In Christian circles, mentoring is really a subset of discipleship. A disciple is one who would sit at the feet of a teacher and learn of his/her wisdom. The disciple in essence became a follower of the rabbi or teacher. I can imagine that the student was so tied to the teacher that when the student spoke, the hearers would be able to recognize who the student’s teacher had been.
I had a campus minister from college that was (and is) well known in many state conventions. I am able to say that “I am a disciple of …” simply because I was able to learn from him as he invested his life into me.
The world describes what a mentor usually is:
- The mentor has achieved superior rank in the organization.
- The mentor is an authority in his field or discipline.
- The mentor has a certain measure of influence in his field.
- The mentor is interested in the protégé’s growth.
- The mentor is willing to commit time and energy into a relationship.
But also, a mentor is not many things:
- He is not a buddy or pal; to be invited to the family reunion; to become your new best friend.
- He is not “on call” for grievances or frustrations.
- He is not to be dismissed when the protégé decides the relationship is no longer useful.
There is a relationship of trust. The mentor sees potential in the protégé and does what he is able to help the protégé reach his personal, professional or spiritual goals. The mentor will often not be able to take an unwilling person anywhere, since the mentor then turns into a parent, policeman or judge. One might start that was but the protégé must be able to see past the desire of the mentor to see the protégé succeed, to the protégé having his own desire to succeed.
I’ll post more information on mentoring as the days go by. King’s Grant is embarking on a new strategy in 2010 that involves mentoring, so these articles are the beginnings of our mentoring training that will begin in the fall 2009.
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