The Mentor Generation and the Mentee Generation

There is the passing of the baton of the church right now, not just at Foundation Stone, or even Toledo, but the larger body of Christ around the world.

And it’s helpful for us to clarify two distinct generations that are present and alive in the church in this day.

First, there is the mentor group. The generation that has been holding this baton for years, even decades, owning the responsibility for carrying out the work of the Kingdom of God with faithfulness and humility. This is anyone who is seasoned; everyone who has experience following God – not necessarily having to do with old age! They’ve seen God work miracles big and small in their own lives – some of them even have written records of how God has shown up in their lives. Mature Christians who’ve walked with the Lord for many years have paid a steep price for their maturity. They have invested and sown, and then reaped the benefits of wisdom, intimacy with the Father, and sanctification of their lives. They know the difference between missing God and connecting with Him. They have felt the pain of making wrong choices and the habitual redemption of the Lord as they repent and turn from sin. They know how to use the Word of God and they have had the Word written on their hearts so long, it’s how they think now. They understand that although the world may not follow God, they can and they will and they HAVE followed Him.

To the Mentor Generation, I say:

• You know better than us how to listen to God with precision, and
• You know better than us how to obey Him consistently.

Second, the mentee group – these people are watching the mature Christians and looking to them to see what a walk with God looks like. They are usually younger, though not always, and have recently decided to follow God. They are in a battle with a culture that works tirelessly to convince them to discard their faith, and they are looking for truth WITH love, sincerity of faith, and mentors who will see beyond their faults to their hearts for the Lord and for the supernatural. They need patience, people who will listen carefully, and then lift their fingers to point them in the best direction spiritually. They need disciplers, badly. Disciplers who are skilled in challenging them in their inaccurate or false beliefs that may lead to a disintegration of their faith. They need disciplers who know how to call forth and encourage who that person is in Christ – to remind them of their true identity in the LORD. They need disciplers and mentors who will personify redemption when they mess up and make mistakes.

To the Mentee Generation, I say:

• You’re not going to hear God perfectly, but you must listen for Him anyway and
• You’re not going to obey God perfectly, but you must commit to obey Him anyway

It’s eye-opening to look at the body of Christ this way because it gives us direction for our relationships with other Christians. God wants these two groups, Mentors and Mentees, Baton Holders and Baton Grabbers, to work together symbiotically, in complement to each other. For example, I am in a mentor/mentee relationship with a more mature woman in the Lord. We meet regularly to encourage each other in our lives of faith, and share what God is doing in our decisions, our behavior, and our pursuit of Him. She often brings a wisdom to the conversation that I would otherwise miss, and I bring questions and different perspectives, which are fuel to spiritual conversations, and to our spiritual growth.

Younger/Mentee generation: If you are not asking questions about your faith, you’re stagnate in your growth. If a life of faith doesn’t leave you wondering how, why, and when, you’re not living by faith. Don’t be afraid of questions about your walk with God. Find someone who will answer them biblically, and stick with those people. Look for encouragement from someone who has walked with God for years, decades, and you will see wisdom in their face and in their words. Pray for them, and encourage them that you need them.

Older/Mentor generation: We have questions – welcome our questions.  Answer them biblically, and freely share that wisdom you have labored so hard for! We need your prayers and encouragement! Look for ways to encourage newer Christians in their fresh walks of faith with the LORD. We so desperately need your wisdom and heart.

“I remember your true faith. That faith first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I know you now have that same faith. ⁶ This is why I remind you to keep using the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. Now let it grow, as a small flame grows into a fire. ⁷ God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.”

I Timothy 1:5-7

Paul has it right. He, a mentor and Baton Holder, reminded his mentee, Timothy, a Baton Grabber: “Hey, this is who you are. This is where your faith comes from. You can totally do this. You can live a life of faith. This is the powerful spirit inside you that will help you. And I will too.”

Mentors, we need you.

Mentees, we need mentors.

May we follow God into our relationships, as Mentors and Mentees, to see where we can lean into our community, the body of Christ, and grow stronger together. To carry that baton further, for the glory of the LORD.

-AL