Can Peers Be Mentors, Too?
We each have different strengths and wells of
experience, but do we share them with one another? Ministry and family
responsibilities can keep us from interacting with other women of like
maturity and getting together with friends might seem like a luxury we
can't quite afford to give ourselves. But by forming your own peer
mentoring group, you can carve out a place to experience Proverbs
27:17. "As iron sharpens iron, so one (wo)man sharpens another."
If you would like to start your own peer mentoring group, we suggest you ask three or four women to commit together to meet once a month for three hours to share your lives and ministry skills and to pray for one another. Read the article below to hear about the first meeting experience of one peer mentoring group, or click on the link below to download notebook pages that will guide you in starting your own group.
I hope these notebook pages will inspire you to organize your own peer mentoring group. Each group is as individual as its participants, and adaptable to the unique needs of its participants. It is fun to see how God can bond us together and use our gifts to complement and sharpen one another.
I came across this idea in a magazine called Just Between Us and lost no time in setting up my own group of women leaders who meet once a month to 1) share and care, and to 2) sharpen one another by sharing ministry skills, Scriptural insights, and personal development tools. In choosing group members, I looked for women of like vision and spiritual maturity who did not share the same daily worlds. If possible, I encourage you to consider including women of differing ages and seasons of life.
We organized our sessions by dividing them between Sharpening and Sharing times. In the sharpening time, we share ideas, resources, and copies of articles. In sharing, we talk about what's going on in our lives and we pray for one another. In each monthly session of 2-1/2 hours, one woman is the designated presenter. Usually we take turns sharing thoughts and questions from a central issue in the Scriptures about which we have been pondering, and we all join in the discussion. Other times we study a book, seminar, or ministry tool together. Anyone can bring a resource she wants to share at any time, and we freely share Xerox copies of articles that have come our way.
Sometimes in the Sharing time, we bring up problems we're having in ministering and ask for advice, like: The women in my Bible study are applying the Scriptures to President Clinton and everybody but themselves. I'm running out of ideas about how to get them to see their need for personal application. What have you done in your Bible studies? These needs push us to analyze and communicate the ministry skills we often practice instinctively.
It will be an adventure!
You can view the PDF file pages online and then download them to your own computer.
Run off copies for each group member and put them in a 3-ring binder with dividers. The notebook will be a great place to store the copies you share with one another.
We will post ideas on this Website from time to time about resources you can use in your peer mentoring group. Have fun!
Download the Peer Mentor Notebook
If you would like to start your own peer mentoring group, we suggest you ask three or four women to commit together to meet once a month for three hours to share your lives and ministry skills and to pray for one another. Read the article below to hear about the first meeting experience of one peer mentoring group, or click on the link below to download notebook pages that will guide you in starting your own group.
I hope these notebook pages will inspire you to organize your own peer mentoring group. Each group is as individual as its participants, and adaptable to the unique needs of its participants. It is fun to see how God can bond us together and use our gifts to complement and sharpen one another.
I came across this idea in a magazine called Just Between Us and lost no time in setting up my own group of women leaders who meet once a month to 1) share and care, and to 2) sharpen one another by sharing ministry skills, Scriptural insights, and personal development tools. In choosing group members, I looked for women of like vision and spiritual maturity who did not share the same daily worlds. If possible, I encourage you to consider including women of differing ages and seasons of life.
We organized our sessions by dividing them between Sharpening and Sharing times. In the sharpening time, we share ideas, resources, and copies of articles. In sharing, we talk about what's going on in our lives and we pray for one another. In each monthly session of 2-1/2 hours, one woman is the designated presenter. Usually we take turns sharing thoughts and questions from a central issue in the Scriptures about which we have been pondering, and we all join in the discussion. Other times we study a book, seminar, or ministry tool together. Anyone can bring a resource she wants to share at any time, and we freely share Xerox copies of articles that have come our way.
Sometimes in the Sharing time, we bring up problems we're having in ministering and ask for advice, like: The women in my Bible study are applying the Scriptures to President Clinton and everybody but themselves. I'm running out of ideas about how to get them to see their need for personal application. What have you done in your Bible studies? These needs push us to analyze and communicate the ministry skills we often practice instinctively.
It will be an adventure!
You can view the PDF file pages online and then download them to your own computer.
Run off copies for each group member and put them in a 3-ring binder with dividers. The notebook will be a great place to store the copies you share with one another.
We will post ideas on this Website from time to time about resources you can use in your peer mentoring group. Have fun!
Download the Peer Mentor Notebook
