Mentor As If the Church Depends On It (Because it Does)

The Israelites had been through so much.  After being slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, God called up Moses to lead them out of bondage.  They witnessed unbelievable miracles, including plagues, pillars of clouds and fire, a dry path through the Red Sea, water come from a rock, manna from the sky every morning, and much more.  Along the way the Israelites succumbed to grumbling, ungratefulness, and idolatry.  Yet they were ultimately provided a rich land to call their own!

One would think that all they witnessed—the miracles, their failures, God’s faithfulness—would result in epic story time with their children.  After all, remember the times your father told you how once during a baseball game he ran over the catcher to score, rendering the opponent unconscious?  Okay, maybe that’s just my dad’s story, but passing along our history to our children seems normal.  We want our kids to know who we are, what we have done, and what we have experienced.  The Israelites surely passed along their history and privilege of being God’s chosen people, right?

Well, Judges 2:5-10 reads:

When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.  And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years.  And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.  And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

A shockingly brief time passed before the Israelites forgot their history.  God specifically chose them as His people and was faithful to recover them from bondage and deliver them a new home.  One would think this was a truth worth passing along to each generation, but unfortunately that was not the case.

As Christians in 2017 this story ought to resonate with us.  Pew Research reported in 2015, “A high percentage of younger members of the Millennial generation—those who have entered adulthood in just the last several years—are religious ‘nones’ (saying they are atheist or agnostics, or that their religion is ‘nothing in particular’).  At the same time, and increasing share of older Millennials also identify as ‘nones,’ with more members of that group rejecting religious labels in recent years.”

Perhaps such statistics are a better reflection of an American society walking away from civil religion than from Christ.  Still, if we want to raise up a generation which knows Jesus, the Bible, and church history, it is up to the more seasoned members of our churches to take action.  This is not work left just to parents.  This is not work left just to the lead pastor, youth pastor, or campus minister.  As vital as all these folks are to passing along Christianity to the next generation, it is up to all of us to see it through.  All of us have opportunities to mentor youth and young adults.

Mentoring is not much more than creating intentional community with someone less experienced in life as you.  It is not about holding a degree in theology, and it is certainly not about having all the answers.  Mentoring is inviting someone into your life, caring for them, and opening up on your own successes and failures.

Sometimes mentoring is simple.  Invite the person to your home to share a family meal or to game night.  Are you, your spouse, and kids going to a corn maze this fall?  Invite them along.  Are you and your buddies hitting up the driving range?  Invite them along.  This shows the mentee you like spending time with them and you think of them when you are doing normal everyday activities.

But yes, sometimes mentoring is difficult.  Eventually the hard questions come.  How am I going to tell my parents I’m failing out of college?  My sister died in a car wreck and she didn’t know Jesus, is she in hell?  I’ve been sexually assaulted, what do I do?  Your answer may be “I don’t know,” and that’s okay.  Mentoring is not about giving answers, but finding answers.  Show them you care by helping them find those answers.  Seek out assistance from pastors, counselors, and other available resources.  Helping a mentee through such difficult times shows care, demonstrates the navigation of life’s trials, and empowers them to make their own decisions. 

The Israelite generation that followed Joshua did not know God.  it is hard to blame them if those who came before did not share their own experience with His greatness and faithfulness.  You have experienced life's ups and downs, and there is someone out there who could benefit from your story.  Do not let a generation rise not knowing how He has worked in those who came before them.