FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

for Pastors Seeking a Mentor

and

for Pastors Interested in Becoming a Mentor

 

FAQ for Pastors Seeking a Mentor

 

Why do pastors typically seek a Mentor?

Pastors may be facing a concern, want a safe place to think out loud, desire to be held accountable to their own goals, take a proactive step toward avoiding stress that isolation  brings, or just to test the mentoring/coaching concept that has proved so successful in a variety of professional and business settings.

 Back to Top

Does it cost anything to have a Mentor?

No. There is no charge to pastors for mentoring.  Expenses incurred in
providing this service to pastors are borne by those who believe that effective, healthy pastors are a good investment for our entire nation.  Ministry Mentors is sustained by such individuals, congregations, denominations, and foundations.

  Back to Top

How much time is involved in the mentoring process?

Typically, you and your Mentor spend approximately one hour per month in conversation.  In order to maximize the time together, the Mentor may invite you to do preparation work that will make the session more effective.  Although occasionally short-term assistance is offered, our goal is to work with pastors for a minimum of six months.

  Back to Top

What happens if I don’t “click” with my Mentor?

Mutual respect, trust, and “chemistry” are essential for the mentoring relationship.  If this does not exist, the Ministry Mentors organization, in consultation with the Cluster Leader, will facilitate the forming of a new mentoring relationship for both the Mentor and the Pastor being mentored. 

                                                                                                Back to Top

Where do we meet for mentoring?

This is up to you.  Often the initial meeting is at the pastor’s office.  This allows the Mentor to tour the facilities, appreciate the neighborhood, and generally have an understanding of the context of your ministry.  Future meetings are held wherever privacy and uninterrupted time can be assured.

  Back to Top

Who sets the agenda for mentoring sessions?

You set the agenda.  Circumstances may alter discussion of a planned topic in favor of the “Crisis of the Day,” as some pastors have described it. Our goal is to assist.  You tell us what would be the most beneficial way of offering that assistance.

  Back to Top

How do I get a Mentor?

Complete a Contact Form.  Ministry Mentors will strive to help you enter into a successful and rewarding mentoring relationship. 

                                                                   Back to Top

 

FAQ for Pastors Interested in Becoming a Mentor

 

Why should I consider becoming a Mentor?

We believe pastors understand the joys, stresses, and challenges of our profession and can help each other.  Though the mentoring process, Christ’s call to encourage one another can help bring needed perspective to our own call to ministry. While encouraging all forms of healthy mentoring, we believe that one-on-one pastor-to-pastor mentoring holds great promise.

  Back to Top

How much time is involved being a Mentor?

Approximately three hours a month.  Two of these hours are spent meeting with the other Mentors in your Cluster, and generally one hour with the pastor you are mentoring

  Back to Top          

Do Mentors get paid?

Mentors receive payment in kind--support for their own ministries and lives and the rewards of providing a vital service to members of their profession.  Cluster Leaders and executive staff members are only paid for performing administrative duties intended to sustain Ministry Mentors and help it grow into a nation-wide organization serving all Christian clergy.

 Back to Top

What happens if we don’t “click?”

Every effort will be made to bring together individuals who share mutual respect, trust, and understanding within the mentoring relationship.  There will be times this does not happen. In consultation with the Cluster Leader, the Ministry Mentors organization will facilitate the forming of a new mentoring relationship for both the Mentor and the Pastor being mentored.   

Back to Top

Can a Mentor work with pastors that they already know?

This would be determined by the ability of both parties to adopt the professional standards of Ministry Mentors in creating and sustaining the mentoring relationship.  In some cases, having a built-in trust and respect relationship can allow the mentoring to move quickly into areas in which the Mentor can offer greatest assistance. 

Back to Top

How do I apply to become a Mentor?

Contact us by email or complete a Contact Form. If your application is accepted, Ministry Mentors will contact your denominational leader to receive his or her approval indicating that you are a pastor in good standing in your denomination, exhibiting excellence in ministry and in maintaining personal integrity.

  Back to Top
 

 

 

About Us | Why Mentoring is Important? | Leadership | Key Leaders | Selection of Leaders and Mentors | Training Resources
Independent yet Interdependent | Fees and Costs | Award of Excellence Program
References | Professional Profiles | Contact Us | Home

© 2006 Ministry Mentors all rights reserved. For questions or comments about this website, please email the Webmaster.
Another Nu Frontiers Enterprises, Inc. web site.