How You Can Start Incorporating Mentoring Into Your Parish

I didn’t ask him to mentor me, it just kind of ended up like that. Father B, a Jesuit at Xavier University was making the time to sit with me to talk about faith and life. It’s a relationship that has definitely had an impact on the life that I’ve chosen.

We’re coming off the 2018 synod where youth ministry was the topic of discussion and a major theme that emerged from the document was accompanying the next generation. One of the best ways we can do that is by developing a mentorship culture in our parishes.

That might be a new concept for some, but you can begin creating a culture of mentoring and apprenticeship by putting it into your:

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION

Whether it’s RCIA, baptismal or confirmation preparation someone is selected to come alongside the parents or participant. It’s easy to take the position of sponsor and godparent and leave it as an honorary nod.

Make it something more by focusing on formation for godparents and sponsors. Show them how to sit with the families and individuals they are walking with and give them the tools to create Christ-like relationships.

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

When someone jumps into ministry for the first time they are going to face obstacles like time conflicts and self doubt. It’s going to cause them to wonder, “Can I keep doing this?”

If we want people to love God and others through ministry we are going to have to help them overcome those obstacles. Partnering up a new minister or a young person with someone more experienced creates accountability and community. Serving no longer becomes an individual act of doing good, but working together as the body of Christ.

YOUTH MINISTRY PROGRAMS

Youth ministry is more than pizza and dodgeball. It’s an investment in the future and present of the church. It’s giving younger people a vision of what the church can do and it helps older people look at their faith with a new perspective.

To incorporate mentorship in youth ministry traing your volunteers to articulate their faith. Let them know that they don’t have to be hip or cool, they just need to be authentic. Teens want authenticity.

CYO SPORTS

Whether your parish has a basketball, soccer, or lacrosse program see it as an opportunity to do more than just recreational activities. You already have the coach and player relationship, take it further by showing coaches how to incorporate Christ like principles into their methodologies. Encourage coaches to invest in their players and their families. Christ-like mentorship doesn’t just have to happen on the church campus.

The more you invest in mentoring in your parish the more you’ll see it grow and that’s because everyone benefits. Relationships will go deeper, and the body of Christ will grow stronger because people are  intentionally connecting with one another.

Where have you seen mentoring work in your parish?