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The Mentorship Matters series concludes with the charge of living a holy life marked by discipleship. This last post will focus on meaningful connections Jesus had with The Twelve. It will narrow in on Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

Scripture Focus: (John 13:1-17, ESV)

“Simon and Andrew,” Jesus called into the midday sun sparkling off the Sea of Galilee.

No response. Jesus grew a little closer to the two fishermen as He walked the shoreline. “SIMON and ANDREW.” He called again. As He grew closer to the two, He may have noticed the brothers quarreling over where to drop the nets. They hadn’t had any success as of late and tensions were very high.

Jesus raised His voice one last time above the two siblings maybe arguing, and the hustle of the nets. “SIMON, ANDREW.” He had their attention. This stranger had called the two boys by name. The only other person who did that was their mother when the boys were in trouble. This calling by name had a different tone and ring to it and they weren’t in trouble. I can only imagine how the conversation went from there once He had the boys attention. “Simon and Andrew. Drop your nets and come and follow me. Stop fishing here where there is nothing to catch.  You’re going to come with me and we’re going to go a fishing trip…this time for people. Come follow me, and I will tell you where to cast the nets.” At once, the two brothers dropped their nets and began to listen to this man they called Jesus. Desperate from the everyday grind of fishing, casting nets that returned empty, work with minimal and return, heavy roman taxation, and never enough to provide for their families, the two boys had nothing to lose.

As I read this scripture, I am often left wondering and wanting more about the story. Did the two boys think twice or hesitate? As one who doubts, I can imagine exchanged glances between the boys. “Should we? What does this strange man mean fishing for people?” Simon asked Andrew. “What do you think?” Andrew shrugged. The detail we are provided with in the Gospel account says that they immediately left their nets and followed them, there was no hesitation.

Principle 6: Mentorship matters because it matters to God.

What would it look like if you dropped everything you knew and followed Him. In a culture where your job and your life were what your father did, and his father did, and his father before that did the same work? What would it look to leave the only life you ever knew behind? What would it look like to break the pattern, drop the nets and follow after a man who lived a lifestyle counter cultural to everything you every knew?

The reality is that the practice of mentorship is messy. Mentorship sometimes requires doing things that are counter cultural. The impacts of mentorship though have eternal significance. Mentorship matters because it matters to God. In the account given of the final meal Jesus had with His disciples has a unique interaction with the twelve men whom He was mentoring. Jesus did something you wouldn’t expect the leader to do with the followers. In the gospel of John it is recorded, “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Jesus loved His followers and His mentees to the very end.

The account given gives another description of Jesus. Before the meal, Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of all the men whom He was following. Simon, the one who dropped the nets to follow Jesus, did in this instance question His leader. “Why are you washing my feet?” Simon asked. Jesus responded gently to His mentee with another teachable moment before Jesus faced the crucifixion. Jesus answered Simon, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” In other words what Jesus was telling His follower softly, “Just wait and trust.”

As the series concludes on mentorship, I want to leave you with that final exchange between Jesus and Simon. We seek out mentorship relationships because we want to pass on knowledge and wisdom about how to navigate life. Within the process of following, we don’t always understand. Within the process of leading, we also don’t always understand! Like Simon, it’s okay to ask questions in this process. Mentorship is a matter that is too great to take lightly.

To bend down and to serve our mentees demonstrates a servant attitude like Christ’s. To receive foot washing by our mentor shows great humility. Both actions will greatly be rewarded and matter in the kingdom of God. In the words of the apostle Paul, “Do not neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV)

Questions for mentors: Am I willing to do messy and hard things to support someone else? Am I serving and mentoring in a way that glorifies Christ or glorifies self? How can I demonstrate a way of life that is marked by discipleship? As I approach these kinds of relationships, do I have a servant’s heart and attitude?

Questions for mentees: Am I willing to receive a foot washing from my mentor?  Is there a part of my life that feels too dirty or tainted to be touched? Have I been hiding something in shame? Am I ready to share that part of me with my mentor? If I don’t have a mentor, am I willing to take the step of seeking out counsel for this part of life?

The relationship between brothers Moses and Aaron will be used as an example of how the Lord provides relationships in our lives that seek to accomplish His will and purpose.

Scripture Focus: (Exodus 4:27-31, ESV)

Despite my parents’ wishes, that day I boarded a plane to Hilo, Hawaii with a one-way ticket, a part-time job secured, a hotel ticket for three nights, no transportation, and no place to live. Understandably my parents were concerned about me. As I was settling into my seat on the flight and just pulling out a book to read, the pilot announced over the intercom that our flight had to be diverted to Oakland, California due to an issue with the plane’s computer and navigation system that wouldn’t allow us to fly over the ocean in between California and Hawaii. Upon landing in Oakland for repair, our plane was re-boarded and back on its way. Due to the delay however, my connection flight from Honolulu to Hilo was delayed.

As I boarded my connection in Honolulu, I took my seat and struck up a conversation with a couple next to me. I learned through some basic questions that the couple sitting next to me was a Pastor and His wife. By God’s divine appointment, I was called to serve in a church family alongside this couple and God’s plans were far bigger than my own. I would later convince my parents that God had a safe hold on my life as long I continued to trust and walk in obedience with Him. Within the week, I had a place to live within walking distance of the church where I would end up working for that season the Lord had called me to.

Principle 5: Mentorship relationships matter because all relationships matter to God and seek to accomplish His will and purpose.  

My testimony declares that relationships matter to God and are orchestrated by His divine appointment to accomplish His will and purpose. I am not the first to have a divine appointment or appointed relationship. In the Old Testament, brothers Moses and Aaron were given a divine appointment through a relationship. As the Lord appointed Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity, He had many excuses. Moses claimed to have a stutter and the Lord appointed someone to come alongside and support Moses’s call to accomplish the Lord’s will.

“I’m not eloquent of speech!”  Moses doubted His abilities. (Exodus 4:1-17, ESV). The Lord sent Aaron, the Levite, Moses’s brother to come alongside His effort. The point of this Old Testament account is that life was not meant to be lived alone. Relationships matter in the kingdom of God. This is seen from the beginning of creation (Genisis 2:18, ESV) and continues today. God designed humankind to live in community to accomplish His will and purpose and His word will not return empty or void.

Questions for Mentors: What are some areas of my life I need to allow the Holy Spirit to empower or transform in order that I can be ready to serve others?  Am I willing to surrender to the power of His word that will not return empty or void? Is there evidence of His divine appointment in relationships in my life: past, current, or future? (Mentorship relationships or otherwise?)

Questions for Mentees: Do I have any excuses that are keeping me from the Lords will? Who can I turn to and ask for help? Am I willing to surrender to the power of His word that will not return empty or void? Is there evidence of His divine appointment in relationships in my life: past, current, or future? (Mentorship relationships or otherwise?)

Can women mentor men? Can men mentor women? This New Testament account tells of the difference two women made in the life of a man.

Scripture Focus: (Acts 18:8-28, ESV)

Principle 4: Mentors and mentees don’t have to be the same gender.

As a woman in ministry striving to lead as Christ once led: a servant leader, I say openly that some of my best spiritual guidance has come from a man. I am a woman with a heart for discipleship, pastoral care, and mentoring others. I am grateful to have had people in my life who have affirmed these values in me. I am also grateful for the experiences I have had where people have disregarded these values in me and denied supporting me in my endeavors. I consider these men along my path to be God-fearing co-laborers in Christ. At the time I met with this mentor, I was working through the loss of my father. I was in need of a God fearing man to bring wisdom into my circumstance and support me as I treaded the valley of the shadow of death while still serving in full time ministry. We first started meeting because of a co-worker’s recommendation. Due to my mentor’s level of pastoral and clinical counseling addressing the area of my specific needs combined with His willingness to support me as a young minister in training, this connection made sense. The connection sadly though faced some controversy and a mix of taboo from the Christian community I served in where it shouldn’t have. I’m writing this post in this series to address the taboo.

I want to share with you how we practically navigated the conservative circles of Christianity in the community, in order to meet and have these important, but life-giving conversations. It is a true statement when I write that I would not be working on my doctorate right now if it were not for these conversations. I should note, I would not be writing this blog series which you are reading if it were not for my conversations with this man.

Now that I have shared with you about the personal struggle I have faced in cross-gender mentorship relationships,  here are three things we did to navigate the conservative circle in order to have the conversations we needed to have in order to receive the support I needed as a mentee and young female in ministry.

1. He would let His wife know when we were meeting so there was a safeguard in place with no questions about our meeting.
2. I would let a contact know in my circle that I was meeting with Him. It was public knowledge, and we only met in public spaces so there were no questions about our meeting.
3. We established the ground rule that if there were any sensitive topics that needed to be addressed by a woman, we would have His wife who was willing to support me be a part of the conversation.

I was grateful that we established these ground rules which helped provided a safe place for me to bear my soul through the struggles of life and ministry. Biblical mentors are like shepherds, guiding and leading conversations in the safety of calm pastures. I often return to that peaceful place in my mind and those conversations I had when I find myself in the face of challenging situations. I can take my mind back to the stillness and warmth of the small chapel on the hillside where warm light poured into its stained glassed windows. As we conversed on a weekly basis watching fall turn to winter outside the chapel where we met, the conversations brought warmth to my matching spiritual season. I was seen and I was safe. I could find joy in the cold and hard season.

In the twenty-first century, why is it that these kinds of meetings are still considered controversial? Let’s look at what scripture has to say about this along with lawful statutes that have marked modern change. In Paul’s letter to young Timothy, which we explored in the first blog post of this series, Paul gives instruction to Timothy about information on how women should act in the church. This chapter of scripture is often debated across denominations and is cause for divide where there should be no division. The controversial excerpt I am referring to reads, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” (1 Tim. 2:11-12, ESV). The following scripture is often used out of context, but let’s put it back in its context. 

By putting the practical structures in place listed above, we navigated these meetings in a way that allowed for privacy due to the content of the discussions and allowed our meetings to be God-fearing.

 Cross gender mentorship is found in the recollection of the life of Jesus.

Jesus, a Jewish man was found talking with Her, a Samaritan woman, who had many husbands. Her past, I can only imagine came with judgements as she went about her daily business and task of drawing water from the well. Where did this life-giving conversation take place? It took place in public. Jesus broke a cultural taboo and silence by engaging in conversation with this woman. As a result, the woman was healed and forgiven of her sins. The women went on into the hot midday sun of Galilee to share a famous testimony worth repeating in our conversation today about mentorship. “Come meet a man who told me everything I ever did.” The woman could not contain the details about her conversation with a man who she had no business talking with.

As with Jesus, His primary concern was doing the will of the one who sent Him on earth to accomplish. It did not matter to Him whether it was a male or female whom He was conversing with! Paul writes that it does not matter either. Ministry and mentorship cannot and should not be secluded to just a man doing ministry with another man, and a woman doing ministry with another woman. Listen to what Paul writes. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28, ESV). 

            Let’s flip the script now. A man can mentor a woman, but can a woman mentor a man? 

In the book of Acts the account is given about two women by the name of Priscilla and Aquilla. The story goes that while a Jew by the name Appollos was filled with the spirit “fervently”, He preached in the synagogue eloquently and with great confidence. After He was done speaking the two women, Priscilla and Aquilla pulled Him aside to correct Him. He was only preaching about John the Baptist and did not yet know about the good news of Jesus Christ. The two women shared with Him and He went on to teach the resurrection of Jesus Christ to others. (Acts 18:8-28, ESV). Appolos life was impacted by the willingness of the two women to speak up. Applos went on to go on and teach others.

Final Thoughts:

These two examples from scripture explain that the topic of mentorship in the church between a male and a female does not need to be overthought, overcomplicated or taboo. These mentorship relationships are too important to quarrel over opposite genders meeting with one another. On another note, time is better spent spreading the gospel than quarrelling about whether females can lead, teach, or guide men in the gospel. All are equal in Christ Jesus and all bring value wisdom to the table. All need the support from one another in the body of Christ.

Questions for Mentors: Am I comfortable or uncomfortable with mentoring those of the opposite gender? What does scripture say about mentoring others of the opposite gender? If I am uncomfortable, but open to the idea of mentoring others of the opposite gender, what safeguards do I need to put into place and levels of accountability? 

Questions for Mentees: Does gender matter to me in the qualities of mentor relationship? What does scripture say about mentoring others of the opposite gender? If I am uncomfortable, but open to the idea of my mentor being the opposite gender, what safeguards do I need to put into place and levels of accountability? Are there things I can learn from the same gender? Are there things I can learn from someone of the opposite gender?

Eli will serve as an example of how “holding space” for Samuel made all the difference.

Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 3, ESV

Growing up, my family had pets. We had mostly dogs, a few frogs, and many goldfish. When I became an adult I learned what life would be like without pet dander and I now enjoy keeping an allergen free household. What I do keep space for now is plants. I would consider myself to be an excellent plant mom.

Recently I acquired a small pathos plant and added it to the family of pots sitting in sunny windowsills in my one bedroom apartment. The instructions on the tag with the plant were clear and simple. “Water thoroughly and water again only when soil is completely dry.”  Alright, not too hard. Within the first weeks of having the plant I watched its leaves turn from green to yellow.

Where did I go wrong?  I overwatered it. I didn’t let the soil dry completely. I didn’t follow the instructions. I kept it on the watering schedule like my other plants and as a result, I overwatered it. Getting ready to leave for a trip, I found myself anxious over the possibility of coming back to a completely dead plant. I gave it water before leaving like the others and then left it by itself the next morning. Please don’t die while I’m gone!

It turns out the week away was exactly what my plant needed. I came back to one leaf that had fallen in the windowsill and a much greener plant with completely dry soil. Now it’s time to water it again. I rolled my eyes and sighed at my finicky plant. Over the next few weeks, I watched it and only watered it when the soil was completely dry and needed it.

The story of my houseplant reminds me about a principle of mentorship that is crucial and foundational to these kinds of relationships. The principle is this: mentorship is about holding space for others.

My plants have a consistent space in the sunshine of my windowsill. When necessary, provide water and nourishment to those in your circle who are spiritually dry. When needed, I water them. When they don’t need it, though I insist they do, the plants don’t flourish, but rather they suffer. I believe the same thing is true about our mentoring relationships.

Principle 3: Mentorship is about holding space.

Mentorship is about holding space for others to belong. A mentor who provides a safe and consistent place for others is a simple step to successful relationships between the mentor and mentee.  In the Old Testament we read a story about the young boy Samuel who served in the temple under the care of Eli the priest. As a young child, a devout woman of God named Hannah presented young Samuel at the temple to live there. For Hannah to do this, as a woman who remained childless for many years, in and of itself is a tremendous testimony of the faith. Hannah knew something special would come of her child.

As the young boy Samuel grew up. The priest Eli provided a space of the temple where the young boy Samuel grew in favor of the Lord. One night while both Eli and Samuel were sleeping Samuel was woken up from His slumber. Thinking it was the Priest Eli calling Him, Samuel went to Eli’s chambers in the middle of the night. Eli assured Samule in the middle of the night that it wasn’t Him calling, but it was the Prescence of the Lord calling the young boy Samuel. Eli’s role? The priest Eli held the space in the temple for the young boy Samuel to hear the Lord’s call.

The mentee will seek out the mentor. It can’t be the mentor’s idea; it has to be the mentees idea to seek out guidance. Accepting help first means admitting you have a problem. What the mentor can do is make themselves open and available. Examples of these types of times and spaces can be a director’s open-door policy or posted office hours. It can be a lunch meeting or holding an open invitation for coffee and conversation. These intentional choices make a difference. My intentional holding space looks like this: “If my blue jeep is in the parking lot at the church during church office hours, you are always welcome to come in for a cup of coffee.” I currently have two regulars to Katie B’s Café.

When the time comes, holding space for a mentee looks like interacting with a mentee with no judgement where the mentee can present issues in a way that is authentic. What differentiates good mentors from great mentors are those who know how to equip mentees. With just a little bit of encouragement and space our mentees will flourish. Invest deeply, not overbearingly, and hold loosely. If the mentor and mentee relationship has been successful, your ministry mentees will find themselves confident and equipped to do the work when you’re not there: flourishing like my plant that did not need to be overwatered.

Questions for Mentors: In your own words, describe what it means to hold space for someone. List some specific ways. Are there times in your schedule you can carve out as an intentional time to help support others? 

Questions for Mentees: Who in your life can you go to in order to find a safe and supportive space? Why is it important to have a space I can go to for support when life is challenging?

Moses learns an important lesson that life is too great to do alone.

Scripture focus: (Exodus 18:17-18, ESV)

Just a few days prior, I had been invited by a group of my co-workers to go on a morning hike. From the campsite I worked for at the time, you could see the peak of a hill with a brown cross on top. I often wondered as I worked from below about how to see that cross from the top of the hill. When I was invited to go see the top, the day of climbing that peak came with great curiosity and anticipation. As we gathered at our meeting space to depart the morning of the hike my excitement and anticipation quickly turned into a little bit of skepticism. I found out that I would be the only female on the hike and all the men arrived at the trailhead with large backpacks full of gear, machetes, and trekking poles. One even brought some rope. I came with no backpack, my hat, my sunglasses, a granola bar in my pocket, and just enough water for the duration of what I understood to be a short-morning adventure. I felt underprepared, but did not let the skepticism stop me and decided to proceed.

The beginning of the trail was quite wide until we began a section marked by a makeshift marker. From there the trail became narrow, then overgrown, and then overgrown and steep with a narrow ledge. As my anxiety began to consume me like the overgrown grove of manzanitas consuming the trail we navigated, my pace slowed, and my heart rate increased. I found myself in trouble and needing both of my hands to balance with each new step. I was now regretting that I did not bring my backpack to hold my water in or my trekking poles I own. The person I was watching navigate the challenging terrain in front of me began to slow in order to help me at my now unsteady pace. “You alright?” He called out to me.

I paused briefly analyzing the spot I was in as He turned around to retrace his steps back closer to me. I shouted back to Him between raspy breaths. “Uh—uh , no!” I found myself in a position from the ledge of this hillside where there was no way of navigating up it or navigating down myself. What was I thinking joining this group of men on this hike? How am I going to get back to camp? Should I turn around, should I continue? The thought of either option was increasingly growing daunting and overwhelming. As my co-worker came to my aid, He provided the solution. He unclipped His backpack and threw my almost empty bottle of water into His bag so I could have both hands free to navigate this tough spot. After resettling and clipping His pack, He braced Himself on the hillside and graciously gave me His hand to pull myself up with. I made it past the spot only because of His support. My thoughts stopped racing, and as my unsteady feet stopped shaking, we both knew how the rest of this hike was going to go. I had to accept the help as this hike was too great to do it alone.

Hand after hand of His support, I listened closely to my new guide and not my racing thoughts.  As the narrow ledge only got narrower, He carefully gave instruction of where to put my feet and where to put my hands as we scrambled the loose rocks on the ledge that only seemed to be getting narrower. As I needed it, He would patiently pull my water out of His pack and give it to me to drink so my hands could stay free along the trail. After this slower pace and rhythm, we finally reached the peak.

 As the sun shined on us from the top, I was squinting from its warm rays as I sat enjoying the view I had longed from below to see. “Now you’ll need these,” He laughed as He squatted down and handed over my sunglasses that I must have dropped in the dirt somewhere along the path. Checking in with me one more time before chatting with the others, He handed over an extra bottle of water from His load. I savored the water slowly as joy and relief came from reaching the top safely. He not only helped pick me up from the dirt on that hike, but He had also picked up my nearly lost shades too.

Principle 2: Life is too great to do it alone.

When I reflect on this hiking story and the hand after hand of support from my guide, I am grateful as I am reminded that life is too great to do alone. When we find ourselves in challenging terrains such as the rocky ledge I stood on disoriented, I am reminded that we all need help from time to time. Moses is an example from scripture who found himself in a challenging position in need of help navigating a heavy situation.

 As Moses sought to be the judge of the people and uphold the law, too many people were bringing complaints and grievances to Him. Seeing the state his son-in-law was in, Moses’s father-in-law Jethro spoke up,“What you are doing is not good.You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” (Exodus 18:17-18, English Standard Version). Moses found himself in a position of leadership with too heavy of responsibility and needed a sound voice of instruction to help him navigate a challenging situation.

Moses opened himself up to hear correction and accept help for the thing that was too overwhelming and heavy for Him.  As Moses listened, Jethro gave clear instructions, “Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”

The solution Jethro provided required Moses to surrender some of the control and appoint others. Moses would give instructions to these leaders and let them carry out the responsibilities He and The Lord equipped them to do. This passage not only highlights the counsel given between Jethro and Moses, but highlights the way Moses would now be called to support those He appointed to lead. Jethro’s instructions continued, “And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.” (Reference).  The instructions Jethro gave was a model of mentorship for Moses to follow. Moses was instructed to support His newly appointed leaders and the people with greater matters. The other smaller matters, He was supposed to surrender His power and control to let His newly appointed leaders handle these matters after training them up to lead. In this account, Moses is a mentee but also a mentor to many.

Though this an account from the Old Testament from many years ago, it has some fresh applications for mentors and mentees today. The first application is that life is too great to do it alone. Moses was a leader who was overwhelmed and overworked. The solution Jethro provided for overworked and burnt-out moses, was that of mentorship. Moses’s model of mentorship would take place through appointing, equipping, and supporting new leaders in the way they ought to go. From the passage we know that these men were already men of the Lord. The job given to Moses was to appoint and then stand by to support these people in their efforts already being made.

Relationships like Moses and Jethro as well as Moses and His people matter in the kingdom of God. When another believer is in crisis, the Lord calls His people to support one another by rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn (Romans 12:15-16, ESV). Biblical mentorship is not a dictatorship. A biblical model of mentorship embraces and supports one another. The support of a biblical mentor is consistent when needed and then stands back and allows for those under them to serve. Biblical mentors are willing to train up other servant leaders by investing deeply and then holding them loosely as those whom they’ve trained serve as unto the Lord. By offering a patient hand of support during overwhelming and troubles times, mentors can make a difference and make disciples.

Questions for Mentors: Are there a multitude of tasks that are overwhelming to me? If no, why? If yes, can I trust and support someone under me with this task? 

Questions for Mentees: Mentee question: What is something in your life that is overwhelming?  What overwhelming task or circumstance could use the help and advice from a mentor?

The mentorship relationship between Paul and Timothy is explored as Paul stands in the gap for young Timothy.

Scripture focus: (1Timothy 1:2-4, ESV)

“I know you like to go get coffee after Church, why don’t I join you this time? I’ll buy!” It was a kind gesture from my co-small group leader. “Sure!” I accepted the offer. As a severely underpaid intern, I would never deny free coffee. As I responded to the kindness of the gesture, I felt a twinge of anxiety as I thought about the things I needed to get off of my chest. I typically used the time after the service to decompress on my own, but this time I had someone who wanted to join me. With both of our bibles open on that tiny café table in the corner of that crowded coffee shop, I vulnerably poured out my thoughts about how ministry was going. My co-leader sat in that corner with me and walked me through all of the overwhelming thoughts and emotions associated with the new leadership opportunities I had in the church where I served. My feelings were acknowledged as I was encouraged with bible stories unlike any way I had heard them before. The way the stories about Gideon, Paul, Moses’s brother Aaron and others were shared; it was as if these figures also joined us at the table in the corner of that coffee shop. I was no longer alone. As I found myself comforted and at ease, I asked one more bold question. “Who can you think of in scripture can you think of that wasn’t afraid or insecure about doing the Lord’s will?” I asked. We both scratched our heads and could not think of any examples.

To this day, I think back often to this moment in my life as one of the best conversations I had with someone over a simple cup of coffee. As fruitful as the conversation was in the moment, it went on to bear more fruit. The conversation made its way into content for the young adults bible study we were co-leading, it taught me practically how church is what happens on the outside of it’s walls, and formed my early thoughts about ministry philosophy. More importantly, it formed an idea of what mentorship looks like. It was a formative moment in my own spiritual maturity and it is important to begin with this first principle in the Mentorship Matters series.

Principle 1: Everyone should have a mentor and everyone should be a mentor.

Everyone should have a mentor and everyone should be a mentor. This is a principle and a pattern of living a holy life and seen throughout scripture. Throughout the six parts of this blog series, we will study six mentor relationships in scripture and the lessons we can apply to our mentorship relationships today. After each read in this series there will be questions for both the mentor and the mentee to be considered and pondered.

Mentorship is a necessary practice in the Christian faith. “Just as iron is needed to sharpen iron, so one man is needed to help one another.” (Proverbs 27:17, ESV). This necessary practice though, does not need to be overcomplicated and so often is.  As my mentor and friend showed me at the time, these moments can be as simple as an invitation to conversation shared over a cup of coffee.

As a mentorship figure in scripture, Paul engaged in the simple, but intentional acts of mentorship by encouraging others through His letter writing. The simple spiritual formation efforts had major impacts on the spread of Christianity in the early church. Even while behind bars and in chains for Christ, Paul did not stop encouraging and discipling others in the early church. Scripture reveals the engagement Paul has in a mentorship relationship with Timothy, Titus, and even Philemon. Paul’s means of encouragement was also simple: letter writing.

Paul’s Mentorship Relationship With Timothy

In one of His letters, Paul writes about Timothy, as a “true son in the faith.” (1 Tim. 1:2-4, ESV). Paul thought highly of this young man who came from a divided household by treating Him like family though they had no blood relationship. Timothy’s mother is recorded in scripture as a Jew, and His father as a Greek. Timothy who stood in the middle of this already divided household, was a new disciple whom Paul saw something different about and in Him. Taking notice of the young, Timothy was taken alongside some of Paul’s missionary journeys. (Acts 16, ESV). Having had the opportunity to serve alongside Paul and seeing that Timothy was ready to do the work required of ministry, Paul sent Timothy on His way to continue the good work of spreading the word of the Lord to the early church.

 When Timothy felt ill equipped and inadequate in ministry, Paul encouraged the young leader in ministry with some of the most kind and thoughtful words penned in scripture. Paul wrote to his true son of the faith, ^“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV). As Timothy began to carry on the work of ministry which Paul had begun, Paul endorses the ministerial efforts Timothy takes on by writing to the church of Corinth about how Timothy is qualified and being appointed for the work despite His age.  Paul writes of how He chose and sent Timothy to the church of Corinth. (1 Cor. 4:17, ESV).

Paul engaged in the practice of mentorship in profound, but practical ways. In His final letter to Timothy, Paul charges with this call to mentorship and discipleship, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2). He undoubtedly saw the importance of mentorship and equipping the next generation of believers. Will you also open yourself and engage in the practice of mentorship through this series? 

Questions For Mentors: Is there someone in your life you can support by your words, encouragement, resources, or actions? What step will you take to accomplish this? (If you cannot identify someone, consider praying and asking the Lord to help identity someone in your circle of influence.)

Questions For Mentees: Can you recall a time when someone older or wiser than you helped you by their words, encouragements, resources, or actions? What are some qualities of a good mentor?  Out of these qualities, which are the most important to me?  Has there ever been a time someone I looked up to broke trust in the mentor relationship? If yes, what was the experience like?