EDITOR’S NOTE:  In my previous article, I promised to present in this piece predictions for pastors in 2025. However, since then, one of my most loved and respected mentors left this world for his reward in eternity. The trip north to mourn with family and participate in the funeral gave me time to meditate on what he meant to my life and ministry, and to many others. It gave me time to reflect on the inestimable value all godly mentors mean to us as we grow in and minister for Christ.

Rather than take the time to fully form my thoughts, I’ve chosen instead to leave them raw and unpolished, a collection of heartfelt statements I’ve written over these few days since my mentor’s passing. In moments of loss, words and emotions pour from us in a stream of consciousness, heart-speak if you will.

In this – and the article to follow – allow me to share what having a godly mentor means to me.

Jesus is the center of their being: His Gospel, and His Word are the defining center of all they are and do as a person and minister. To live is Christ. In Him, they live and move and have their being.

They have what the ancients admiringly called “old souls,” in tune with today but ever timeless.

There is a depth to their lives, a richness in their souls.

Their mentorship is rooted in their discipleship; they are devout followers of Jesus.

Their authority comes not from people but rises from within, formed of their character and submission to Christ.

They model life principles, the values that make their lives godly and authentic.

They talk about the crossroads between dreams and realities. They acknowledge what exists but always at the intersection of possibilities.  

They have a passion for Jesus Christ. Their zeal for Him is contagious.

They are faithful; come rain or shine, their character and service remain true.

They accept the difficulties of leadership because they have accepted the Call of their Lord.

They are focused on developing others, determined to see those entrusted to them go deeper and higher than they have gone.

Their spiritual authority comes not from their position but from the throne of God, a sacred trust to steward rather than a position to hold or a power to wield.

They live in grace and gratitude. They recognize that God’s grace is raining on them always, and so, they live in a flow of gratitude.

They are living libraries, resourcing us from their shelves and their souls.

They ask about our families before we can ask them about theirs.

They are fixated on God’s glory.

They rely on the Holy Spirit in walking with us, leaning into Him for discernment, wisdom, the right words and tone.

They call us to confess and repent of our sins and then to walk in the grace of God that forgives and cleanses us of our sins, and empowers us to sin no more.

They are people of integrity, not legalistic perfection, but wholeness of faith and life before the Lord.

They make disciple-leaders. Not leaders, but followers of Jesus equipped to lead.

They read not only what we say but what we do not say.  

They call for character and will not allow us to settle for less.

Our conversations are a shared journey interrupted only by times between calls. The more we talk, the deeper the journey; the deeper the journey, the deeper the relationship.

They keep their commitments. They keep their word.

They are people of respect: they live it, and they give it.

They are more than comfortable with a basin and towel in their hands.

They daily answer the call of Jesus to “deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” The marks of the cross are on their shoulders and souls, in their words and way of life.

They shepherd and feed our souls. They partner with God in shaping our character.

They see the goal, but just as important, they see the means, the journey for what it means to the development of our souls.

They help us see what we are not seeing.

They acknowledge the value of external accountability, but only as a reinforcement of the ongoing development of internal virtue.

Their counsel comes from the deep-banked fires of solitude and silence, contemplation and meditation.

They help us see through the shadows to the substance of life in ministry.

They help us reconnect with God when He seems far away.

They are seekers of God: in altars and offices, alone or in crowds, they live to seek and find Him.

They disarm us and affirm us. They call us and release us to higher places in God than we ever dreamed.

They show us Christ in word, deed, and attitude.

They have mentors who minister to them, “living safe places” with whom they can share their struggles and celebrations, people who can help guide them ever deeper into the Savior.

Their mirror is the Word of God, not a piece of reflective glass or the praise of people.

They see the potential in us that others cannot see, and they call it out.

They attract us to Jesus. Not to themselves but to Jesus, making us want to be more like Him.

They speak truth, life, and love to us.

Their questions of us command more of us. Their lives in Christ demand more of us.

They counsel and comfort, reprove and encourage, call higher, and take us deeper.

They are living maps to Jesus and how to navigate life in Him.

They help us see life, others, and ourselves as God sees us.

In a world of easy advice givers, they are spiritual fathers and mothers.

They learn much from books and courses, but they learn most from life in Jesus.

In an all-too busy world, they refuse to surrender to the urgent and immediate. They know how to say no to life’s relentless demands to live undistracted with a singular focus on Christ and leading us to Him.

They are shepherds forming our souls so that we might form the souls of others.

They will not give us something for nothing but demand we invest in our shared journey. They are not welfare kings.

When we speak of our goals in life, they ask us who our audience is.

They call us to not just memorize God’s Word, but to hide it in our hearts.

They trade not in ministry techniques but in spiritual disciplines, not in quotes but in relationships.

They live for the next generation, not themselves.

They not only share their knowledge and wisdom with us, but they share their lives, the good and the bad, the successes and the failures, the “well dones” and the still learning,

They are people of godly character whose lives God has honed in the real world. Thus, they can share heaven and earth with us as we journey through one to the other.

They have the ability to ask questions that get to the heart of the matter.

They offer us no shortcuts, only the scenic route of life in Christ. They would never cheat us of a full and whole life in Christ whatever the cost.

They are optimistic realists: they see what is but will not let go of what can be.

They are people of fire: all they touch is set ablaze for Jesus.

They insist we concentrate on Christ first and His church second.

The call us to develop internal virtue above any and all celebrity.

They move us from mere words to decisive action.  

They have a rich understanding of God’s Word and, with it, a clear theological perspective on life’s issues.

They help us evaluate our lives, decisions, and actions.

They are trustworthy: what we give them, they can carry.

They go out of their way to encourage us.

They live their lives in light of the long view, focusing intently on our creation and calling for the length of this life and eternity.

They see inside us, understanding not only who we are but who we can become. They help us bring that person to life.

FINAL THOUGHT

Though he certainly was not thinking of Christian mentors, American humorist James Thurber gives us a poignant view into the life and inestimable value of godly mentors, those wise spiritual fathers and mothers God places in our lives.

“But those rare souls whose spirit gets magically into the hearts of men, leave behind them something more real and warmly personal than bodily presence, an ineffable and eternal thing.

It is everlasting life touching us as something more than a vague, recondite concept.

The sound of a great name dies like an echo;

the splendor of fame fades into nothing;

but the grace of a fine spirit pervades the places through which it has passed,

 like the haunting loveliness of mignonette.”

James Thurber

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“Of all vocations, surely the gospel ministry is the one whose paradigm is most radically formed by the dynamics of godly mentorship.” 

Stephen Baldwin