The Biblical Case For Mentorship
Last year I completed a course at Bible College which equipped me with skills, knowledge, experience and tool-kits to not only practise as a Certified Mentor but as a Certified Christian Mentor if necessary.
Is there a biblical case for mentorship? Yes! Is it a secret? Certainly not!
Whether you align with the Christian faith or not, there's great value to be gained from the 4 examples of mentorship below.
1) Jesus mentored His disciples
Jesus is considered to be the greatest mentor within the Christian faith. He had twelve disciples, or mentees, and did an outstanding job of sharing His knowledge and understanding of many things with them to prepare them to carry out their purpose in His absence. It's important that mentees take full advantage of having access to their mentors and it's equally important that mentors share adequate knowledge with their mentees who need to be released to live out their purpose independently.
2) Moses mentored Joshua
Moses mentored Joshua who became the next leader of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 31 and 34). Mentorship is valuable for calling out the leadership skills in a mentee. The famous words of Moses to Joshua were "Be strong and courageous...do not be afraid; do not be discouraged". Mentees should receive emotional support from their mentors and should feel more driven to take charge of their responsibilities. Whilst obstacles will arise, it's the mentor's responsibility to attempt to cast down irrational fears by replacing these with the truth that mentees can overcome.
3) Elijah mentored Elisha
Elijah mentored Elisha who led a prophetic ministry (1 Kings 19 and 2 Kings 2).
Elijah demonstrated to Elisha how to conduct himself, how to delegate tasks and the importance of trusting others for support in times of trouble. Similarly, mentors have a responsibility to encourage mentees to behave in a professional way, to delegate where possible and to trust colleagues in the workplace. Mentors should encourage mentees to let their lights shine in the workplace and this isn't necessarily accomplished by taking on excessive workloads but rather by seeking support when necessary in order to meet deadlines.
4) Naomi mentored Ruth
Naomi mentored Ruth to understand the laws and customs of the Israelites (Ruth 1-4).
It's not uncommon for mentees to take on new roles where they are required to come up to speed with the company culture quickly as well as the expectations of the team they're in to ensure they're a good fit. The role of mentors is to help prepare mentees for this through a number of strategies such as encouraging the mentees to be sensitive to team cultures, to read the body language of colleagues, and to navigate personalities effectively.
This topic will be explored further in my second book.
Jahmella Encourages offers the JEM scheme to professional females aged 18-30. Whilst the scheme follows a 5 week plan, mentees will experience encouragement to be leaders, to let their lights shine in their workplaces, to increase their awareness of the culture of their workplaces, validation of their strengths, skills and experience, to remain committed and to support the long term mission of their organisations.
For more information, email info@jahmellaencourages.com