***The goal of mentoring is to help the kids build a deep
and meaningful relationship with God, to prepare them to study the Bible, and
to get them ready to make their own decision to make Jesus Lord. Build for the future – you want to help this child
become an adult Christian who will stay faithful, contribute to the body, and
impact the world.
Getting Started as
a Mentor
- It is
preferable (but not necessary) to already have a relationship with the
child and his/her family. - Communicate
with the youth ministry leaders and/or shepherds about the kid(s) you
could potentially mentor. - Make
sure you are Kingdom Kids approved and complete a driving application.
Building a
Relationship
- Building
a strong relationship and great communication with the parents is crucial. - Once you
beginning mentoring a child, please arrange with their parents to have a
meal together with the child and his/her parents so you can all get to
know each other. - Then
work to build a relationship with the child, spending time on the phone
talking and having fun together. - The
relationship should be one of fun.
It is as important as any other discipling relationship in the
Kingdom. Keep in mind that this may
be the first experience these kids have in any discipling relationship, so
make sure that it is excellent in every way! - Be
sure to follow all Kingdom Kids guidelines. Although not required, you may want to
have another disciple with you when you spend time with your child. The best way to accomplish this is to hook
up with another mentor and take two kids together with two mentors. Be sure when doing this that each mentor
is spending time with his/her child (not just having the two kids hang out
together). The goal is for YOU to
build a deep and trusting relationship that will see them through their
Bible studies into becoming a disciple. - You
should meet with your child once a week for a fun activity, dinner or
lunch with their family, or attend a youth ministry event with them. You need to commit to meeting with the
child at least every other week with weekly phone calls. - Until
you build a trusting relationship, you should initially stay close to
their house. You could play a game
outside their house or go to a nearby park or fast food restaurant. - When
setting up times together, it is important that you let your yes be yes
and let your no be no. Do not
cancel times you have planned with the child unless your reasons are of
dire importance and you have exhausted all other possible ways to work it
out. If you do cancel,
communication is important with both the child and the parents. Set up a new time to get together
immediately. - There
should be at least one church-planned youth ministry activity per
month. Although mentors are not
required to attend, this is a great opportunity for you to spend time with
the child. If you cannot attend, be
sure to follow up with the child by asking what the event was all about.
Character Studies
- The
character studies are for children who WANT TO STUDY THE BIBLE. Do not study with them simply because he
turned 12, his parents told you to do it, or you decide that it’s
time. Our goal is to develop kids who decide they want to pursue a
relationship with God. - Character
studies are enclosed in the mentoring packet. - Be
sure to read the introduction to the character studies and the “how to use
character studies” sections. - Character
studies are not necessarily done in order.
Pick the topics that your child may need the most help with during
that particular time in his life. - As you
build this relationship, it is important you (the mentor) share about your
relationship with God including quiet times, answered prayers, and
victories. - Help
them to see that your decision to become a disciple is the best decision
you’ve ever made! - As you
begin the character studies, be sure to communicate with the parents about
the direction you heading with specific studies. - Encourage
your child to begin to build relationships with the disciple teens. This will become very important as they
get closer to beginning the studies to become a Christian. - As the
child matures, it may be time for him to begin the Foundations of Faith
(First Principles) studies. This is
different for every child and getting advice is crucial. - It is
important to involve other disciple teens, youth leaders, youth workers/shepherds,
and adult Christians in the Foundations of Faith studies. - Seek
advice! Make it your goal to
communicate regularly with the youth ministry leaders about the progress
of the Bible studies. - Enjoy
time with the child you are mentoring!
See how God has called you to be a part of this tremendous
opportunity to eternally impact a young person’s life.
