Mentorship
in
Ministry Leadership
Six to Twelve Month
ABWE
CEIM
www.abwe.org
MENTORSHIP IN MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
GOAL OF MINISTRY LEADERSHIP FOR MISSIONAR IES: To help the missionary develop confidence in developing and leading a ministry in the local church. The missionary needs experience, guidance and evaluation to improve his skill and effectiveness in ministry planning, recruiting, directing and evaluating. The mentor and missionary have the freedom to choose the ministry they will develop and lead. It may be a team leadership paradigm to begin with, but the missionary needs to take full leadership responsibility by the time it is 50% completed. The important thing is that the missionary get actual experience in ministry leadership coupled with instruction and evaluation through the process by the mentor(s).
MENTOR QUALIFICATIONS: Godly, mature, and experienced in ministry leadership. A man for a missionary man; a woman for a missionary woman; or married couple to married couple, if everyone involved participates equally. Multiple mentors are acceptable, with one mentor taking responsibility to submit the brief reports.
MENTOR RESPONSIBILTIES: To agree to provide the ministry guidance as described; to meet for a minimum of 12 times for planning and evaluation, plus the ministry participation and team meetings in a 6-12 month period. Some flexibility is allowed here due to scheduling difficulties related to prefield ministry.
METHOD: To provide the opportunity for the missionary to plan, lead and carry out a ministry within the local church with a team of coworkers. This process could begin with just the mentor and the missionary discussing the ministry plan. The missionary could begin as a co-leader before taking full leadership. It is important that the missionary learn the process of defining a ministry vision, planning, recruiting a team, planning the ministry, carrying it out and evaluating it in the process. It might be a single event, or a ministry that continues for several weeks or months. It should include a team of workers so the missionary gets experience in leading a team and the dynamics associated with team ministry.
Our goal is for the missionary to become confident in ministry leadership since this aspect of ministry is foundational for success on the field. (See Discovery process outlined below)
TIME FRAME: Flexible – includes defining the need, the ministry vision, planning (who, what, when, how long, how much will it cost, calendar issues, personnel, etc), ministry participation and then evaluation. Discuss what went well, what could be done differently, concerns, pray together throughout the process. It is a major time investment – but this is crucial ministry mentoring that will really equip the missionary for ministry on the field.
Missionary: You would be expected to sit down and talk with your mentor personally, and explain the above expectations and goals. A sample 6 month report follows. The mentor is only required to submit one report total for each ministry. If the ministry goes beyond 6 months, then please submit an additional report. As questions arise, feel free to contact me anytime.
MENTOR REPORT:
Describe the ministry that was developed?
What was the need it addressed?
How many people were involved?
How do you evaluate the success or failure of the ministry?
What lessons were learned in the process?
How many times did you meet as a team with the missionary in leadership?
Will the ministry continue in the future?
What strengths as a leader have you observed in this missionary?
How would you rate their following leadership skills?
Confidence and boldness in communicating the vision
Listening skills , Fielding questions that arise
Handling o pposition or difficult people on the team
Demonstrating his love and appreciation for the team
Maintaining the unity and vision of the team
Staying on track; not getting sidetracked or led astray by others
What other recommendations would you make for this missionary’s continued growth and development as a missionary?
The mentoring in ministry leadership should be undertaken with the full support of the pastoral leadership and aimed to meet a real ministry goal within the local church ministry. This is not be an artificial leadership opportunity. It should be an actual ministry developed to meet an actual church and community need. It should be outreach focused primarily.
Sample of ministries
Youth outreach -
Women’s outreach
Men’s outreach
College Outreach
Internationals outreach
Children’s outreach
Sports outreach
Nursing Home ministries
Helping Hands ministry to assist the elderly or single mom’s in the church
Visitation ministry
Jail ministry
Hospice ministry
Evangelism Explosion
Men’s Growth Group or Discipleship Group (D Group)
Ministry Discovery Process
What are the needs that grip your heart
Needs in order of priority
What has been done to attempt to meet these needs in the past
What are we doing now
What could be done to attempt to meet these needs in the future
What are the intended results of these proposed efforts
Plan of action
Appoint a steering committee (3) and prepare a ministry proposal for the church leadership
Give a title to the proposed ministry
Describe the ministry activity
State at least three clear, measurable goals for the minstry
Where would it take place, how long, preparation, clean-up
How many workers, leaders, teams would be needed
When could it be carried out – optimum times, church calendar conflicts
How much lead time does it require for promotion & preparation
How much money will it cost – how will it be funded
What procedure for leadership approval
Ministry Evaluation Process
How would you rate the effectiveness of the ministry in view of your original goals
What happened that you anticipated
What happened that you did not anticipate
On the basis of what you learned, what would you do differently next time
How could you have avoided some of the negative aspects of the ministry process
How could you have enhanced some of the positive aspects of the ministry process
Is it worth repeating this type of ministry or should you attempt something different to meet the need
Reading List:
Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make – Hans Finzel - write one page on what you gained from this book
Spiritual Leadership - Blackaby
Key Qualities for Lasting Laborers – Character studies in a small group setting
On Being a Servant of God – Wiersbe – write one page on what you gained from this book
Lead Like Jesus – Blanchard, Hodges - write one page on what you gained from this book