Core Values: Mentoring
Mentoring: “We are committed to intentionally promoting mentoring relationships in our staff and students.”
Within the culture of Millar College of the Bible, there is a rich history of life-on-life learning. We hear stories of Mr. Peeler (principal and teacher at Millar from 1932-1992) regularly taking students with him after class to pick up a few tools and tackle a project, all while talking through various biblical truths or life application. Today we often see it on the soccer pitch or gym court where a coach or team captain pulls aside a player to affirm or exhort a particular behaviour or attitude. Both in the past and in the present Millar continues to embrace opportunities for intentional relational experiences in the form of travelling teams, mission’s trips, and year-end
college tours. Further examples include our student leadership development which involves students serving in pairs where they sharpen one another, our fourth-year internship program where students have field supervisors, as well as other voices in their lives, or even our grad program where our students have both a ministry and a character mentor.
Opportunity for life-on-life investment is available all around us, but the key to unlocking opportunity and turning it into something fulfilling and life giving is intentionality. Proverbs 27:17 reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (NIV). An African proverb echoes, “If you want to go fast, walk alone; but if you want to go far, let’s walk together.” What a great reminder that life is not a race, but a journey that we walk in together.
Though intentional relationships have always played a part throughout the history of Millar College of the Bible, mentoring as a core value only came about in more recent history. While Richard Bueckert and Mona Froese served as deans in student life in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they worked toward developing a mentoring program. Richard had been exposed to the discipleship model of life-on-life ministry at Prairie and when he arrived in Pambrun as the Dean of Men, he sought how he might develop something similar in his new setting. I returned for my third year of study in 1999 as a married student and was introduced to what was known as
“Project Timothy.” The vision of Project Timothy was for an older more mature student to take a student who was younger in faith under their wing. In following the example of the Apostle Paul, a more mature, or perhaps “further along” student, was paired with another student. The fruit of seeing an individual investing in another went beyond the mentee as it also nurtured significant growth in those who were mentoring. As Richard and Mona transitioned to serving in other capacities the new student life team moved toward developing a role for third year students called student mentors.
When looking through the Scriptures we find a wide range of examples where an individual came alongside another to encourage, equip, train, and exhort. We see the example of Jethro coming alongside his son in law Moses with a particular word of wisdom. Moses in turn played a significant role in the life of Joshua, whom the Lord used to take Moses’ place and lead the
nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Other Old Testament examples we have are Naomi and Ruth as well as Elijah and Elisha. In the New Testament we see Jesus intentionally and intimately discipling Peter, James, and John. The relationship Jesus had with Peter is a great example of mentoring as Jesus had numerous opportunities to use practical day to day examples to challenge, encourage, exhort, and equip Peter. As we read the book of Acts and see the impact that Jesus had on the disciples and how the church was established, there seems to be much evidence of the fruit of their life-on-life relationships.
Aside from these examples, God’s Word gives numerous instructions such as:
“Entrust these to faithful men who will pass it on to others” (2 Tim 2:2).
“So that they [older women] may encourage the young women to love their husbands,
and to love their children” (Titus 2:4).“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7).
As we observed the impact mentoring began to have on our campus, it became evident that
mentoring should be taking place not only in the lives of students, but also in the lives of our
staff. Millar College established mentoring among the first core values of the college in the early
2000s.
Mentoring at Millar College today results in each student (whether College or Grad program) being matched with a mentor. For our college students, most freshmen are paired up with upperclassmen students and our upperclassmen usually meet with college staff, staff spouses, as well as other believers near the campus. In our newest location, Winnipeg, we also have some of our students mentored by their pastor/elders or others they have a relationship with in their local church.
Now you might be asking, why the term mentoring? Why not use a biblical term like “discipleship” or a more current term such as “coaching”? Mentoring, as opposed to coaching or discipleship, lends itself to intentionality with the purpose of growth or maturing outside of a determined structure. The goals and outcomes of mentoring may fit well with discipleship, coaching, or leadership development. However, we desire mentoring to be more tailored to the mentee and their current situation that week, versus a curriculum that must be processed and worked through.
The guiding vision for mentoring relationships is to provide students with an opportunity to have mentors build into their lives through intentional relationships of accountability, support, and encouragement, either one-on-one or in small groups. The hope is that each mentoring pair can meet for an hour on a weekly basis. If possible, they will also connect outside of that scheduled
time. I am confident that as God works in the life of an individual through his Word and His Holy Spirit, he has also chosen to use individuals like you and I to have the privilege of being a part of that work. God’s desire is that we as individuals are transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Through mentoring, as both the mentor and mentee engage in their relationship intentionally,
lives are changed.
“I am confident that as God works in the life of an individual through his Word and His Holy Spirit, he has also chosen to use individuals like you and I to have the privilege of being a part of that work.”
We are so thankful that Paul took a young man like Timothy and invested in him! We are grateful that our college community has an opportunity to mentor the young men and women who attend our college, and we trust God will use these opportunities greatly in their lives.
About the Author
This article in our Core Values series is written by Peter Buhler, the Director of our Winnipeg campus.