By Jennifer Taylor
From brand-new Christians to brand-new mothers, churches are inviting members to share their experiences, knowledge, and friendship with groups beginning new journeys.
Significant Mothers
When Evelyn Ritchie became an unwed teenage mother 21 years ago, she benefited from a local hospital program offering support and education. Today, Ritchie works with volunteers from Real Life Christian Church (Clermont, Florida) to provide the same experience for Clermont”s teen moms.
In the new “ADAPT” program (Adolescent Development And Parent Training), Ritchie matches each teen””some pregnant and some parenting a new baby””with a mentor who shares parenting skills and provides encouragement. The teens also gather each Thursday evening to talk about their experience and learn from each other. Real Life provides transportation and child care.
“I used to pull all kinds of resources and handouts and prepare discussion topics,” says Ritchie, who led a similar program in the Northeast before moving to Florida and joining Real Life. “But I learned not to set a curriculum and simply to allow the group members to share their needs and fears and go from there.”
The group is especially valuable for the girls who have lost friendships or family relationships because of their pregnancies.
“The Lord has given me a real love for these young moms,” she says. “I know what it feels like to face this, and I love having the opportunity to support them.”
She”s happy to help you, too; if you would like more information on starting a similar program at your church, contact Evelyn at [email protected].
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Start Department
“The new mentoring program meets so many values of our church,” says Ronnie Cordrey, involvement minister at Northeast Christian Church (Louisville, Kentucky). The enthusiasm is appropriate””One-on-One Mentoring not only addresses many of Northeast”s values, it has value for participants, as well.
The church began mentoring last fall to connect new members into the life of the church and to encourage their spiritual growth. Each “graduate” of Northeast”s Starting Point class is asked to participate in a mentoring relationship with a church member; Cordrey estimates 50 to 60 percent agree to the commitment. His team matches each person with a volunteer mentor of the same gender and provides a First Steps curriculum for the pair to work through during 10 to 12 one-hour meetings over three months.
“We emphasize 1 Peter 2:2, that we are to grow up, not old, in our faith,” he says. “That requires intentionality””anyone who excels in anything typically has a coach or mentor. The First Steps book provides instruction on basic spiritual principles, and the mentoring relationship provides support during a critical time.”
This is especially important for new believers; Cordrey says 70 percent “renege” on their decision within 90 days of their baptism. But the program is available and encouraged for others, as well.
“Our Starting Point class has seekers, starters (those new to the faith), returners (those who are coming back to church after an absence), and transfers,” he says.
“We think the mentoring relationship can benefit every group because it”s also about plugging into the church body, and we encourage the transfers and other longtime Christians to go through the material as preparation for becoming mentors themselves.”
Northeast began the program with two test groups last fall, then went “churchwide” in January. Even senior pastor Bob Cherry mentored someone.
“We want to become a mentoring church,” Cordrey says. “As Northeast continues to grow numerically, this process will help us develop strong relationships and encourage each person to take ownership of his spiritual life.”
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Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and also blogs for the magazine.
Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative ministry? Send a brief description and contact info to [email protected].
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