As I look back on my life I recognize that I could have profited more by stronger input from others who were further down the road than myself. When I took the opportunity to call respected people and ask for advice I received good direction. If I stopped to think about it right now I am sure that I could come up with at least 50 sentences of bouncing words that changed my perspective and direction. I am so grateful for these.
I fault myself in not picking up the phone often enough to get the help I needed. I spent far too much time muddling around with my own devices. Now I realize that I could have found some shortcuts. My big mistake was that in my early formative years I missed opportunities for instruction and counsel. Perhaps I was unwilling for help because I feared others would recommend I reset my course. As honest as I can be with myself, I don’t believe that is true.
One thing I do believe is true is that others could have cared about me more and have taken the initiative to help me. While I can think of plenty of bouncing words, I can recall only a few times when they came because the other person initiated the conversation. I count that as a failure of the previous generation. And to their defense they did not receive all the help they could have from the older generation of their day. So they did not have a good example to follow. Therefore, they didn’t know how important it was.
As I have pondered the paucity of effective leaders for local churches I have attempted to analyze the cause. I think I understand it better now than I used to.
We have left the training of people for ministry up to the professors in Seminaries and Bible Colleges. Within the framework of their mandate and structure they have probably completed acceptable work. I am not convinced that the structure is sufficient enough nor, perhaps, the mandate find tuned enough.
As essential as the classroom may be, we all know that the application is rendered in real life. Development that stops at expanding and defining concepts without forcing application in real time is a big part of the problem. The problems are not so much in the ideology as they are in the execution of that ideology. We must develop structures and systems that are action oriented — not merely thought oriented. Inertia operates far more in the ambiguity of human contact than it does in the stimulation of intellectual pursuit. Inertia is the enemy. And to the extent that the classroom permits that proliferation of inertia we have a problem.
The Template
I think it’s simple. The template is provided for us quite clearly in two Timothy 2:2. Paul gives instruction to Timothy about exactly how he was to develop leaders. We would do well to heed his advice.
The first thing we notice in this verse is that Paul says to Timothy that there was an information exchange in the past into Timothy’s life. Specifically, Paul says, “I said things.” And he says, “Timothy you heard those things.” This information exchange did not happen in private consultation. It did happen in the presence of many witnesses. I take that to mean that Paul shared all of his information widely but that he had specific intention for that information with a select few. Or at least as far as we know by this verse, Timothy was the target.
There was a relationship between Paul and Timothy. In another place, Paul uses the word “son” referring to Timothy. That is an intimate word. There were no doubt many private conversations between Paul and Timothy to forge this relationship. They traveled together. They ate together. They no doubt shared the same bedrooms on occasion. They experienced ambiguity together. They suffered together. It is pretty clear that by the time Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, Timothy had figured out that this thing of Christian ministry is a full contact sport. You can’t be in the game and not get your uniform dirty. Timothy knew that by the time he got back to the locker room he would have some bruises. This knowledge provides the context. But Paul’s emphasis in our target verse is on the oral communication between the two.
I have already dwelt on the power of bouncing words. Paul knew that power. He insisted that Timothy replicate that power. And I want you to notice that the stewardship of Paul’s words that he gave to Timothy was the extent of what he wanted Timothy to use. I don’t believe that Paul had any interest in limiting Timothy’s enhancements and personal expression of concepts. But Paul’s first concern in this is that Timothy would take the exact material that Paul conveyed and do something significant with it. In short, Paul wanted Timothy to use Paul’s bouncing words.
Let’s take a moment to look at the first layer of application here. As we are thinking in the context of personal mentoring we must recognize that if we have something to say we need to pass it on. As importantly, we need to pass it on to people who will not reject it or reframe it but will use it as their very own. It was Paul’s requirement that Timothy not rebel against what he learned from the teacher but that he would actively use it. As I reflect back on my attempts at mentoring younger people, I regret that I wasted too much time with people who wanted to debate rather than learn. Legitimate questions for clarification are always in order. However, Paul left no wiggle room for Timothy to say, “I disagree with that.” I have not always invested time in the right people. The right person wants to learn. The right person doesn’t have any interest in taking you to school to explain the new wave of thinking that supersedes your old fashioned thinking. I want to be careful here. There are always changes within the culture. Younger people often have a better handle on those changes. Therefore, we must all learn from the emerging generation. However, the nature of that learning will always be more of a synthesis than an antithesis. If someone you seek to mentor is more interested in antithesis, it is probably better for you to lessen your intensity in attempts to help them until they grow into the recognition of the need for a synthesis.
At this point in our analysis we have Timothy in possession of knowledge within the boundaries Paul has set. And now Timothy has a stewardship he must fulfill.
Timothy’s responsibility is to take this knowledge and experience and pass it on to a select group of people. While Paul doesn’t say this, it is not inconsistent for us to expect that Timothy will do this in a public context as he himself received much of his tutelage in the presence of others. It is however very clear that Timothy should replicate the accountability process of which he has been the recipient and pass his stewardship on to reliable people. Therefore there is a limitation placed on Timothy’s focus. Paul expects Timothy to identify reliable people. Of course, there’s a full definition to the word reliable but I’m not going to dwell on that. I am going to dwell on the one component of reliability that Paul expresses. These reliable people are in part defined as those who are able to do something with the stewardship. If potential people are not those who are ready, willing and able to follow the instruction then they are not reliable. Timothy is not to pass his stewardship on through anyone who is unreliable. He is to it entrust his stewardship to those who are reliable. The word entrust creates a picture in my mind of one passing on a precious family heirloom to a member of the next generation. I see the sincerity in the eyes of both the one passing down the heritage and the one receiving it. This word entrust is a strong word.
Again, let’s look at the application of this for our generation. It is my experience that we have not carefully guarded the gate. Only those people should be let into the leadership development process who are themselves committed to living out that process. If somebody doesn’t qualify they can have all of the information in the general sense but the setting aside of them to carry it forward as a stewardship must be a carefully guarded process. When the individual fails to live up to the understanding of the process then we should move them out of the leadership circle and back into the general crowd until they are ready.
Getting back to our verse we must ask, “What are these reliable people to do?” The answer is simple. Teach. Teach others also. The word “also” gives us the clear indication that the instruction stays the same all the way from Paul through the chain to this fourth generation of reliable people.
This process is the engine of growth. The power in this engine of growth is astounding. Let me explain that part to you.
Four Generations
Just as a review, there were four generations in this verse. 1. Paul 2. Timothy 3. Reliables 4. Others. Let’s for argument’s sake say that in the present context you are generation 1. But I suppose I could say that I am generation 1. It always starts with number 1. And you are it!
I’m sure you understand that I am going to ask you to find a few Timothys to work with. That will be generation 2. Over your lifetime how many Timothys do you think you can find? I know you don’t know the answer to that question. But a more important question is, “What process will you develop to identify your next three Timothys?” I don’t think you can seriously work with more than three at a time. Remember the power of simplicity?
And now the next question is, “How long will you have to spend with each Timothy?” That question can be answered on several levels. One answer is that you will be close associates for a lifetime. Another answer is that as long as Timothy keeps working at it, you will spend as long as it takes. But the specific answer I suggest to you is three years. The Apostle Paul spent somewhere between two and three years in Ephesus and when he met with the Ephesian Elders as recorded in Acts 20 he said he declared the whole counsel of God. He got it done it in three years. That was the whole nine yards. So I think that makes a reasonable time frame for us to work with. And as to what the curriculum is for your experience with each Timothy, I am not going to dwell on it. However, it must emphasize the whole counsel of God as expressed in the Bible and the kind of experience that Paul and Timothy had together.
It is your express purpose in working with each Timothy to teach them how to replicate your experience of how to work with the next generation. Remember in our verse this is generation three .
That means that if over a period of three years you get three Timothys on the rails, then in the next three years they in turn will find three generation three people to work with.
Here’s the math.
Generation 1 = you (“Paul”) = 1
Generation 2 = your three “Timothys” = 3
Generation 3 = their three “Reliables” = 3 X 3
Grand total = 10 Reliable People leading the church. Time frame is six years and counting.
But actually by that time you will have personally added three more into the system and so we will really be working with 13 people.
Now let’s add generation four .
Generation four = “Others” = 9 X three = 27
And so in the space of about a decade just by working with three reliable people you and I ought to be generating about 40 Christian leaders.
Now let’s work just for fun.
Generation five = 3 X 27 = 81
Generation six = 3 X 81 = 243
Generation seven = 3 X 243 = 729
You add all that together and you have 1,093. That is the potential of creating your own mini denomination over the next 20 years. One of the wonderful things about all that from my perspective is that in 20 years they will have long since forgotten my name and that I started it all. And that is a good thing. I don’t want my name on it. I want His name on it.
There is one more reality factor for us to consider. No matter how precise your selection process, you will be fortunate indeed to have 50% of your potential Timothys work out. So over the next three years this is how it will work. You might recruit two right now and have only one of them work out. Perhaps zero. Perhaps two. You will only know in three years. This is part of your set of expectations that you will pass on to others. Your three dropouts might not be complete wipeouts. But they will be an ongoing source of grief to you. Show your grief to your Timothys and by example teach them how to press on in spite of it.
I believe this ought to be a major issue in your life. While you are working with a whole you must find this small group of people you will personally mentor. In an ideal world I think there should be approximately a 10 year age span between the Paul and the Timothy. That is true because Timothy needs to see that Paul is just a little further down the road. And Paul needs to remember what it was like to be at Timothys part on the road. But the world is never ideal. So work with anybody who wants to respond to you and your leadership.
I recommend that you approach people based on the principle of checkerboard management. Treat your relationship like a game of checkers. This applies to anyone at any level of leadership in your church but especially to those you are personally mentoring. You make a move in this checker game. You take some initiative and ask for a response. For example, you might ask someone to write something up for you by a particular date. Always state or negotiate a deadline for each move. Now it is the other person’s move. If they don’t make their move and complete the agreed upon assignment, notice it. Renegotiate the finish date or the nature of the project. Only give the individual about three chances. Explain the consequences of them not completing what they promised they would do. Namely, you won’t be able to work with them long-term. If you have to “fire” the individual, do it face to face. Never allow yourself to diminish your impact by becoming a nagger.
If you want to focus on the power of personal mentoring you’re going to have to readjust your schedule. These people are going to take perhaps 20% of your work week. That is a good thing. You are going to have to be very careful that you make every effort to pick the right people. It is your initiative. But they have to respond. If they won’t live by TQ-PEN send them to the back bench until they are ready to get in the game.
Fundamentally we need to tighten up the accountability and response working from the top down. Your mentors should be crushed by your disapproval and energized by your lavish approbation. They should live every day with your bouncing words rebounding around in their heads. When we get this right we will make such a difference. There is incredible power to be unleashed via your personal mentoring. Get started now!
I fault myself in not picking up the phone often enough to get the help I needed. I spent far too much time muddling around with my own devices. Now I realize that I could have found some shortcuts. My big mistake was that in my early formative years I missed opportunities for instruction and counsel. Perhaps I was unwilling for help because I feared others would recommend I reset my course. As honest as I can be with myself, I don’t believe that is true.
One thing I do believe is true is that others could have cared about me more and have taken the initiative to help me. While I can think of plenty of bouncing words, I can recall only a few times when they came because the other person initiated the conversation. I count that as a failure of the previous generation. And to their defense they did not receive all the help they could have from the older generation of their day. So they did not have a good example to follow. Therefore, they didn’t know how important it was.
As I have pondered the paucity of effective leaders for local churches I have attempted to analyze the cause. I think I understand it better now than I used to.
We have left the training of people for ministry up to the professors in Seminaries and Bible Colleges. Within the framework of their mandate and structure they have probably completed acceptable work. I am not convinced that the structure is sufficient enough nor, perhaps, the mandate find tuned enough.
As essential as the classroom may be, we all know that the application is rendered in real life. Development that stops at expanding and defining concepts without forcing application in real time is a big part of the problem. The problems are not so much in the ideology as they are in the execution of that ideology. We must develop structures and systems that are action oriented — not merely thought oriented. Inertia operates far more in the ambiguity of human contact than it does in the stimulation of intellectual pursuit. Inertia is the enemy. And to the extent that the classroom permits that proliferation of inertia we have a problem.
The Template
I think it’s simple. The template is provided for us quite clearly in two Timothy 2:2. Paul gives instruction to Timothy about exactly how he was to develop leaders. We would do well to heed his advice.
The first thing we notice in this verse is that Paul says to Timothy that there was an information exchange in the past into Timothy’s life. Specifically, Paul says, “I said things.” And he says, “Timothy you heard those things.” This information exchange did not happen in private consultation. It did happen in the presence of many witnesses. I take that to mean that Paul shared all of his information widely but that he had specific intention for that information with a select few. Or at least as far as we know by this verse, Timothy was the target.
There was a relationship between Paul and Timothy. In another place, Paul uses the word “son” referring to Timothy. That is an intimate word. There were no doubt many private conversations between Paul and Timothy to forge this relationship. They traveled together. They ate together. They no doubt shared the same bedrooms on occasion. They experienced ambiguity together. They suffered together. It is pretty clear that by the time Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, Timothy had figured out that this thing of Christian ministry is a full contact sport. You can’t be in the game and not get your uniform dirty. Timothy knew that by the time he got back to the locker room he would have some bruises. This knowledge provides the context. But Paul’s emphasis in our target verse is on the oral communication between the two.
I have already dwelt on the power of bouncing words. Paul knew that power. He insisted that Timothy replicate that power. And I want you to notice that the stewardship of Paul’s words that he gave to Timothy was the extent of what he wanted Timothy to use. I don’t believe that Paul had any interest in limiting Timothy’s enhancements and personal expression of concepts. But Paul’s first concern in this is that Timothy would take the exact material that Paul conveyed and do something significant with it. In short, Paul wanted Timothy to use Paul’s bouncing words.
Let’s take a moment to look at the first layer of application here. As we are thinking in the context of personal mentoring we must recognize that if we have something to say we need to pass it on. As importantly, we need to pass it on to people who will not reject it or reframe it but will use it as their very own. It was Paul’s requirement that Timothy not rebel against what he learned from the teacher but that he would actively use it. As I reflect back on my attempts at mentoring younger people, I regret that I wasted too much time with people who wanted to debate rather than learn. Legitimate questions for clarification are always in order. However, Paul left no wiggle room for Timothy to say, “I disagree with that.” I have not always invested time in the right people. The right person wants to learn. The right person doesn’t have any interest in taking you to school to explain the new wave of thinking that supersedes your old fashioned thinking. I want to be careful here. There are always changes within the culture. Younger people often have a better handle on those changes. Therefore, we must all learn from the emerging generation. However, the nature of that learning will always be more of a synthesis than an antithesis. If someone you seek to mentor is more interested in antithesis, it is probably better for you to lessen your intensity in attempts to help them until they grow into the recognition of the need for a synthesis.
At this point in our analysis we have Timothy in possession of knowledge within the boundaries Paul has set. And now Timothy has a stewardship he must fulfill.
Timothy’s responsibility is to take this knowledge and experience and pass it on to a select group of people. While Paul doesn’t say this, it is not inconsistent for us to expect that Timothy will do this in a public context as he himself received much of his tutelage in the presence of others. It is however very clear that Timothy should replicate the accountability process of which he has been the recipient and pass his stewardship on to reliable people. Therefore there is a limitation placed on Timothy’s focus. Paul expects Timothy to identify reliable people. Of course, there’s a full definition to the word reliable but I’m not going to dwell on that. I am going to dwell on the one component of reliability that Paul expresses. These reliable people are in part defined as those who are able to do something with the stewardship. If potential people are not those who are ready, willing and able to follow the instruction then they are not reliable. Timothy is not to pass his stewardship on through anyone who is unreliable. He is to it entrust his stewardship to those who are reliable. The word entrust creates a picture in my mind of one passing on a precious family heirloom to a member of the next generation. I see the sincerity in the eyes of both the one passing down the heritage and the one receiving it. This word entrust is a strong word.
Again, let’s look at the application of this for our generation. It is my experience that we have not carefully guarded the gate. Only those people should be let into the leadership development process who are themselves committed to living out that process. If somebody doesn’t qualify they can have all of the information in the general sense but the setting aside of them to carry it forward as a stewardship must be a carefully guarded process. When the individual fails to live up to the understanding of the process then we should move them out of the leadership circle and back into the general crowd until they are ready.
Getting back to our verse we must ask, “What are these reliable people to do?” The answer is simple. Teach. Teach others also. The word “also” gives us the clear indication that the instruction stays the same all the way from Paul through the chain to this fourth generation of reliable people.
This process is the engine of growth. The power in this engine of growth is astounding. Let me explain that part to you.
Four Generations
Just as a review, there were four generations in this verse. 1. Paul 2. Timothy 3. Reliables 4. Others. Let’s for argument’s sake say that in the present context you are generation 1. But I suppose I could say that I am generation 1. It always starts with number 1. And you are it!
I’m sure you understand that I am going to ask you to find a few Timothys to work with. That will be generation 2. Over your lifetime how many Timothys do you think you can find? I know you don’t know the answer to that question. But a more important question is, “What process will you develop to identify your next three Timothys?” I don’t think you can seriously work with more than three at a time. Remember the power of simplicity?
And now the next question is, “How long will you have to spend with each Timothy?” That question can be answered on several levels. One answer is that you will be close associates for a lifetime. Another answer is that as long as Timothy keeps working at it, you will spend as long as it takes. But the specific answer I suggest to you is three years. The Apostle Paul spent somewhere between two and three years in Ephesus and when he met with the Ephesian Elders as recorded in Acts 20 he said he declared the whole counsel of God. He got it done it in three years. That was the whole nine yards. So I think that makes a reasonable time frame for us to work with. And as to what the curriculum is for your experience with each Timothy, I am not going to dwell on it. However, it must emphasize the whole counsel of God as expressed in the Bible and the kind of experience that Paul and Timothy had together.
It is your express purpose in working with each Timothy to teach them how to replicate your experience of how to work with the next generation. Remember in our verse this is generation three .
That means that if over a period of three years you get three Timothys on the rails, then in the next three years they in turn will find three generation three people to work with.
Here’s the math.
Generation 1 = you (“Paul”) = 1
Generation 2 = your three “Timothys” = 3
Generation 3 = their three “Reliables” = 3 X 3
Grand total = 10 Reliable People leading the church. Time frame is six years and counting.
But actually by that time you will have personally added three more into the system and so we will really be working with 13 people.
Now let’s add generation four .
Generation four = “Others” = 9 X three = 27
And so in the space of about a decade just by working with three reliable people you and I ought to be generating about 40 Christian leaders.
Now let’s work just for fun.
Generation five = 3 X 27 = 81
Generation six = 3 X 81 = 243
Generation seven = 3 X 243 = 729
You add all that together and you have 1,093. That is the potential of creating your own mini denomination over the next 20 years. One of the wonderful things about all that from my perspective is that in 20 years they will have long since forgotten my name and that I started it all. And that is a good thing. I don’t want my name on it. I want His name on it.
There is one more reality factor for us to consider. No matter how precise your selection process, you will be fortunate indeed to have 50% of your potential Timothys work out. So over the next three years this is how it will work. You might recruit two right now and have only one of them work out. Perhaps zero. Perhaps two. You will only know in three years. This is part of your set of expectations that you will pass on to others. Your three dropouts might not be complete wipeouts. But they will be an ongoing source of grief to you. Show your grief to your Timothys and by example teach them how to press on in spite of it.
I believe this ought to be a major issue in your life. While you are working with a whole you must find this small group of people you will personally mentor. In an ideal world I think there should be approximately a 10 year age span between the Paul and the Timothy. That is true because Timothy needs to see that Paul is just a little further down the road. And Paul needs to remember what it was like to be at Timothys part on the road. But the world is never ideal. So work with anybody who wants to respond to you and your leadership.
I recommend that you approach people based on the principle of checkerboard management. Treat your relationship like a game of checkers. This applies to anyone at any level of leadership in your church but especially to those you are personally mentoring. You make a move in this checker game. You take some initiative and ask for a response. For example, you might ask someone to write something up for you by a particular date. Always state or negotiate a deadline for each move. Now it is the other person’s move. If they don’t make their move and complete the agreed upon assignment, notice it. Renegotiate the finish date or the nature of the project. Only give the individual about three chances. Explain the consequences of them not completing what they promised they would do. Namely, you won’t be able to work with them long-term. If you have to “fire” the individual, do it face to face. Never allow yourself to diminish your impact by becoming a nagger.
If you want to focus on the power of personal mentoring you’re going to have to readjust your schedule. These people are going to take perhaps 20% of your work week. That is a good thing. You are going to have to be very careful that you make every effort to pick the right people. It is your initiative. But they have to respond. If they won’t live by TQ-PEN send them to the back bench until they are ready to get in the game.
Fundamentally we need to tighten up the accountability and response working from the top down. Your mentors should be crushed by your disapproval and energized by your lavish approbation. They should live every day with your bouncing words rebounding around in their heads. When we get this right we will make such a difference. There is incredible power to be unleashed via your personal mentoring. Get started now!
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