Mentor's Manual

Sec t i on I I : Under s tand i ng the Ro l e of the Mentor

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It helps the student answer the question: “What does this mean for me and what should I do about it?”

Previously we spoke about the critical need to contextualize the curriculum to the students’ situation, and your role as a Mentor in that process. You must understand your role as helping make the teaching relevant and meaningful in their own context. Therefore, the sections of the lesson most vital for your assistance in contex- tualization will be the Contact section (which helps students understand the relevance of the teaching to their own ministry situation), and the Connection section (which guides students in applying the truth learned to their ministry responsibilities). Devote a large amount of your preparation time (your study, prayer, and reflection) to helping make the curriculum relevant and on point with the life goals, situations, and opportunities of your students in the places where they live and work. Since you engage your students in a face-to-face relationship, you, as Mentor, are in the best position to teach these sections of the lesson. You have the opportunity to learn the students’ ministry contexts and to hear their questions on a weekly basis. This means that you must plan and teach these sections with the unique needs of your class in mind. For instance, within the Capstone Curriculum you will be given guidance and suggestions for these sections from your Mentor Guide Notes for each lesson. However, you should feel free to adapt (or even replace) these suggested ideas with references, materials, and methods that take seriously the needs of the particular students you are teaching. Similarly, with the Foundations for Ministry Series courses, you should conclude each lesson by leading a discussion on the implications and applications to the local context. Creating the lesson objectives and core content taught in the Capstone and Foundations for Ministry curriculums is the responsibility of the national TUMI instructors. However, the responsibility to help your students understand the material and see its implications and applications for their particular lives and ministries is yours. Making the content come alive in their situations should be your express purpose and goal in each class session with your students.*

* For more specific information about how to plan the “Contact” and “Connection” parts of the lesson, see pages 96ff and 101ff in Section Four: Understanding the Mechanics of Class Instruction .

The Approach to Lessons: Contact, Content, Connection