Like our favorite recipe of Grandma’s, when we discover the secret ingredient that sets it apart, we want to replicate it. We want to mass reproduce it and transport it around the world. Unfortunately, everybody’s taste buds are different and may not always appreciate her recipe and its flavor as much as we did. The same is true for church planting strategies. Strategies are context specific. Therefore, having a coach who is helpful for general strategy and direction and having a mentor who is ideally a native of the area where the new church will be located is important. The mentor should at least be a connoisseur of the culture.
- A mentor is someone who has been where you want to go and willing to help you get there.
A mentor labors in the trenches with the planter.When I planted my first church, I was in Central Alabama, and my mentor was in the Northeast which is heavily Catholic. He was a wonderful man of God butknew very little about my day-to-day activities- the culture in which I was planting.A mentor needs to be there when the disappointments knock the wind out of the planter.
- A mentor relationship is like that of the rabbi’s relationship with the students in Jewish culture.
There was a saying in the Jewish culture, “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” There was no higher compliment to a student than to follow so closely with his rabbi that they shared the same dirt. The relationship between the planter and the mentor should be almost this close. The mentor is as much a spiritual mentor as he/she is a mentor for church planting. The mentor asks tough, penetrating, and deeply personal questions of the planter (exceptions would be sexual or financial based questions). For this reason, the spiritual growth that arises from this mentor/mentee relationship reaps incalculable rewards for the planter.
3.The mentor can help the planter evaluate his/her discipleship strategy not only for the planter, but for the new church.
The strength of new churches is they are necessarily evangelistic.However, the planter must be as intentional about his/her discipleship strategy as he/she is the evangelism strategy. Those who are reached by a new church tend to be those who are in need of much healing. They often desire connection to God but have a distrust of the institutional Church. Many have hit rock bottom and God is their last desperate attempt at life. Without a clear discipleship plan, which is obviously biblically based and contextualized;the church is pointless and rudderless. The goal of church planting is not just to grow the church by drawing a crowd. The “Great Commission” isbothevangelistic and disciple-making.
A coach is someone who has expertise in a particular area, and can offer guidance, be a sounding board as the planter fleshes out his/her strategies and provide a high-altitude view of the planter’s efforts on the ground.
- The coach is not a mentor.
The coach is more focused on the health of the church plant. The coach must have credibility and to an extent places his/her own credibility on the line. The coaching relationship and the person the planter engages is important and should be approached prayerfully. While not a mentor, there does need to be a strong trust between the planter and coach. I have known high-capacity leaders and quality coaches who do not mesh with every leader. The coach will be conversant with the mentor, but the relationship between mentor and mentee will remain confidential.
- The coach is primarily focused on evaluating the specifics of the plan and strategy.
Because the mentor is involved in the trenches with the planter, it is important to have someone who can see things objectively. The coach can evaluate outreachand discipleship strategies, and help identify blind spots. The coach asks strategicquestions to the planter to cause more reflection and analysis from the planter. 85-90% of the coach’s job is to ask questions; not give advice.
One of the biggest mistakes Church planters make is choosing not to have a coach and a mentor. Pastoring can be lonely; Church planting even more so. It is not an exaggeration to say it could save your family. This article only scratches the surface.