Mentoring is a calling, and it’s an art. Just like the call to be a follower of Christ, the call to mentor is both a general call to all believers and a specific call that each of us has an opportunity to answer. Our greatest example of mentorship is Jesus in his interaction with his disciples. His blend of life-on-life care and instruction yields the greatest spiritual growth. But Jesus is more than a mentor, and he is a perfect savior. He’s God. A more relatable good example of a mentor is Paul. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim 2:2). This scripture is both a description of and a call to mentorship. Using 2 Timothy and other scriptures, I’ll explore how any willing Christian can mentor someone in their faith, and I hope these examples will motivate you to embrace this specific call.
Jesus spent three years of his life teaching and modeling ministry to his disciples. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recount the many lessons, parables, and acts Jesus taught, said, and performed for or with his disciples. He taught them life skills, like better ways to fish. He taught them spiritual principles, like how to heal the sick. He taught them what the scriptures meant. He ate with them, prayed with them, and mourned with them. He also celebrated with them. Jesus’ relationship with his disciples was the ultimate example of life-on-life spiritual growth. His example is the gold standard of mentorship, but other relationships in the Bible also provide us with a glimpse of what mentorship looks like.
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Learning to Listen to God's Voice
In the Old Testament, when I search for other models of mentorship, I think of Eli and Samuel. Samuel was dedicated to the Lord at a young age. His mother, Hannah, after weaning him, brought Samuel to the temple and allowed him to live with Eli, the priest. Dedicating Samuel was Hannah’s way of showing her thanks to God for His removing the plague of barrenness from her. Unfortunately, the character of Eli’s sons was no indication of the godliness of Eli; however, we know that Samuel learned from Eli how to serve God by listening to His voice. Famously, when God began to speak audibly to Samuel, Samuel didn’t recognize the voice of God. Samuel thought it was Eli who had been calling out to him in the night. Once Eli realized that God was calling Samuel, he told Samuel what to do.
“A third time the Lord called, ‘Samuel!’ and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’ Then Eli realized the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel. ‘Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, Speak, for your servant is listening. And the Lord said to Samuel. ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.’” (2 Samuel 3:8-11)
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Paul Modeled Prayerful, Present Mentorship
In the New Testament, apart from Jesus, Paul is one of the greatest mentors in the faith. We have many examples of Paul being in a relationship with others to help them grow their faith. In “Practical Advice on How to be a Spiritual Mentor,” authors at Cru.org, a discipleship ministry, look at I Thessalonians to see the mentoring traits displayed by the apostle Paul.
-He prayed for them (1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3; 3:10-13)
-He spent time with them and encouraged them (I Thessalonians 2:6-12; I Thessalonians 5:11)
-He encouraged their relationship with each other (1 Thessalonians 1:3, 3:6, 4:9-10, 5:11-15, 5:26-27)
-He sent another believer to mentor them when he could not be there. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
From Paul, we learn essential roles to take on when we answer the call to mentor. Prayer stands out as one of the most important ways to support another believer when you’re in a mentor role. Encouraging them in their faith and relationship with others is another pivotal responsibility. Discipling, when it is welcomed, is a third way to support a mentee.
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What Makes You Ready to Be a Mentor?
One of the greatest indicators that you are ready to mentor someone in their faith is your willingness. Having a desire to open your life to another person for the express purpose of helping that person grow spiritually is a selfless act that glorifies God. It is one of the greatest ways to emulate Jesus, the ultimate mentor. In addition to your willingness, other character qualities on display in your life indicate that God can trust you to mentor others. The fruit of the Spirit is the greatest evidence of your spiritual maturity, a ready sign that others can grow spiritually from your example.
In Galatians chapter 5, the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a life is described as the fruit of the Spirit. In the context of chapter 5, the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the acts of the flesh. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft…” (vs. 18).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:22). With the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in your life, you are ready to mentor someone in the faith.
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4 Keys to Christ-Centered Mentorship
1. Set Expectations
While mentoring relationships are as varied as the mentors themselves, some constants remain. At the beginning of the relationship, set a duration. This way, both mentor and mentee have a starting and stopping point, which may be helpful as mentees are typically in a transitional phase of life. Some mentorships last a lifetime, but some will last for an agreed-upon number of months.
2. Set a Focus
In your mentoring relationship, specific areas of growth will come into focus as the two of you spend time together reading the word and applying it to your lives. Once you learn what areas are important to your mentee, ask God to help you find materials, scripture references, and other resources to meet that need.
3. Be Available
In our hurried technological era, one of our most quickly vanishing commodities is time. Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. When you commit to giving your time to someone else in fellowship and reading the Word together, God will do the rest. His word confirms that He will be in your midst, and with the Holy Spirit among you, He acts as teacher and counselor. (Matthew 18:20, John 14:26)
4. Be Flexible/Transparent
While mentoring, it may be helpful to have an agenda, but it is just as critical to be willing to put that agenda aside when you sense things with your mentee are moving in a different direction. Be open to answering questions about your life, including some of your areas of weakness that your mentee can pray about with you. While you will probably want to reserve your most difficult challenges for prayer partners or Christian friends whom you have been walking with for a while, it is good and healthy to relay to your mentee challenges that still place you at the feet of Jesus in prayer.
Mentoring is unscripted; at times, the path can be unknown. This is a commitment to be with another person who is hungry for Jesus, as you allow God to quietly build a relationship that ultimately inspires spiritual growth in both of you.
References: Davy, Keith and Evangeline Vergo. “Practical Advice on How to Be a Mentor.” Cru.org https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/help-others-grow/mentor-four-tips.html
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Originally published Wednesday, 28 May 2025.