Learn best practices for mentorship/discipleship between young adults and others in your church community.
ThereforeGo Ministries and Faith Formation Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church of North America have collaborated to develop an interactive network experience.
What is a network?
A network is a peer learning group made up of congregations that work together with a shared purpose in order to provide each other encouragement and support as they explore new ways of doing ministry within their particular contexts.
In the network relationship, ThereforeGo Ministries (TGM) and Faith Formation Ministries (FFM) will:
- respect the uniqueness of each congregation.
- provide a coach to walk alongside as a partner who will listen, brainstorm, encourage, and hold each team accountable to apply their learning to some actions steps and experimentation.
- connect congregation leaders to resources, resource people, and other leaders in the network whose trajectory is similar.
Why should we consider joining?
We know that for the church to thrive, faith communities must be built upon strong intergenerational connections. While many emerging adults are looking to be part of mentoring relationships with older individuals, many congregations struggle to develop these connections. A mentoring network provides a peer network of churches a place to discern and strategize with the goal of equipping their congregations to build a vibrant intergenerational faith community.
Upcoming Network Launches
Online Cohort
This network will meet monthly beginning in October 2021 and conclude in April 2022. Churches will be asked to bring 4-6 participants with a designated leader from each congregation being part of monthly coaching calls between large group sessions.
Meeting Dates (all meetings will take place at 8:30 pm Eastern, 7:30 Central, 6:30 Mountain, and 5:30 Pacific):
Cost: $500
West Michigan
This network will include two in-person meetings on November 13, 2021 and May 14, 2022 (breakfast and lunch included) and monthly coaching between the fall and spring sessions. Churches will be asked to bring 4-6 participants from each church.
Edmonton, AB
This network will include two in-person meetings on January 15, 2022 and May 7, 2022 (breakfast and lunch included) and monthly coaching between the fall and spring sessions. Churches will be asked to bring 4-6 participants from each church.
Interested in a Network?
Let us know if you are interested in participating in a mentoring network in the future
What to Expect
A network consists of 5-8 congregations and will focus on mentoring as a form of intergenerational faith formation engagement.
Network teams will meet to:
- Identify the health of their congregational culture and their present faith formation framework while discovering how both will be able to support a robust mentoring culture.
- Explore various approaches to mentoring to help each team discern what would work best in their particular contexts.
- Discern what practices and programs are already working well to support mentoring in each congregational context.
- Experiment with two or three ways to engage in mentoring practices and spend time debriefing which practices were most helpful.
Network will include:
- One Pre-meeting Video Conference Call for a Church leader and one other.
- Pre-session Instructional Videos.
- Two In-person meetings or four video meetings for a group of 4-6.
- Monthly coaching calls.
Mentoring Network Interest
Let us know that you are interested in being a part of a network in the future!Renewed Hope
“I found hope in the “next” generation of young people in our church and community! They were amazing examples of Jesus Christ. This {experience} brought back my confidence in our kid’s salvation.”
Leader
Engaging Youth
“We began this mentoring cohort looking for ways we could engage our youth more effectively. We were given some helpful steps and have began some conversations in the church about mentoring our youth and building a stronger community for everyone.”
Emmanual Reformed Church
Ontario
Refilled & Refreshed
“My participation in the SERVE experience served as a great reminder as to why I got into ministry in the first place. I’m passionate about teaching, serving and building relationships with students. I was able to encounter all 3 without the stresses of the office or head leadership role. I feel refilled, renewed, and refreshed.”
