By Mark Worley
A student, who is now a graduate of Dallas Christian College, wrote these words:
I wish I could be mentored. My classes are great. I believe I”m getting a quality education as I learn to think critically, understand the Bible, apply the Bible, and teach the Bible. But, that”s only classroom learning. It has not been enough. I need a mentor to help me, someone experienced in ministry and life””a time-tested and trained, solid leader. Someone like this could meet with me a couple times a month (we”re all busy), and just talk to me about life. He could LISTEN to my frustrations, mistakes, ideas, ideals, questions, wishes, dreams, hopes, plans, and reflections. In response he could give me encouragement, direction, ideas and stories from his experience, correction, and affirmation. Is there anything the college can do for other guys like me? I know I”m not the only one who feels this way.
Many colleges and universities have received similar notes from students””students desiring some form of mentoring. Sometimes mentoring happens by coincidence””perhaps through a connection with a particular professor or a more seasoned student. But how many more students don”t have the opportunity to be mentored by someone, or to be a mentor for someone? Such students slip through the cracks.
What would happen if a college took on the daunting task of developing a culture of mentoring?
In his book Lifegiving Mentors, Tim Elmore, founder and president of Growing Leader, focuses the issue when he writes, “Mentoring is an essential element for students to not only survive, but to thrive in the world they”re entering. They need the wisdom and encouragement that experienced adults can give. Students cry out for a “˜coach” more than a classroom. Why? There is no life-change without life-exchange” (p. 12).
When Dusty Rubeck became president of Dallas Christian College, the college adopted a challenging mission statement: “Dallas Christian College educates and mentors students to be people of influence, under God”s influence for a life of influence.” What made this statement so challenging was its elevation of mentoring to equal status with education. Moreover, it called for a vital shift in model or perspective, from the Greek (or academic) model to the Hebrew (relational and experiential) model.
Intentional Mentoring
When DCC”s administration began to look for institutional models of intentional mentoring, we could not find them. That”s not to say they weren”t there; it”s just that we did not find any sustainable mentoring plan. There were various mentoring initiatives that had not proven to be effective overall. We consistently heard, “If you find one or develop one, let us know!”
Third-year worship arts major Eliot Smith (left) with his “outside mentor,” Will Warfel, worship arts pastor of BridgeWay Church in Copper Canyon, Texas.
We began to develop our own intentional mentoring. In order to achieve total buy-in, we started by developing the mentoring culture with faculty and staff. Mentoring had taken place in some forms, but we needed clarification and focus.
We had training sessions on what mentoring is and is not. For example, Bobb Biehl, in Mentoring: Confidence in Finding a Mentor and Becoming One, distinguishes between mentoring and discipleship. Discipleship is driven by the discipler”s agenda, whereas mentoring tailors to the mentee”s agenda. This is a change from the classroom model.
We openly discussed our concerns (and fears) in mentoring””the amount of time needed, the transparency involved, the sheer numbers of students. The response of DCC”s faculty and staff was incredible; there was great willingness to develop this culture of mentoring, because they saw the need.
When faculty or staff members are hired, it is stressed during the interview process that employees of DCC are expected to mentor. Faculty and staff are trained to delve beyond the superficial and discover who the student really is. Whether talking about financial aid, checking out a book in the library, or cheering side-by-side at a basketball game””everyone mentors! As the apostle Paul said, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
We have become intentional in putting faculty and staff together with students as much as possible. Faculty and staff are offered free lunches in the cafeteria, thus facilitating much more interaction with students. The entire college””faculty, staff, administration, and students””share life and serve together in a service day each semester. Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in Kingdom Week, traveling and serving with students. We look for every way possible to nurture relationships.
Creating a Culture
After discussing this process with faculty and staff, we addressed the students. We introduced the traditional student body to our mentoring culture in which first-year students are mentored through special topic discussions; second-year students are mentored by fourth-year students (preferably those in the same major); and third-year students are linked with off-campus (outside) mentors. We now seek to address five areas of the students” lives through a full mentoring and life development curriculum: growing spiritually, knowing internally, emerging relationally, serving actively, and mentoring effectively.
Students meet with their mentors every other week. Through the influence of Regi Campbell”s book, Mentor Like Jesus, we began using small groups to mentor first-year students. A faculty or staff member meets with them in small groups and listens to their stories, shares his or her life story with the students, and through this process, mentoring begins. Although the mentor imparts wisdom the mentee needs, the emphasis is always on the mentee”s agenda.
Fourth-year students face some positive peer pressure in that they want to be mentors! But these would-be mentors must rise to the occasion to be selected as mentors for second-year students.
It has been a challenge to find and secure outside mentors for third-year students, especially in each of the majors we offer. Yet now, after several years, we have developed a solid list of outside mentors ranging from ministry leaders to Christian business leaders, psychologists, and missionaries. Each student and mentor arranges a time to meet and share life twice a month.
It is amazing that 95 percent of the traditional student body is now involved in some type of mentoring relationship. Why? As the letter at the beginning states, young men and women are longing for more!
What”s Next?
So where do we go from here? It has been a long-range goal at DCC for mentoring to include nontraditional online and evening degree-completion program students. We also plan to provide mentoring for every graduate for at least four years after he or she graduates.
Assessment is one of the requirements of accrediting agencies. We have developed a rubric for assessing each student in his or her personal and spiritual growth in each of the five areas mentioned earlier. Is the mentoring culture having an impact on the lives of students? Not only can we see growth take place, we are able to assess it.
What would happen if the desire of the student who wrote the letter at the beginning of this article were realized in his home church, in high school, or earlier? What would happen if colleges and churches realized the importance of intentional mentoring?
Think of it as a letter from one of your college students or one of your church youth, and see whether it doesn”t haunt you to action””much as it did Dallas Christian College.
Mark Worley is vice president for community at Dallas (Texas) Christian College.
It is so exciting to see a culture of mentoring intentionally developed on a college campus! As an “older” student and graduate of Dallas Christian College a few years ago, I was very blessed to receive mentoring from the DCC faculty in just about every class, so this article does not surprise me. Their efforts to help me on my journey were life-changing and this article is timely for me because most of them don’t even know the incredible influence they had in helping me grow in the Lord and in ministry – it’s a nice reminder to thank them for pouring into my life when I really needed it. From my perspective, Mr. Worley was spot on when he expressed the need that students have for mentoring because in turn, I had many younger students coming to me wanting to share what was going on in their lives. Study sessions in our home became the norm but as much as the study help – I think the students craved being mentored by me and my husband because the topics ranged from study questions for an upcoming test to questions about healthy relationships or praying about what direction to go with their classes. Indeed seven years later I am still in touch with some of those students today. I am so excited to see the concept of mentorship formalized and hope to raise awareness among my church family so that perhaps we can add to the list of outside mentors for third year students.
What a great reminder that we all need each other as Mr. Worley so aptly points out from Tim Elmore’s quote, “There is no life-change without life-exchange.” Jesus is our ultimate example – He not only discipled the twelve, He did “life” with them. He shared meals with them, inviting them into the intimacy of His presence. If Jesus was physically here on earth I could envision him making time to drop by the DCC cafeteria for lunch and to hang out with the students for awhile. To mentor is to follow the example of our Lord! Thanks for a great article!