Mentoring: Companions on the Road

Resources

You and your partner will be invited to attend at least one training session. This training session will help you better understand the mentoring relationship and provide suggestions for the format of your meetings. See Sample D for a suggested format.

Sample D

Companions on the Road

A General Format for the Sessions

The mentoring sessions should last between one to one and a half hours. Let the story of Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus shape the rhythm of these mentoring encounters.

1. Take turns opening with devotions of about five minutes. Prayer, Scripture, readings from a variety of sources can be used. Seek the company of Jesus on the road and pray for one another.

"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them... but they constrained him, saying, 'Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent."'

2. Spend at least ten minutes with "show and tell." What happened on the road this past week? What is going on with family, work, play? Share thoughts you had related to the previous week's mentoring session.

"And he said to them, 'What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?"

3. Spend at least ten minutes sharing particular concerns and issues in your spiritual life that you bring with you to this session.

"And they stood still, looking sad ... our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him ... we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel"

4. Spend at least one half hour discussing together something you have studied during the week: a piece of scripture; a portion of the catechism; a Sunday school lesson; the scripture lessons for the previous or coming Sunday worship. It is important that whatever you study together is read during the week and that you come to the session with questions, comments.

"And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."

5. Spend one half hour relating what you have studied on your spiritual journeys and current issues and questions. Think together about how you intend to live your spiritual life more deeply, and continue your spiritual growth, in the church and the world. If you are mentoring an unchurched friend think about making credible invitations into the community of the church.

"And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them..."

6. Go over what you will study for the next session. End with a prayer of thanks for God's guidance and continuing presence on the road.

"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"

This manual offers samples of studies that you can use in your mentoring meetings. See the samples E, F, and G.

This manual will not attempt to list all of the resources that might be used by you and your partner. You will want to work with the Mentoring Task Force and the pastor as you determine the resources you might use. Some of the following standard resources can be helpful:

Scripture should be a part of every mentoring journey. Study covenants might be built around study of the Sunday worship text or books of the Bible could be studied together.
Luther's Large and Small Catechisms offer cherished spiritual resources.
The prayers and liturgies of the Lutheran Book of Worship and the Renewing Worship series can be valuable resources as mentoring pairs grow in prayer.
The Augsburg Fortress catalog lists a variety of adult study materials. Many of these can be used by pairs for study. Particularly useful are the studies that are designed for small group use (i.e., Intersections).
The primary resources for mentoring pairs are the partners themselves-- children of God bringing their own questions, wisdom and insight to the relationship.

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Written by: Stephen P. Bouman

Copyright © by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. 800/638-3522. Produced by Christian Education of the Division for Congregational Ministries.

Permission is granted for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to reproduce this resource for local use.