I love talking to people who are heading into their Future-Funded Ministry™ and have good advice. Richard Erickson from Greater Europe Ministry is no different. Richard went through a very challenging time in his life, one that he never saw coming. He got a divorce. It was devastating, challenging, and just plain hard.
He learned so much during that time of his life that he is making it his life mission to counsel others and glean from that experience in a way that will touch lives for years to come.
I asked him what was the one suggestion he had for Christians—especially Christians who were working inside of a ministry?
He said, “Without a shadow of a doubt…get a mentor.”
He continued by laying out for me what kind of mentors to get:
- Get a mentor to help with your Spiritual walk
- Get a mentor to help with your Professional walk
Then he went on to say, “Get to know these mentors, so they can get to know you.”
Oh, that is so true. Being in mentoring relationships in the past myself, I can tell you that I have gotten more out of them when I was very open and honest. The more I held back and made everything look perfect the longer it took to get any advice that would truly help.
Like life, we get out of it what we put in to it. Either mentoring or being mentored is no different.
Richard said he will even have mentors as he enters in to his Future-Funded Ministry life-stage—I will follow that lead.
I want to thank Richard for sharing. I have heard many say that they want to find a mentor and don’t know who or how to go about it.
Two thoughts on that one:
- Find someone you admire and ask. If they say yes, come to the coffee or meal on time and prepared.
- Come with one or two questions that you have that will guide the conversation. Don’t depend on the mentor to come with the agenda.
And now a few final thoughts Richard left me with: do one thing each day that you enjoy, be appreciative of the beauty around you, and be a thankful person.
Here’s to having a great mentor even through your Future-Funded Ministry years.
Written by Bethany Palmer
