The Spirituality of Mentorship

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men and women who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Being a mentor is a way of experiencing life through giving. Mentoring is a Christian practice. Paul was a mentor to Timothy and Barnabas. Elijah was Elisha’s mentor. The first thing Jesus did when he started his ministry was to call twelve apostles to his side and mentor them in the faith. The gospels talk about another 150 disciples that followed Jesus’ mentorship. When I am baptizing a child, and I ask the congregation, “On behalf of the whole Church of Christ,” to care for the child. I am asking those present in the pew, on behalf of the Christian Church Universal, to mentor the newly baptized child.

The act of Christian Education during our Wednesday night and Sunday morning programming is to mentor children, youth, and adults in the faith. Yet, mentoring can happen in many ways. For example, I mentor a wonderful 4th grader at Edmunds Elementary weekly. Of course, we play games, but there are also subtle moments of opportunity for direction and support. In his article, “People Don’t Want A Boss, They Want A Mentor,” Jano le Roux writes that mentorship should also occur between a boss and employee and between colleagues. Jano confirms, “If people who work with you:

• Can’t look you in the eye.

• Don’t call you by your first name.

• Sign their emails ‘Yours sincerely’ when sending them to you.

It’s likely that you’re being too much a boss and not enough of a mentor.” Being a mentor should not diminish your authority, but it does create a path to accessibility. A mentor-type boss is accessible for questions, mutual concern, and care.

Today, pray for the self-confidence and compassion to make yourself vulnerable enough to be available. Parents, bosses, and other authority figures may worry that they will not be respected if they instruct, listen, and care. When I am with the children, we often play. I do not worry that they will not respect me because we tease and play. Instead, I play so I can become available and trusted enough to be a spiritual confidant, a mentor. Being a mentor is a sacred calling, and it is one all of us can answer. It begins with the confidence to play, listen, and offer your care and wisdom to another.