1. I AM ALREADY VERY BUSY. WHEN AM
I GOING TO HAVE TIME TO BE INVOLVED IN DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING?
In many ways, you already are involved in Discipleship Training. You can see from the manual that much of the training process includes things you currently do at Uptown Church. The purpose of the program is to bring more structure and intentionality into the training process, not necessarily more time. In fact, if a person follows the training process outlined here he will probably save time in the long run because he will (a) have a more accurate assessment of his own spiritual strengths and weaknesses, and (b) have guidance, encouragement, and accountability from a mentor, and (c) be able to train in a more focused and efficient manner rather than training in a random and haphazard way.
2. DO I NEED A MENTOR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM?
While mentors are very helpful and certainly the preferred route, they are not absolutely necessary for training to take place. The program is available (and still very beneficial) for those without a mentor. In fact, it is unlikely that (at first) there will be a mentor available for every single person in the church, so many may have to take this route. Just follow the steps outlined in this manual as best as possible: (a) still give the Peer-Assessment Map (Form 2.1) to some close friends to fill out for you, (b) draw up an Action Plan (Form 4) yourself and maybe share it with a pastor, prayer partner, or Life Group leader, and (c) keep a detailed Discipleship Journal (Form 5) so that when you do get a mentor you will have an accurate training history.
3. DO I HAVE TO BE "ASSIGNED" A MENTOR OR CAN I SEEK OUT SOMEONE THAT I WANT TO MENTOR ME?
We encourage you to seek out someone who you think would be a good fit as a mentor. There is no obligation to go through a formal process. How-ever, going through the process and filling out the form can help you think through what you may need in a mentor. Keep in mind that close friends are not always the best mentors. Sometimes its good to have someone who is not a "peer" that can come into our lives and challenge us in ways that our closest friends could not. Either way you decide, we do ask that you still turn in Form 1 so that we know you are involved in the discipleship training process and so that we can know who your mentor is.
4. CAN A PERSON HAVE A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
At the core of a mentoring relationship is a high degree of trust, intimacy, and willingness to share our lives with another individual. Since such a relationship is most appropriately pursued with members of the same sex, we have structured the Discipleship Training process so that only men disciple men and only women disciple women.
5. CAN A PERSON MEET WITH A MENTOR AND ALSO BE A MENTOR FOR SOMEONE ELSE AT THE SAME TIME?
Of course. In fact, we encourage you to minister to others as well as allowing others to minister to you. It's a healthy balance to have people in our lives who shepherd us and also to have people that we shepherd ourselves.
6. DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE OF THE "TRACKS" IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING?
No, it is not necessary to choose one of the tracks (e.g., Church Planting, Prospective Missionary, Leadership, etc.). In fact, most people will not fall into one of these categories and will therefore follow the standard Action Plan (Form 4). However, as your Discipleship Training changes over the years you may find that you have more interest in one of these areas and can talk with your mentor about beginning one of these tracks.
7. DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF UPTOWN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING PROCESS?
Yes. If you desire your discipleship training to be mentor-based, then you need to first join Uptown Church. If you are not a member of the church, then you can still informally participate in the process without a mentor (see FAQ # 2 above). However, we are convinced that church membership is a biblical concept and therefore would strongly encourage you to join the church.
8. DOES MY MENTOR HAVE TO BE OLDER THAN ME?
Not at all. In fact, one of the biggest miscon-ceptions people have is that the mentor always must be significantly older. Now, of course, it usually works out that way because older believers tend to have had more experience and wisdom walking with the Lord. And you may be more comfortable with an older mentor. However, we need to be open to the possibility of being mentored by someone roughly or own age (or even younger) if they have the maturity and wisdom in Christ to do so. As Paul said to Timothy: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young" (1 Tim 4:12).
9. WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP?
If you currently have a mentor, then we ask that you simply keep that mentor and begin to imp-lement the program outlined in this manual. Hopefully, this will provide some positive structure and planning to your already existing mentoring relationship. However, still make sure to fill out and turn in Form 1 so that we can know you are involved with a mentor.
10. WHERE CAN I GET MORE FORMS IF LOSE THEM OR RUN OUT OF THEM?
Over the course of your training you may need more forms such as Peer-Assessment Maps and Action Plans. We encourage you to make copies of these forms while they're still blank so that you will have several backups when you need them. But if you need more forms, or extra training manuals, they will be available at www.uptownchurch.org, or you can contact Ted Hamm or Mike Kruger.
|
