Mentoring: Part One
Try to do for the next generation of church leaders what the previous generation of church leaders has not done for you. We need to hand off the local church in better condition than it was handed to us. Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world. Every generation of the church has a new opportunity to bring that message in fresh and relevant ways. Luke 5 - How did Matthew get to be one of Jesus' disciples? Jesus selected him. How did the other 11 get to be Jesus' disciples? Jesus selected them. How would you have felt if you would have not been selected? Most of us would have thought that wasn't fair. •Fairness ended at the garden of Eden. Our current generation of leaders, if we are not careful, will make the same mistakes that the previous generation of church leaders have made.
Apprenticing.
Our single focused strategy for developing leaders at North Point Church was to do intentional apprenticing. Apprenticing - selecting, modeling, and coaching for the purpose of replacing yourself. We have the most trouble with the word "selecting." Was Jesus fair? No. Was He intentional? Yes. Even among those He chose there was a subcategory of 3. It didn't seem to bother Him. For 3 years He so ingrained Himself in those 12 that they carried on without Him.
Make Disciples of Christ.
A disciple is a learner. What was Jesus' approach to apprenticeship?
1- Jesus began with succession in mind. Jesus was the most irreplaceable
person of all time. He started out selecting those He was going to pour his life
and time into. We wait too long to do that.
2- He handpicked those to whom he would entrust his mission. He didn't
ask for volunteers. We think in terms of classes and volunteers; Jesus didn't.
We are all about fairness and who shows up; Jesus was intentional about who
He selected. Have the courage to choose whom you will invest in.
3 - He rarely did ministry alone.
4- He gave His disciples opportunity to do ministry alone while He was still
around to debrief. Luke 9 - He sent the disciples out... they came back and
reported to Him what happened. Jesus decided to stay around to see what would
happen without him. Eventually somebody else is going to be doing our job. Will
you be there to see it done without you? Most people don't plan to be around to
see someone else do it without us. If Jesus was willing to do that, so should we.
Churches almost always ignore this principle.
We are too busy, insecure and intimidated to apprentice. We totally miss this. We
get to the place that nobody will listen or nobody will take this seriously. We fail to
engage in apprenticing in an intentional way. We do a lot of training but we fail to
apprentice. There's a difference. This isn't about succession. This is about being
intentional about pouring into the leaders that are coming behind you.
Mentor as Jesus did. He intentionally trained his disciples to carry on His
ministry. Your successors may not be in your area of ministry or share your
interests, but it is your responsibility as a Christian leader to teach them. We
need to pour into them, not because they may someday have our job, but
because someday they will carry that same responsibility of carrying the Gospel
to the world.
If you wait until you feel like you're an expert, you will never, ever do this. If you
feel like you are an expert, you're arrogant.
◦ Leaders are aware that they don't know everything.
◦ Leaders are always learning. You will never feel like you are adequately
prepared to apprentice another leader. You are not responsible for:
◦ Knowing everything there is to know about your field.
◦ Knowing more than everyone else about your field. You are responsible
for:
◦ Passing along what you know to somebody else.
◦ Emptying your cup.
◦ Your responsibility is not to fill someone else's cup.
But what will I do?
In a healthy organization, if you replace yourself you will always hae a place. In an unhealthy organization... why would you stay in an unhealthy organization?
Two Outcomes...
Application
You become a multi-site leader... you're able to lead in multiple places. You
become a multi-generational leader.
■ So many churches in our country are filled with old people because it's their
own fault... they wouldn't allow anyone do anything.
■ They don't think "young people" aren't ready, mature, or Biblically mature...
who's responsibility is it to prepare, grow and disciple them?
■ Anytime people shake their finger they abdicate leadership.
■ Young people don't know that they don't have anything to offer.
■ It doesn't matter how old you are or how mature you are... if you are
one step ahead, you have something to offer.
■ You don't have to be an expert and you don't have to know
everything.
• This is not a program. • If it was a program, you'd have to take everyone
who signs up. • It's not a meeting. • It's not a curriculum. • You can
apprentice someone without them even knowing it. • The worst thing you can do
is tell someone, "hey, I'd like to apprentice you."
Hire for the Future
• Hire young and hire smart.
Don't Work Alone
• Invite people to participate with you in task that are part of your job
description even if they don't work in your department or share your
responsibilities.
• Never interview alone.
• You're not there to fill people's cup, you're there to empty yours.
• Don't budget alone.
• Invite someone who doesn't know how to budget or manage finances.
• Donʼt produce alone.
• Donʼt design alone.
• Donʼt create alone. • Preferential treatment is preferred.
Remember your MEDS
1. Model - here's what I do.
2. Explain - here's why I do it.
3. Demonstrate - here's how I do it.
Your Assignment: Replace yourself.
• Who are the sharpest leaders on your team?
• What could you begin doing to empty your cup into theirs?
• How could you pour into their lives.
• That is what you are responsible to do.
Application
Success is not measured by how capable you are of handling your
responsibilities. Success is ultimately measured by whether you leave your
responsibilities in capable hands.
• Someday somebody is going to do what you are doing.
Wouldn't it be fun to be around to see it? Let's hand off the church better off
than it was handed to us to others who can do it better than we can.
