Mentoring Resources
Urbana follow-upby Becky Stephen
The Teacher says that there is "a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them (Ecclesiastes 3:5)." Right now, in your chapters and congregations, there are students who are eager to scatter - to rush into the world full of enthusiasm and joy to share the gospel.
Many of them gathered in Urbana for a time of preparation and motivation. And God has given you a responsibility to help these students prepare, too. Your time is limited and the needs of your church or chapter are endless. So here are some tools for you to use as you gather these students together in preparation for that time when they will be scattered for the sake of the gospel.
Index to these Resources:
The questions students need to ask
The process of preparing for missions
Missions mentoring strategies for staff
Every student who feels drawn into cross-cultural missions will need to work through similar questions/issues. Here are some questions you can ask to help them think things through:
- Confirming God's Will:
How has God called you to missions?
How do you expect Him to confirm that call? (e.g. through Scripture, community, parents, etc.) - Dealing with Expectations:
of parents and family,
of friends,
your own expectations about what your life would be like materially, spiritually, relationally … - Thinking through the Process:
what needs to happen between now and when you can go overseas? (see process below)
- Change major? Develop curriculum strategically to learn about missions.
- Finish school.
- Participate in ministry now on campus or through another structure in your city. (See Susan Cho Van Riesen's talk at Urbana 2000.)
- Learn specific ministry skills (leading Bible studies, evangelism, cross-cultural relationships, language learning, teaching, preaching, discipling, leadership development and training, etc.).
- Develop intimacy with God (Word, worship, prayer, obedience, etc.).
- Initiate specific conversations w/family about their concerns and expectations and your calling and plans.
- Deal with family of origin or emotional issues.
- Find a mentor (Understand why this is necessary. Evaluate specific needs for development.)
- Determine God's specific calling and spiritual gifts given to fulfill that calling.
- Investigate mission agencies.
- Decide on an agency/ministry.
- Raise support/find job.
Strategy 1 Meet regularly with individual students
Meet weekly or monthly for a pre-determined length of time (e.g. every Tues. 9-10am for 1 month).
Activities
- Study Scripture together or discuss what God's been saying to you both through your quiet times during the week: choose passages related to missions (find key words: nations, Gentiles, world, earth, peoples, etc. Or ask these questions about any passage, "What does this say about God's heart for the nations? What does this passage say about what He's calling me or my chapter or church to do with Him in the world?"
- Surf Urbana.org together for answers to questions, helpful articles and books, news from around the world, etc.
- Pray for world issues, missionaries, specific people groups, and for God's specific work in that student's life.
Resources
- Urbana Next Steps
- Take the Perspectives course - now available online!
- Ask for information on specific people groups around the world
- The Global Prayer Digest is a daily prayer profile and devotional which you can receive for free by email. To subscribe send the following message to hub@xc.org: subscribe brigada-pubs-globalprayerdigest
Strategy 2 Meet regularly with a small group of students
Meet weekly for a month or monthly for a semester, whatever suits the needs of your students.
Activities
- Study Scripture together: choose passages related to missions (find key words: nations, Gentiles, world, earth, peoples, etc. Or ask these questions about any passage, "What does this say about God's heart for the nations? What does this passage say about what He's calling me or my chapter or church to do with Him in the world?"
- Take turns preparing and leading the Bible study. Spend individual time with the leader each week discussing the study and specific application for his/her own life
- Pray for world issues, missionaries, specific people groups, and for God's specific work each student.
- Do community service together: working at a homeless shelter, find a local agency that serves the poor and offer your group to them to do ANYthing for a day, etc.
- Learn cross-cultural skills together through a simulation (see below)
- Discuss cultural perspectives and differences using a video (see below)
- Take the Perspectives course together as a group, or use the video series designed for use in churches.
Resources
Same as Strategy 1
- Use Send Me, Your Journey to the Nations workbook. This was an Urbana book of the day. Much of it can be found on this website.
- Use an IVP Bible study guide, such as Missions: God's Heart for the World, by Paul Borthwick.
- Culture simulation games, books and where to buy them.
- Culture learning videos.
Strategy 3 Conduct a one-day follow-up event
Can be done independently or in conjunction with other follow-up strategies.
SAMPLE AGENDA
| 8:30 am |
|
| 9:00 am |
|
| 9:15 am |
|
| 9:45 am | missionary testimony of how God called them into missions |
| 10:00 am | students sharing in staff/pastor- or missionary-led small groups about progress regarding their "next step" from their Urbana decision card, including prayers of thanks |
| 10:45 am | break |
| 11:00 am | small group bible study on God's heart for the nations (led by missionaries &/or staff/pastor), including prayer re: application |
| 12:00 pm | lunch |
| 1:00 pm | missionary testimony of how God changed them during their time overseas |
| 1:15 pm | missionary panel discussion or question/answer from students |
| 2:00 pm | video presentation of needs around the world |
| 2:30 pm | discussion of reactions to video and personal application for students |
| 3:00 pm | prayer: for the peoples and needs presented in video, for world evangelization, for specific missionaries and agencies present; etc. |
| 3:30 pm | what's next? - staff/pastor offering specific and practical help to students to take the next step in moving towards God's calling to missions. (if working in conjunction w/ strategy #4, mentoring, have students meet with their mentors one-to-one at this point to discuss next step, next meeting, and to pray together.) |
| 4:30 pm | conclude with thanks to the missionaries and with prayer. |
Strategy 4 Connect individual students with mentors for longer-term follow-up
Enlist the help of more mature students who are further in the process of going overseas, returned missionary in your city or congregation, missions committee people, or others who demonstrate a commitment to missions.
Enlisting Mentors
- Phone or meet with possible mentors individually, inviting them to consider becoming a missions mentor for a specific period of time (e.g. one semester, renewable by both parties at the end of the semester).
- Personally invite possible mentors to a group meeting to discuss how to become a missions mentor. Go over the process of initiating a relationship and the resources for developing as missionaries (see below). Ask for a commitment. Give them a student name and phone number, as well as a deadline for contacting them.
- Follow up the mentors after the initial contact deadline, as well as periodically throughout the semester to answer questions, trouble-shoot, encourage, and pray for them.
Resources for Mentors
- Same as Strategy 1
- Use an IVP Bible study guide, such as Missions: God's Heart for the World, by Paul Borthwick.
- Personal Development Action Plan worksheet and other great resources for missions mentoring in
Send Me, Your Journey to the Nations workbook.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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