In the past few weeks, I have been thinking about mentoring and how to strengthen the mentoring that we provide in SEND. Those of us who have been with SEND for a while will remember that when SEND U started 12 years ago, we talked a lot about coaching. A couple of hundred people in SEND have received training in coaching and that is really encouraging! So, do we also need mentoring? What is the difference? My latest blog post on the SEND U blog addresses those questions in some detail.

But here I want to just note that mentoring and coaching are at slightly different points on the spectrum of different types of help that we can provide to others. The diagram below lists different ways we can help others deal with problems. The methods on the left are increasingly focused on telling them how to resolve their issue. We could add preaching and lecturing to that end of the line. The methods on the right are increasingly oriented toward asking, seeking to pull out of people their own solution for their problem.

We need to become proficient in using the entire spectrum of helping tools. All of them are necessary in the process of making disciples. People are more apt to follow through on solutions that they have developed themselves. But sometimes they need to hear some truth first before they can develop a biblical or culturally appropriate solution. So, we need to learn both “push” and “pull” methods in order to make disciples. Jesus used both directive and non-directive methods. Sometimes Jesus explained things clearly. Other times he told stories and expected people to figure out the application or ask questions for further understanding. He asked good questions and sometimes did not give answers to his questions. He waited for his disciples to figure out who he was and listened to their doubts, questions, and even arguments. Unfortunately, most of the training we have received in Bible college and seminary was only focused on strengthening our ability to use the directive methods, the pushing side (the left side) of the diagram. Our coaching workshop has sought to also develop our skills on the right side, the non-directive side.

So where is mentoring located on the spectrum? Mentoring includes more advice, guidance, and suggestions than coaching does. But mentors also ask questions and listen. I would place mentoring more to the center of the spectrum, more directive than coaching but less directive than instruction. Mentoring aims to help younger people become proficient in finding solutions for their questions and life issues in the Scripture and by listening to the wisdom and the Spirit. Therefore, mentors will need coaching skills. But mentors will also need to become adept at addressing character issues from the perspective of the Scriptures. This will require an ability to explain biblical truths and illustrate them from one's own life and ministry.

Are you mentoring any younger co-workers? Would you like to mentor someone? Would you appreciate if someone would be intentionally mentoring you? How can we do a better job of connecting potential mentors with those who want to be mentored? Do you have any ideas of how we could encourage more mentoring in SEND? I welcome your input and suggestions.

A number of people have expressed interest in the Working Genius assessment, developed by Patrick Lencioni. The discount code has already expired, but SEND U still has a few assessments left at 50% off ($12.50). Please contact Ken if you would like to take the assessment. Lencioni and his team have also created a new podcast specifically addressing questions about this assessment. I (Ken) also highly recommend the At the Table weekly podcast by Lencioni for very helpful training on working together as a team.

RightNow Media is kind of like a Christian version of Netflix. It gives you unlimited access to the world's largest collection of Bible study video resources. There are lots of short training videos on topics such as leadership, youth ministry, small groups, and even church planting and disciple-making.

Access to all SEND workers is available through our affiliation with Missio Nexus. The Missio Nexus website itself gives access to many webinars, conference recordings, and even the Evangelical Missions Quarterly in their Media Library.

If you do not know how to access RightNow Media or Missio Nexus resources, please contact Marcie Williamson.

• Blood Brothers: The dramatic story of a Palestinian Christian working for peace in Israel by Elias Chacour, - recommended by Rob Magwood. This is a biographical example of faithful Christian grace in a (seemingly impossibly) complicated conflict - going forward without choosing sides, and being highly regarded by many Arabs and Jews. Remarkable wisdom, inspiring!
• Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Ted Bolsinger - recommended by Warren Janzen. My choice because it deals exactly with leading during uncertain times but also because I did the study questions with my mentor. That one-on-one follow-up for almost any book really takes it to a much deeper level.
• Bring Forth Justice by Waldron Scott - recommended by Craig G. This is a biblical theology that understands mission as rectifying humanity to God and that grasps God’s justice as the definition and motivation of our mission to make disciples. To be a disciple is to be committed to the King and His kingdom of just relationships as the kingdom of God is the overarching theme of scripture.
• Shrewd Samaritan: Faith, Economics, and the Road to Loving our Global Neighbor by Bruce Wydick - recommended by Lisa Gustafson. A refreshing fusion of research and economics that is biblically-based. As a professor in Economics and International Studies at USF, he looks at what approaches are actually successful in the non-profit and mission realms in addressing poverty (as well as health and education).
• Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro - recommended by Dave Brubacher. In it, he traces his experience of burnout and the journey back to health. He talks about the changes needed in his life, the new rhythms, the re-established habits/patterns that he allowed to slip.
• Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault by Justin & Lindsay Holcomb - recommended by Michelle Atwell. It helps the Church understand the trauma of sexual assault, its effects on the victim, and the biblical hope of redemption by applying grace to disgrace. I thought it was the best read because I find that the topic of sexual abuse isn't addressed enough in our Christian circles and it gave me the equipping needed to better empathize, serve and love victims.
• Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson - recommended by Philip Jackson. Lynn and I read this as intended, i.e. to accompany a 40-day prayer journey with each chapter giving the reader an encouraging story and prayer focus. The experience of 40 days of prayer was life-changing and the book provided meaningful content to facilitate the process.
• The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan - recommended by John Wicker. This book reminds me and challenges me that Sabbath is a gift from God to me, a gift that I desperately need. Sabbath reminds me who I am and who God is, it refreshes me and fills me with hopeful anticipation of what is to come.

• May 3 - June 12 - MOP 201 - a 5-week onboarding online course required of all new mid-term and long-term members of SEND. It looks at worldview, cultural values, cultural stress, incarnational ministry, and safety and security. This used to be called “MOP online”. It is facilitated by Bethany Reedy.
• May 6 or 7 - Conflict in Multicultural Teams- A Learning Focus Group facilitated by David Sedlacek of TEAM. Includes one 2-hour training session on Zoom, 3 small group coaching sessions, and a reading of a chapter on “Managing Team Conflict.”
• May 12-14, 17-19 - Coaching Workshop- This online workshop facilitated by TEAM is the same material that SEND U uses in its coaching workshops. We highly recommend it for anyone who wants to develop their coaching skills. Over a period of 6 days (May 12,13,14, 17,18,19) from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm EST each day. The cost is $75.
• May 12-19 - Contextualization and Culture Study- the second module of Grow2Serve’s “Exploring Culture” series. It is an 8-day Grow2Serve online course and requires about 6 hours of work. It addresses foundational concepts of contextualization and its importance for effective ministry and underlines contextualization’s inseparable link to purposeful culture study.
• May 17 - July 9 - TESOL Part 2 Certification- This is an 8-week online training. Gives the student the practice teaching component to put into practice what they have been learning.
• May 22-26 - Northern Ministry Training- A SEND North training program designed to equip those ministering in the North. The realities of working in bush ministry have always been difficult and this past year has added new challenges. NMT is an opportunity to gather with many servants from different agencies and locations together after such a long period of isolation. In Soldatna, Alaska.

All these can be found on the SEND U Training Events page on the SEND U wiki.