Rev. Dr. John Mc Donald. is based in Brantford, Canada he & his dear wife Lorna speak & mentor many young people.
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton
Why It’s Important to Find Mentors
a. One of the things I believe is that it’s possible to be accelerated in life and ministry.
b. This, of course, depends on several factors like discipline, teachability, focus, call of God etc.
What to Look For
I’ve narrowed my focus in choosing a Mentee to a specific spiritual gifting. I chose Evangelists. I’ve made it my specialty because I believe it is one of the most neglected giftings. I think of “the gift of the Evangelist” as the “birthing mechanism” of the Church, and if I was the devil, I would kill and destroy it. That is why there are so few, real, pure evangelists.
3 Things I Look for When Choosing a Mentee
a. Godliness
This is the starting point and most important characteristic. If a person is Godly, they have already dealt with a lot of sin, flesh, and the devil. They usually are sold out. They are almost fanatically focused. They are young and usually, idealistic.
b. Great Potential
This can often be determined by things they do or say. Intelligent, wise, orators, crowd-smart, courteous, platform ease, fluid, developing, teachable.
c. High Energy
Say what you want, a sluggard just isn’t going anywhere. Too many “wanna-bes”, don’t have the determination, diligence and energy to get out of bed in the morning. They want the spotlight; but not the hours of prayer, fasting, study and sacrifice to make it in the spiritual warfare that is always present.
The need for Spiritual Fathers and Mothers is big! You can’t even imagine. Young men and women everywhere are crying out for them. In fact they are dying in their visions for lack of them.
Why older, proven, tried, Godly Christian religious leaders have not clued into this need escapes me.
Why it’s Important to be a Mentee.
a. You need, like the disciples of Jesus, personal hands on teaching and examples. It gives you a support system to draw from.
b. A Mentor can save you years of bad experiences. Some people only like to learn from experience, that’s bad philosophy; why not learn from tested and proven men and women of God?
c. Because you will be given a life-time list of contacts. This is very true if your mentor is willing to take you to them and introduce you. If you develop the maturity and godliness he expects it probably will happen quite quickly.
d. Iron sharpens Iron. The Mentor will probably be a disciplinarian. I am. I was with my children. I expect a high dress code, ethics code, biblical knowledge code, well-rounded person to work with in many fields. Time to step up to the plate!
How Do You Proceed as a Mentee?
a. Carefully – Don’t rush into accepting the first person that offers to mentor you. Check them out; see if they have a track-record of successes.
b. Prayerfully – I shouldn’t have to say this, but take a week to pray and fast.
c. With a written agenda – Find out and put down on paper your and their expectations.
d. Put checks and balances in the Relationship – Time outs to be apart, to discuss with other spiritual persons the advice you are getting.
e. Being weaned – The Mentor should set in place a weaning process to make you less dependent on him and more now on yourself and God.
f. Retain Ownership of yourself & your Ministry – The Mentor should not control or take over the ministry God has called you to.
I love this song, that captures the work of Christ in our lives, not another person,
“You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
[Update: Read, “How to Find a Mentor in 10 Not-So-Easy Steps” http://goinswriter.com/find-mentor/ .]
