Learning from a Network of Mentors

For several years I was a solo pastor in a small church of about 35.  I would go to my basement office to study.  I had no computer, no cell phone, iPad, Kindle, or Internet access (it hadn't been invented yet!).  I would live for the arrival of Leadership Journal in the mail, where I could read articles from other pastors on issues and situations I faced in ministry, and look at the cartoons!

I recall the day a friend gave me my very first leadership lesson on cassette from John Maxwell.  I was blown away!  It was soon followed by a bootleg copy of a message Bill Hybels had given to his New Community crowd.  I listened to these tapes so many times I wore them out.  I was starved to interact with other pastors on the topic of ministry.  I needed colleagues and mentors, but had none.

As leaders of 200churches, it’s important for us to learn from a network of mentors.  Today, we can learn from a large network of online mentors who provide a rich source of encouragement and wisdom for us. In order to help you get started building a network of mentors, we’ve created a list of online resources for you.

Before we get to the list, let me shamelessly recommend to you the 200Churches Podcast.  The purpose of our podcast is to resource pastors of churches of around 200 with some advice, training, inspiration, and encouragement.  Our purpose is not to teach you how to grow your church.  We think that God uses churches of all sizes to reach and shepherd people.  We want to encourage you to serve, lead, love, and be content with the people God has given you to serve today.

Okay, on to some resources!

• Pastors.com: Rick Warren’s website is a great place to receive encouragement, mentoring, and support. Check out this article about providing first-rate hospitality in your church.
  
• Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast: This podcast provides high quality leadership training for ministry leaders. Andy is easy to listen to and will motivate you to greater levels of leadership.
  
• MichaelHyatt.com: Michael Hyatt’s blog and podcast are excellent training resources. His transparency to share failure and his wisdom from experience are truly valuable to leaders from all walks of ministry.  Michael is refreshingly down to earth and straightforward.
  
• EdStetzer.com: Ed Stetzer is the president of LifeWay Research and his website is full of resources for church leaders at every level. Also, his “church sign of the week” feature on Fridays is hilarious.

Especially if you find yourself planted out in the “middle of nowhere” with few other pastors to fellowship with, online mentors are for you!  You can get started with 200Churches.com and the previous four websites, and grow from there.  If your church is 20, 40, or 200 - you matter huge to the Kingdom of God!

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