Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

Do not feel any obligation to cover all the questions written below, or answer them woodenly or routinely. What we are seeking is an open conversation with your students about their lives and hearts, and to settle on a cadre of issues, concerns, questions, and ideas that flow directly from their experience, and relate to their lives and ministries. Do not hesitate to spend the majority of time on some question that arose from the video, or some special concern that is especially relevant in their ministry context right now. The goal of this section is for you to enable them to think critically and theologically in regard to their lives and ministry contexts. Again, the questions below are provided as guides and primers, and ought not to be seen as absolute necessities. Pick and choose among them, or come up with your own. The key is relevance now, to their context and questions. One of your tasks as a mentor is to keep the students abreast of where you are in the course of study, what concepts are being studied and which ones will be covered next, and what assignments (if any) will soon come due. Make certain that the students understand the assignment for the next class session, both the upcoming quiz and summary of the reading assignments. By the way, the reading assignment is important, but it is not meant to be difficult; the goal is that they would read the material as best as they can and write a few sentences on what they take them to mean. This is a critical intellectual skill for your students to learn, so make sure that you encourage them in this process. Of course, for those students who might find this difficult, assure them of the intent behind this assignment, and emphasize their understanding of the material being the key, not their writing skills. We want to improve their skills, but not at the expense of their encouragement and edification. Nor, however, do we want to sell them short. Strike to find the midpoint between challenge and encouragement here.

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