At Journey Pastoral Coaching, we help young ministers build for a lifetime of healthy and effective ministry. We do so by focusing on the individual him or herself.

The doing of ministry flows from the being of the minister, the two are inescapably one. What the minister gives of God to others flows from what he is experiencing in his own relationship with Jesus, from what He is receiving from God. Jesus spoke often of this truth in His own life and ministry: what He did flowed from His relationship with the Father.

He then instructed His hand-chosen leaders of the church to minister and lead in the same way.

Because this is true, because doing flows from being, and ministry is the expression of God through the minister, the tools of coaching are organic influencers rather than applied techniques. They develop ministers’ being, and so their doing, by growing them in their creation and call.

Therefore, the tools of a complete pastoral coaching ministry are three:

Journeying personally with a pastoral coach on a regular and frequent basis;

Life-long learning (constant resourcing); and,

Peer mentorship.

Just as proper food, exercise and rest stimulate healthy, organic growth in the individual, the tools of coaching, resourcing, and peer mentorship stimulate healthy, organic growth in the minister.

It’s as simple as a pebble dropping into a pond.

A pebble drops into the center of a pond, its effect radiating out in waves to the edges of the water. In the same way, the three tools of pastoral coaching create life waves that radiate to the edges of the church and the world: discipleship and disciples come alive, worship and worshippers know the glory of God, hurting people are helped, the gospel grows in people’s lives, faith communities are healthier, and churches are more effective in their ministries.

Peer mentorship is one of these organic, “pebble in the pond” tools.

In this and our next blog, we will address the powerful benefits of one of these essential pastoral coaching tools: peer mentorship.

The benefits of a dynamic peer mentorship are many. Let me highlight several.

1. God built you and me for peer mentorship.

 From cover to cover, the Scriptures testify to this truth.

 James Emery White, in his book, Serious Times, writes:

“One of the more unsettling revelations to most Christ followers, particularly in light of our fierce individualism, is how many of the marks of a Christian involve other people . . . Following Him is tied to the ‘one anothers.’”

Jesus knew this and developed leaders based on our creation, our need for dynamic peer-mentorship, by God:  

Jesus talked to thousands, but He walked with 12;

Jesus pulled 3 of the 12 into even closer relationshp with Him;

Jesus pulled 1 of the 3 (John) into even closer relationship with Him. So close to Jesus was John that Jesus counted him a brother, giving the care of his own mother to John. It was a closeness that the Apostle Peter noted.

Jesus sent the 70 out two-by-two;

The Apostles and early church understood this truth, living and ministering according to their need for dynamic peer-mentorship:

After the ascension, the Apostles remained together, ministered together, travelled together;

When Barnabas went to Antioch to pastor, he would not go alone, but sought out Saul (Paul) to journey and minister with him;

Paul would not do missionary work alone, but travelled as a part of a team;

When Paul sent pastors to new churches, his first instructions were to appoint elders (plural);

When Paul was alone in prison, he asked for brothers in the faith to come be with Him.

2. Mutual encouragement and correction.

When Jesus sent out the 70, it was two-by-two so that each one could encourage the other, and so that each one could help the other be faithful and obedient to the teachings of Jesus.

Encouragement. Accountability.

Ecclesiastes 4.9-12 puts it this way:

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Barnabas, the son of Encouragement, probably did more than we will ever know to give us the Paul we do know, coaching him in his divine creation and call.

Question: Who is your Barnabas? More important, whose Barnabas are you willing to be?

3. To kill the #1 killer of ministers: isolation.

John Milton wrote, “Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named, not good.” Loneliness does not reflect the Trinity and its companionship, reflecting instead separation and its isolation.

“(Our) isolation is hidden well. It is masked by humor and hurry, by religion and business, by control and dependence, by obsession and avoidance, by lies and political correctness, by a rapid pace and common numbness. Deep inside, the longing grows.” Chris Maxwell in his book, Pause for Pastors (Highly recommended)

Isolation is why quality ministers like you leave the ministry every day (Survey says 5 in 10 will quit in their first 5 years – read our blog on “The 5-10-5 Rule” for more on this).

Sharing the journey to Emmaus with a fellow traveler may well be the difference between life and death in ministry for someone in Journey. You or another Journey member.

4. Because ministers share a unique life, they can uniquely share their lives with one another. 

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

“No one understands me or what I’m going through” is a common lament of hurting people in counseling. Sadly, it is also a common lament of ministers young and old in pastoral coaching at Journey. Ministers try to explain the unique challenges to caring family members and friends, but because family and friends are not in ministry – because they are not in our “skin” – they are unable to understand: they simply cannot share what they do not “own.”

But peers in ministry “own” this life – they possess it and it possesses them – and so, they can share life in ministry.

Though the particulars of position and place are different, life in vocational ministry is a bond between us: we own it, and so, we can share its unique journey with others. To reference Chesterton, we can help row their boat, and they can help row ours because, in fact, we are in the same boat.

5. Peer-mentors draw us deeper into Jesus.

In counseling singles, I often tell them, “Only marry someone who makes you more like Jesus. Don’t marry a project, someone who needs you to help them spiritually survive, but only someone who truly bears the aroma of Jesus in his or her life. Only marry someone who makes you more like Jesus.”

A godly peer-mentor works the same “magic” for us: he or she makes us more like Jesus, hungry to be more Jesus, and growing to be more like Jesus. This is why seeking out and actively walking with peer-mentors is so important to our discipleship.

Consider this powerful quote from pastor and author, Chris Maxwell:

“My friend could invest in our deep relationship for almost three decades because he also knew how to pray alone. He was not dependent upon my approval; he chose to enter my life as a true friend. We experience these conversations and confrontations because we both knew the Creator who designed us both. . . . Maybe deepening our relationship with God can help us do our part in ending the drought of relationship with others.”

I’m more like Jesus because of my peer-mentors. Their individual walks with Jesus wash over into my relationship with Him, inviting me deeper into Christ, bathing me in His grace, strengthening me in His power.

These are the first five benefits of peer mentoring.

In two weeks, we’ll share five more benefits of active, dynamic peer mentorship, but you don’t have to wait two weeks or two days to begin experiencing the power of peer mentorship.  We encourage you to put this organic tool to work in your life.  Should you have questions about peer mentorship or pastoral coaching, please feel to contact us at journeypastoralcoaching@gmail.com.

Journey Pastoral Coaching provides pastoral coaching to Millennial ministers.

Saddled with large student debt, just beginning to set up homes and start families, and serving in low paying first and second positions, Millennials are those who most desire but can least afford to pay for pastoral coaching.

So we offer it to them at no cost.

We are able to do so through the faithful and generous gifts of friends who want to see young leaders not only enter the ministry, but remain in the ministry. If you or your church would like to help Millennial ministers in 21 US states and 5 nations build strong for a lifetime in ministry, please click here to contact us by email or click on the link to support Journey through PayPal.

Thank you.