Tag: calling

Spiritual Formation, The Campus Minister

My #iMentor Story | Steve Rankin

I met the Rev. Jack Fogleman when I was eighteen years old and a freshman in college.

In United Methodist organizational nomenclature, Jack was a district superintendent. That meant he had supervisory oversight for roughly sixty congregations in a particular section of the State (Kansas).

Another responsibility that district superintendents have is to keep track of young ministerial candidates. At the point of our first contact, I was not one of them, but Jack was paying attention.

Spiritual Formation

The Makings Of A Great Conversation

We all know that conversations — of a wide variety — are what make up the life and work of those in ministry. Much more so than programs.

And we also know that conversations are the bread and butter of mentoring relationships.

While some things will be learned through shared experience, much of what we share with students comes in the form of conversation — over meals, coffee, and number of places across campus.

Conversations are key.

But do we really know what goes into a good conversation?

How about a great one.

Spiritual Formation

My #iMentor Story | Jamie Johnson

Sometime around the age of 13 a friend entered my life. This individual intentionally chose me, though at the time I did not know it. His name was Bruce.

Bruce’s investment in my life seemed inconspicuous. He was, after all, the Youth Superintendent for the Friends churches in the Pacific Northwest. He was paid to do this!

Bruce and I began meeting regularly as I was just entering high school. It seemed to me he had the ability to discern one’s entire life story by simply looking them in the eye.

The Campus Minister

The Lost Art of Mentoring

I’ve found myself wondering lately if mentoring — as an intentional form of raising up the next generation — is lost?

In our fast-paced, keep your nose out of my business, anxiety riddled culture — have we lost the know-how to be with people in intentional, honest, and life-giving ways? And just as importantly, has the value of this kind of relationship been lost on this generation of students?

Without faithful examples, and our focus drawn away from mentoring — towards other things — have we forgotten how to do this? Or what it looks like? Or what it can yield in another’s life?

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

My #iMentor Story | Josh Waugh

Growing up in a larger church, you would think that I could go through youth group picking the best mentors out there and entering college as the next Billy Graham.

That’s what everyone would think at least.

In reality, it was not until my freshmen year of high school that my Sunday School teacher and I began a relationship that changed my life forever. Harry Barber (yes, that’s his real name), who was my interim youth minister and incredible mentor, worked together with me every week for a year and a half as he taught me how to lead my peers at church. We did life together and I learned by watching his example.

The Campus Minister

Mentoring—A Huge Gift in my Life | Pete Hardesty

Many people have helped to shape my life.

Especially my mentors.

There was my Young Life leader Danny O’Brien that would pick me up at 6am every Wed. for a Bible study.

Then when I was in college, I was home on break and was paired up with a “prayer partner.” It was an old man named Bill Geigert. He has written me once a month for about 20 years.

Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Problem With Tolerance

The problem with tolerance is both simple and complex — and has everything to do with how we understand it and attempt to live it out.

It’s simple in the sense that this cultural call to create space for those who don’t believe exactly like you speaks to the kind of charity and hospitality that we see exemplified by Christ.

This is good. And something that many of us as Christians have struggled with for a long time now.

I believe that Christians should be a living definition of charity and hospitality.

But it’s complex in that — for far too many followers of Jesus — we understand it to mean that we need to keep our beliefs and opinions to our selves.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

#iMentor | Guy Chmieleski

The #iMentor Initiative was started to honor the investment of mentors all over the world, and to encourage potential mentors to take the initiative in starting an intentional relationship with a college student today.

Read my story here.