Being Intentional about Mentoring

When we mentor someone else we advance the Kingdom of God by empowering others to do ministry. Mentoring is multiplication of ministry impact. One thing I know about mentoring is that you have to be intentional in order to be effective. Being intentional helps you to not miss opportunities, allows you to focus, and keeps you from making excuses. How do we start? Where do we begin with mentoring? Here are a few key elements to become intentional with mentoring.

• Filter and Focus > You have to know who you are intentionally investing in and then focus. You will always want to mentor more people but because our time is limited we have to filter and focus in order to be most effective. How do you know who to mentor? You must stop, pray, and process before jumping into a mentoring relationship.
• Be Patient > Mentoring is a marathon and not a race. In order to invest in someones life you can't give up on them when they don't move as fast as you would like. We are not making clones but rather we give our lives away.
• Create Opportunities > You have to find time for the people you mentor. Play golf, set up lunch meeting, serve together on a project, or read a book together. Make sure you make an intentional effort to block off time for people you mentor.
• Challenge and Encourage > Sometimes you have to say hard things and other times you simply need to be a cheerleader for the people you mentor. They need both.
• Push People Forward > The people you mentor need a chance to step to the front and lead. You have to take risks and allow others to be up front, lead, and make mistakes.