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MentorNet
#19 “I will build my
church.”—Jesus (Matt. Jesus, the great Lover of our
souls and Forgiver of our sins, never wavered in his purpose for His
followers. . He painted clear visions, gave precise instructions, issued
absolute orders and demonstrated single-hearted devotion to his mission. He wants
us to evangelize the nations and invite the peoples to repentance and life.
The urgency of bringing people to Christ and of reproducing churches is part
of what moves Christian mentors to give time freely to train pastors for
church reproduction. Westerners, in general, find
it hard to agree and focus on outcomes, because each individual seeks his own
interests and personal affluence. Even our younger adults, despite their
search for spirituality and community, have little sense of purpose aside from
enjoying friends and sensory stimulation. As a result, Western mentors fail
to press for verifiable outcomes and their trainees doubt their churches’
willingness to plan and take action. Those of us who mentor
non-Westerners may encounter less resistance to make and follow plans, yet we
often err by letting Western concerns sidetrack us. Instead of concentrating
on doing what Jesus commanded, we focus on better materials, ensuring
workers’ financial security, defining believer maturity, cultural sensitivity
to perceived enemies, and advancing our careers and organizational
reputations. In order to keep churches
reproducing, we mentors must provide highly directive mentoring that keeps
workers encouraged and motivated. Western mentors, who have found it hard to
focus on outcomes, can learn to envision by faith, motivate with love, and
plan with spiritual wisdom. We must also seek to mentor those who are called
and gifted for church planting and allow those with other gifting to do what
they do well — without us. a) Appoint elders, do not elect them. The democratic process is so highly valued in the West
and so widely touted in some parts of the East, that popular elections of
congregational elders often replace the Scriptural norm. In the West, it is
not unusual that pastoral candidates must give campaign speeches and there
must be more candidates than offices, so that the membership can elect one
candidate and reject another. b) Direct elders, do not only inform them. The scriptural task of the apostle who starts new congregations
(Titus 1:5) is to appoint elders who meet certain qualifications. Where few
men or women meet those qualifications, the apostle must teach, counsel,
train and reprimand the believers until some qualify as elders. The teaching
ministry in the West has often been more an exercise in precisely defining
words than in effectively making disciples of raw human material. We must
hold to the biblical standards for new leaders and bring willing trainees up
to those standards. Only lay hands on (commission) those that qualify, while
continuing to coach those who provide pastoral care while yet unqualified. c) Enthuse elders; do not discourage them by demanding
perfection. The commands and promises of
Jesus and his apostles remain the most powerful motivators to obedient faith.
If we present both the challenges and rewards of biblical leadership,
trainees who know and love Christ will respond enthusiastically. Paul
asserted in Ephesians d) Empower elders, do not simply teach them. We can empower new leaders by delegating our authority to
them to perform pastoral ministries for their congregations. If we merely
teach them, then we risk enabling immature and carnal men to grab power and
dominate congregations, if we adopt merely cultural standards for leaders,
such as advanced education, business acumen, affluence or political
influence. Rather, a good mentor helps leaders to serve Christ and their
congregations by serving as a model to them. Such modeling often initiates
voluntary mentoring chains; one man empowers another who does the same for
others, in turn. Jesus said to pray to the Lord
of the Harvest to raise up new workers. When we do
so, he does so. Most new workers come from the local population, not from
some distant land. Jesus walked with his disciples, shared with them his
personal authority, sent them to do ministry, listened to them give their
reports, and gavenew teaching
that met their current needs. Should we do any less? To find mentoring tools and sites, visit <http://www.MentorAndMultiply.com>. |