1. The Importance of Discipleship

 *Training the next generation (successors, raising up workers)
     "The things you heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:2)
 *Life has to be accountable
     "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. If one falls, one can help his companion up. But woe to the one who is alone when he falls, and has no one to help him up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
 *Living out a loving community
     "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
 *Equipping, pastoring, training
     "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

2. Qualifications of a Mentor

 *Walking one or two steps further in the spiritual journey than the disciple.
 *Be willing to spend time on the other person.
 *Be willing to pass on what you have received from God.
 *Deliberately building up disciple's life and his relationship with God

3. The Ministry of a Mentor

a. Be a listener - "Let everyone be swift to listen and slow to speak." (James 1:19)

i. Fruits of Listening

 *Make people feel that you respect them -- deliver a sense of cherishing.
 *Listening makes you better at building relationships -- It's hard to build friendships with others when you're only focused on yourself and your own affairs.
 *Listening increases knowledge -- deeper discovery, understanding and knowing of each other.

ii. How to develop listening skills:

 *Look at the speaker
 *Do not interrupt
 *Being interrupted while speaking makes people feel disrespected
 *Why do we interrupt others when they are speaking?
 *Not paying enough attention to what the other person says
 *Showing off your intelligence
 *Too excited about the content and cannot wait for the other person to finish speaking
 *Focus on understanding
 *Can remember 50% of the content right after listening, 25% on the next day
 *Effective listening is not just about taking in what is said, but more importantly, understanding the meaning of what the other person is saying.
 *Summarize at major intervals
 *Listening is not passive, it can also be active
 *Ask questions to clarify the point

iii. Discerning whether you are a good listener:

 *When listening to others, do you often look at the speaker?
 *Do you wait for the speaker to finish speaking before you speak?
 *Is "understanding" the purpose of your communication?
 *Are you sensitive to the speaker's needs at that moment?
 *Do you check your emotions regularly?
 *Do you summarize the other party's content at major intervals?
 *Do you ask clarifying questions when necessary?
 *Do you make listening a priority when communicating with others?

b. Being an intercessor (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

c. Setting a good model – most of what we learn in life comes from modeling instead of teaching.

d. Be a guide — to provide guidance and advice.

e. Be a helper – help people find their life plans, to set goals, and to grow continuously.

f. Be a coach – point out what goes right and wrong, and how to improve.

g. Be a bridge — not by copying yourself, but by imitating Jesus. Also assist the disciple to find other resources.

4. Advice to Mentors

a. Bring out the best in your disciple
b. Identify the problem
c. Do not attempt to solve the problems for your disciple
d. Acknowledge the disciple's feelings
e. God is the healer, you are just the caregiver
f. Love has power
g. Forgiveness and grace
h. Work on establishing habits in your disciple's life
i. Nurture your disciple to be more devoted to serving others

5. Tips to Mentors

a. You are not God, but a caregiver. Only God can make the disciple's life grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
b. Become the disciple's cheerleader. No matter how many times he fails, learn to encourage him to stand up again.
c. Acknowledge the disciple's feelings, but that does not mean you agree with what he does.
d. Be mature and responsible, and gain the trust of your disciple.
e. Understand your disciple's starting point (accountability, sense of responsibility, punctuality or other bad habits, etc.).
f. Do not solve problem for your disciple, but give him opportunity to face it.
g. Do not focus too much on the problems, bring out the best in people, discover his gifts and the work of God in his life.
h. There is power in love.

6. Principles of building relationships with people

a. Take initiative — don't be afraid of rejection.
b. Make relationship-building a priority – Relationships take time and patience to build, so be persistent in building them.
c. Find common interests – People are attracted to each other because of common interests.
d. Be open and sincere – Friendship is a two-way, interactive process.
e. Express love and warmth — a caring look, a warm hug.

Guide to Discipleship Training