom and someone to challenge me and keep me accountable. I've tried that before without much success but I'm still keeping an eye open.
It's a time committment on both sides and I'm realizing that the busyness of life is always a challenge. But it's something that's important and it something fewer churches are actively taking a role in.
In many areas of my life, self-education has been the easiest for me. I make the time, learn what I want, at the pace I want and am not disappointed or let down by others. The downside to this is that I lose out on fellowship and the live dialogue that can bring insight into truth and develop relationships. Pros and cons to both I guess.
In many ways it would be great if the church played a more active role in the formation of mentoring relationships, but at the same time this is something that cannot be manufactured. When the issue is forced or if there is no organic connection between the people who are being matched the relationship will never work.
My personal growth has also been largely based around "self-study", but I am longing for the accounatability, as you said, and the challenge of being pushed in directions that may be "off my radar".
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