Although the Bible doesn’t use the words mentor, mentee, or mentoring, it frequently refers to what we believe are successful mentoring relationships: Jesus and His disciples, Barnabas and Paul; Paul and Timothy; Naomi and Ruth; Elisha and Elijah; Deborah and Barak; Elizabeth and Mary (the mother of Jesus), and many others. Until Jesus came and established an intense model of discipling as a fundamental component of His ministry, mentoring was a process in which partnerships often had a narrow focus with a singular goal. Mentors gave valuable but limited knowledge, skills, and opportunities. Jesus invited a much more comprehensive discipling commitment in order to win people over to the Kingdom of God and to maintain their responsibilities (Matthew 28:18-20).

This broader view of Discipling (we added the bold D) involved growth in all aspects of day-to-day life of His followers of as they struggled to understand His teachings, tell the world about Him and the Kingdom, and become more Christ-like themselves. We believe Christ labored to help His disciples improve spiritually, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and socially so that they could face every situation and challenge ahead of them.

We define Christ-centered mentoring as comparable to this expanded view of Discipling. We believe it’s a process that can enable all of us to develop as robust disciples of Christ and help us become everything that He desired for His followers. To us, a modern Christ-centered mentor:

1. has accepted Christ as Savior and Lord;
2. studies and tries personally to apply God’s Word;
3. is striving to know God intimately and become more like Christ;
4. seeks God’s will for his/her life;
5. is deeply committed to loving the members of the body of Christ for whom He died;
6. expresses that love by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in, as well as through, him/her; and
7. helps others become responsible followers of Christ.

Christ-centered mentors and mentees, with help from the Holy Spirit, take on life’s issues, challenges, and possible goals with knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm. Instead of completing a one-time mentoring process or relationship, Christ-centered mentors and mentees adopt mentoring as a way of life beneficial to accomplishing God’s will in the lives of others.

We think that over the ages, Christ’s version of Discipling has often been reduced to “small-d discipling.” Believers’ attention has wandered, and discipling has often been watered down to reluctant pairs tentatively plodding through workbooks and lessons while avoiding many of the issues, pains, and passions of each other’s lives. By adopting the term “Christ-centered mentoring,” we want to re-establish the importance of Christ’s original intention and vision to transform His followers’ lives in every aspect. We hope to accentuate elements of Christ’s Discipling too long ignored or, at best, minimized in everyday practice.

For resources on mentoring, click on What We Offer.