Editor’s note: This post was written by Kelley Myles, the Director of Mentor Recruiting and Development for the Life Project.
“I came to faith online.” It was September 2010 and I was working in campus ministry with university students in Canada. Steph was pretty and smart, a natural leader and influencer and so on fire in her newfound faith. When I asked how she came to faith over the summer, her answer blew me away; it was simply “I came to faith online.”
That was nine years ago.
I’ve recently moved from campus to digital ministry and Steph’s story echoes in my mind. Where do we go to find out anything today? A recipe using zucchini noodles, how to unclog a drain, what else that actor from Stranger Things has done… Online! And ever-increasingly, it’s where the world goes for help, for understanding, for discovery, for prayer, for hope.
Serving with The Life Project as the Director of Mentor Recruiting and Development, I’ve joined hundreds of volunteers in our ministry as an online mentor.
And I think every Christian should consider becoming an online mentor because you’ll grow in three ways:
- Grow in obedience
- Grow in your skills
- Grow in your global impact
Grow in obedience
You will grow in obedience to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matt. 26:36-39). You can love your neighbor digitally as you listen to, care for, and support people writing in, helping them know they matter and are not alone. And as you do so, God will often grant you amazing opportunities to talk about Jesus.
Grow in your skills
Our online training program will help you develop the skills needed to carry on a spiritual conversation, share the gospel, and disciple a new Christian. You’ll learn how to rely on the Holy Spirit to share your faith and pray for others. You’ll begin to recognize where people are in their spiritual journey and discover how to help them take the next step. You will grow in your ability to ask powerful questions. You will deepen your prayer life. You will grow in your ability to make disciples, helping Christian mentees multiply spiritually by teaching them to share with others what they have learned.
Our mentors consistently say that their experience as online mentors has given them greater skills and confidence to share their faith and engage with others offline. They have also grown in compassion as God has opened their eyes to the struggles and questions of people from all over the world.
Grow in your global impact
Your global impact will grow because you will be responding to messages coming from all over the world. Hugh, one of our most seasoned mentors, has received messages from 102 countries and 47 states at last count! The list keeps growing! People are sending us messages from some of the least-reached areas of the world including the Middle East and South Asia. The world wide web has opened a powerful digital doorway to them! And they are writing to us!
Grow in obedience. Grow your skills. Grow in your global impact. Join us today by registering at tmm.io. Questions? Write to us at support@thementorcenter.com
Run
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. (Habakkuk 2:2)
- Become an online mentor.