February 14, 2010
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Wisdom
can be measured
– Let’s define “mentoring” as the
impartation of wisdom to achieve measureable results in life and the
marketplace. Having a bunch of facts (information), knowing a subject
well
(knowledge), and connecting the dots on how and why things work
(understanding)
is a long way from “wisdom” - doing something that bears ministry fruit
and
multiplies finances. Wisdom is the real-world application of knowledge
and
understanding and it can be easily “measured.” …number of people saved,
increased wealth, etc. The goal is real results, not just more head
knowledge. The
fruit of the righteous
is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Prov 11:30 The wealth of
the wise is
their crown… Prov 14:24 NIV I
want to distinguish relational mentoring from teaching,
preaching, coaching, consulting and counseling. Let’s define relational
mentoring in terms of
the seven-step process below. 1.
The
mentor tells us
how (we ask questions and get confused) 2.
We
watch the mentor
do it (and say that looks easy enough and we can’t wait to try) 3. The
mentor watches us
do it (we screw it up, give up, and try again while the mentor points
out areas
to improve, and repeats 1 and 2 as often as necessary. Their example
and words inspire and encourage us.) Note: Most of us are in need of mentoring for a reason. We are inclined to sabotage our own success; we also need help overcoming our poverty mindset or spiritual bondage. Teaching us how and getting the revelation is still one big step away from implementation. In
meekness instructing those that
oppose
themselves; 2 Tim 2:25
KJV 4. We
do it by ourselves
(and check back with the mentor periodically for adjustments; maintain
the relationship) 5. We
do it by ourselves
and prosper (We feel the applause of our mentor; "well done") 6. We
become mentors
ourselves and start to equip and disciple others to measurable results 7. Return
to step one By
contrast, let’s ask ourselves, “What is non-relational
mentoring?” Answer
– Preaching! It can
motivate us to try, but we’re all programmed from years of going to
church to
lose that motivation about the time we hit the parking lot after the
meeting.
It’s common to talk about putting a discipleship or training series on
a DVD to
change
lives. Can you see the oxymoron? It takes 7 “relational” steps to make
a
disciple and accomplish real change… our attempts at mentoring people
in the church or the
marketplace
usually consists of the first step plus a charge for the material or an
offering. Fellowship
is working together
- We think of fellowship as chatting after
a meeting, having friends over, retreats, etc. It’s prone to be shallow
and,
although it does communicate acceptance, it doesn’t change lives.
Biblical
fellowship that does change lives is built around sharing a common
purpose and
working together to produce something. Local churches are in a huge
transition
right now because our “traditional” purpose has been to grow the
church. The
church has been a totally introverted institution that exists for its
own
self-propagation; thus, shallow fellowship. We are beginning to
understand that our
real purpose on earth is expanding the Kingdom into the other six
mountains of
our culture. The real purpose of the church is to equip the saints to
do
ministry (Release Kings.) Our progress is measured by our impact in our
culture; not just Sunday morning attendance. If
we incorporate the concept of mentoring into our
fellowship, what does it look like? Fellowship in the Greek (Koinonia)
means
partnership, participation, or benefaction, and the root word
(koinonos)
means
sharer or associate. That sounds more like working together than
having tea,
doesn’t it? Don’t partnership, participation and association sound like
a
business relationship? I’m simply suggesting that the kind of
fellowship that
mentors, comes by working together; maybe even 40 hrs a week doing
business together
as a practical learning environment. In this kind of fellowship,
mentoring
occurs in the production of goods and services, and wealth is created
(on the
job training.) Viola! We have received wisdom – measureable in profits
and
changed lives! Availability
–
“Successful” mentors often grow, get too busy to be available to their
followers,
and then degenerate back to preachers and teachers and become mediocre
because
they can’t get beyond step 2. Mentoring that changes lives is
personally available
and invested in seeing the follower meet or exceed the ability of the
mentor.
Teachers are easy to find – turn on the TV or walk into any book store.
Fathering mentors who walk us through change to measurable fruit are
harder to
find. For though you
might have
ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; 1
Cor
4:15 NKJV Multiplying
mentors
– How can mentors retain their personal availability
through growth to mentor hundreds or thousands? The best ones learn to
duplicate themselves so they not only have sons, but the sons have sons
too
(grandchildren). It’s easy to multiply steps 1 and 2 through books,
CD’s,
webinars, websites, FAC pages, and newsletters, but everything grinds
to
a halt
at step 3 unless a real, live, communicating person is available to
answer questions
and discern problem areas. In the absence of that “live mentor,” many
students
give up on change and stop short of becoming Kings or Christians, or
traders, or musicians, or business owners, etc.
Didn’t
Jesus multiply his personal ministry through the 12, then the 72? He
clearly
spent most of his ministry focused on those 12. That’s because 12 is
about the
number we can personally mentor and maintain some semblance of
availability. Meanwhile,
when a crowd of
many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one
another, Jesus
began to speak first to his disciples… Luke 12:1 NIV A
relational mentor is a person we can talk to about
our failures and successes. And if they don’t hear from us, they will
ask how
we’re doing and check on our progress… by measuring it! What does that
feel
like? If feels like being loved by a father; a reflection of being
loved by the
Father. Measure
the mentor
– How do you find a great mentor? Just find someone
whose fruit can be measured. Are people getting saved? Are Kings being
released? Is wealth being multiplied? Pretty easy, isn’t it? How
do you know when you’ve graduated from step 5? People
are getting saved. Kings are being released. Wealth is being
multiplied. Pretty
easy, isn’t it? Said another way, “If my disciples haven’t made any disciples, then I haven’t either." Releasing
Kings through step 3 - God is inviting His people to
explore their hearts desires, find their mountain, and experience new
levels of fruitfulness in ministry, finances, and fun. My dream is to
take the intimacy of a great prophetic counselor who touches hearts and
combine it with the skill of an equally great business mentor (already
prospering in his field). That mentor would connect real world
performance (often dollars) with the wisdom that leads to holistic
change; everything from heart to performance. The student gets both the
heart and the details; natural and spiritual. We put an end to the
dualism that has kept Kings out of our cultures. I am just starting to
see these "priestly / Kingly" mentors. God is doing something brand new
and it's exciting.
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1700+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
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