February 25, 2008 by Tony Reinke
Categories: Pastoral ministry
The April issue of Tabletalk Magazine includes an article by Joshua Harris titled “The Next Generation.” In the short article, Harris describes his relationship with C.J. and the transition of leadership he experienced at Covenant Life Church, and uses his experience to challenge older pastors (and older Christians in general) to mentor young Christians rather than “fend off” the next generation. Joshua concludes the article with these words:
It was God’s grace that led me to realize as a young man that I needed a mentor to advise and train me in ministry. And it was God’s grace that prepared a godly older man to be that mentor. Two decades earlier, in the early days of his ministry, C.J. had made a promise to God. He had always longed for but never truly found a mentor for himself. And so he told God that if he ever had the chance to be that mentor to a younger man, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. He wouldn’t be too busy.
When I came along he didn’t see me as a nuisance. He didn’t see me as a threat. His first concern wasn’t preserving his position. He saw me as a young man in whom he could invest in so that the most important truth—the truth of the Gospel—could be passed on. What a refreshing perspective. Our job isn’t to fend off the next generation. Our calling as lovers of the Gospel is to equip the next generation to surpass us in faithfulness and effectiveness.
Somewhere there’s a young man or woman praying for a mentor. Get ready. You could be God’s answer to that prayer. (p. 71)