1. Buddy or peer mentoring is much like an
“apprenticeship” that helps a person “learn the ropes” in a new setting. Formal peer mentoring helps a new person to
mesh into an organization, but much of this type of orientation and assimilation
takes place informally. In a ministerial
setting, we often find this type of mentoring with fellow students in seminary,
other staff members, or in lunch or coffee groups with ministers in the
community. Although this may be done informally,
the process is very important to becoming oriented to a new ministry setting.
2. Career
mentoring is very intentional in large organizations but ministers often must
seek it out for themselves. The career
mentor, who is usually not the person’s supervisor, serves as career advisor
and internal advocate in an organization.
For those in ministry, the career mentor is often a former pastor, a
seminary professor, or an older friend in ministry. Although this type of
relationship develops naturally among male ministers, women in ministry often
have to seek out such advocates.
3. Life mentoring is very important as one’s responsibilities
grow. Everyone needs someone in whom he
or she can confide without fear of bias.
Such trusted mentors are sounding boards for career challenges such as
changing jobs or pursuing a new place of ministry. Several years ago, I was asked by a realtor
friend to join with two other people—both businessmen—to be his personal “board.” As trusted friends, we walked alongside him
as he launched a new phase of his career.
We were serving as life mentors.
4.
Reverse mentoring provides the opportunity for a seasoned leader to
learn something from a younger person and for the younger person to contribute
to the organization in a special relationship with a leader. The concept is discussed by Earl Creps in his
book Reverse Mentoring. For example, you
might match a young leader to a senior executive to teach him or her how to use
social media. The executive will learn about
social media, and the young adult will experience how the organization
works. This happened in a church setting
when the minister to students was given an iPad and given the task of helping
the church office become “paperless.”
We all can and must take advantage of
the opportunities to both learn from others and share our own knowledge and
skills with them.
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