The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Psalm 23:1-3 NKJV
The Royal Rangers Leaders Manual says that “friendship is the bedrock of mentoring”.
The stronger our relationships are, the more effective our Royal Rangers ministry can be. Leaders should strive to form strong healthy friendships not just with the kids they minister to but with leaders amongst the ministry.
Why the need for mentoring?
I can see two main uses of mentoring in the life on a young adult who leads as a Royal Ranger leader.
1) Leaders don’t do well in ministry not so much because of the inability to cope with ministry but, rather with life outside of ministry. Out of the 7 days in a week, you will only spend a handful of hours in ministry, but you spend the rest of them dealing with the strains and pressures of life, work, finances, personal problems, difficult relationships, etc… Because Royal Rangers is about shaping future leaders, it is crucial that your life both in and outside church is lived in the right manner.
2) Friendship is not just about fellowship and fun. In order to continue growing strong and mature friendships, there is a need to introduce Godly influence, guidance and instruction, otherwise there is little difference of the relationship you have with non-Christian college buddies and your fellow church leaders.
A mentor, or shepherd as we will see later, helps you to stay within a Godly environment by using his or her example to influence the way you identify weaknesses in your life, in making difficult decision and how you approach and overcome problems.
The Two E’s : Environment and Example
When we look at Psalm 23, Jesus our Shepherd leads us to a “place” or environment where we are able to receive nourishment and refreshing. He also “leads me in the paths of righteousness”. We know that Jesus came to Earth to lead by example, what a righteous life should look like.
What we are wanting to introduce with the Discipleship classes is exactly this. Firstly, to provide you with shepherds that will create an environment for you to grow as leaders, and secondly for you to relate to the example of these shepherds, their lifestyle of servant leadership.
The Godly environment is important because it helps us to see God for who He really is. And the Godly example is powerful because it helps us know that God sees us in the righteousness of Christ.
Shepherds
It may feel awkward looking towards an older or senior person as a buddy or friend which is why we are hoping that you will see the mature and older generation of leaders as shepherds. Not chaperons or bosses or dictators, but shepherds, as described in Psalm 23.
Looking at them as shepherds will help make it easier to look towards older leaders for guidance and, in return, for mature leaders to provide counsel and wisdom to match that.
And what better people to have as shepherds than leaders within the same ministry, with whom you serve with, who understand the Christian lifestyle and discipline required of being in that leadership role.
Therefore what you can expect to see in the weeks and months to come, are classes for the Discipleship modules 1 & 2; this is the environment of shepherding and mentoring. You may also be approached to have a chat, or have a coffee, or to serve together with an older leader for a project; this is the shepherds sharing their life of example with you.
Be in an environment of shepherds and allow examples of shepherds to influence you.
Side note from Cmdr Jim
For those who missed the introduction gathering today, this is an encouragement from Commander Jim in closing.
a) what we hope to see as an outcome from these Discipleship sessions, is for young and old leaders forming friendships and be seen serving together and understanding each other.
b) Paul in the Bible also encourages us in this same manner in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” ~ NIV
c) For this to work, you also have a responsibility to fulfill and that is we expect the commitment from you to come out for these classes and be willing to serve alongside older leaders.
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