We are experiencing a mentoring crisis today. One key reason is that too many women cling to an outdated formulaic idea of what mentoring is all about. When we hear the word "mentoring" we conjure up a picture that fit our experience decades ago. Then we look in the mirror and don't see an adequate mentor staring back at us. Our preconceived ideas about what today's young women want in a mentor convince us we are not qualified to be mentors--but we are wrong. What we don't realize is that younger women today are far more likely to want a relationship with that woman in the mirror than the conjured-up perfect mentor in our head. Organic Mentoringexplores foundational issues that explain why beloved but outdated mentoring methods are no longer effective. The book looks at the cultural changes and fast-paced digital advancements that shape young thought and behavior but weaken the link between generations. It walks through the new values, preferences, ideas, and problems of the next generation and how these issues impact mentoring. Then the authors guide the reader through landmines to avoid and approaches that work today.

This book contains everything committed members need to mentor someone into spiritual maturity and leadership through a relationship, not a program. Through numerous personal stories, McCallum and Lowery explain how and why the organic disciple-making process works so well at Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, Ohio. --from publisher description.

Youth mentoring programs must change in order to become truly effective. The world’s leading expert shows how. Youth mentoring is among the most popular forms of volunteering in the world. But does it work? Does mentoring actually help young people succeed? In Older and Wiser, mentoring expert Jean Rhodes draws on more than thirty years of empirical research to survey the state of the field. Her conclusion is sobering: there is little evidence that most programs—even renowned, trusted, and long-established ones—are effective. But there is also much reason for hope. Mentoring programs, Rhodes writes, do not focus on what young people need. Organizations typically prioritize building emotional bonds between mentors and mentees. But research makes clear that effective programs emphasize the development of specific social, emotional, and intellectual skills. Most mentoring programs are poorly suited to this effort because they rely overwhelmingly on volunteers, who rarely have the training necessary to teach these skills to young people. Moreover, the one-size-fits-all models of major mentoring organizations struggle to deal with the diverse backgrounds of mentees, the psychological effects of poverty on children, and increasingly hard limits to upward mobility in an unequal world. Rhodes doesn’t think we should give up on mentoring—far from it. She shows that evidence-based approaches can in fact create meaningful change in young people’s lives. She also recommends encouraging “organic” mentorship opportunities—in schools, youth sports leagues, and community organizations.

Drawing on the writings of Augustine, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and others, Keith R. Anderson and Randy D. Reese show that the age-old practice of Christian mentoring is meant to facilitate our growth throughout life. They provide motivation, principles and plans for starting and continuing mentoring relationships.

REVISED EDITION. Mentoring is one of the best ways we can experience the fullness of life that God desires for us. He has made us for community. He knows the strength, joy, and peace it will bring to our lives. Our Father wants us to experience the joy of coming together, being connected and moving into closer relationship with others and with Him. This book is both a hands-on guide and a personal journal. The book is divided into 12 sessions that lead mentors and mentees through Conversation Starters, Encouragement Starters and Prayer Starters. This revised edition still contains an area to journal, record notes, ideas, lessons learned, key verses and/or written prayers. The hope is that this will serve not only as a helpful tool during mentoring but also as a beautiful reminder of how far you've come along the way.

Young women are crying out for someone older to care about them, to help them. Older women desire to be useful and productive. Those who have invested years of walking with the Lord themselves desire to be teamed up with this generation of younger women who are yearning for someone to show them how to walk through life with genuine faith in Christ. Transforming Together presents the model for genuine spiritual mentoring through the power and work of Christ in the lives of women faithfully pouring into one another. Women, both young and old, will appreciate the dual focus on the roles of mentor and mentee. Building on real life testimonies and her experience as a committed mentor, Ele Parrott will guide women as they seek to walk with one another to greater faithfulness in Christ.

Is it possible that the division between the clergy and the laity is unnecessary and, in fact, harmful to the church? In Organic Leadership, Neil Cole fervently says yes and shows how this causes great harm to all. But rather than doing away with the clergy, Cole argues that the answer is to raise up organically grown leaders from ordinary Christians and make everyone "a priest." Using examples from modern cinema, personal experience, and the Bible, Cole sets out to change our view of what a leader is and how one is formed. This fresh and revolutionary alternative will transform readers and equip them to challenge themselves and others to find the vision God has for them. Now available in trade paper.