Mentor's Ministry

This is how we use them:

• When someone comes to Christ, at the time that we are meeting with them after a service, we try to encourage them to have a seven lesson home Bible study. We as a church will commit to doing these seven lessons each week at the same time. 
• These Bible studies usually can be done in thirty-five (35) minutes, but sometimes take longer because we allow questions. We usually try to keep the questions on the subject, but we find that sometimes if we answer questions not on the subject, it really helps them grow, and helps them jump over a problem they have had in believing God.
• We try to send out to their home a team of three. One will lead the Bible study, and the other two will pray and assist wherever needed. Sometimes it takes babysitting the kids so the adults can get through without interruptions, so one of the team would do that. 
• The one leading the Bible study would read the comments to each verse (s) after the scripture was read. 
• Since there is usually a small group of no more than ten people, the leader will direct who will read the first scripture, and  whether they would take turns clockwise or counter. -clockwise in their reading. 
• Some people have never opened a Bible before or hardly read one, so the ones not leading from the team will assist in helping everyone located the scripture reference. 
• Nobody reads a scripture until all have it in their Bible. 
• What if they can't do a lesson for several weeks? We have found that it is good to be flexible. If they can't do it one week, then we contact them before the next possible time, and reconnect for that week. We did one home Bible study where it took 14 weeks to do 7 lesson. But at the end these people started to come to church, and left a cult. 
• Sometimes as we have done a lesson, the questions have been so beneficial, that we haven't gotten through the whole lesson and we didn't want to do a marathon. Just pick the lesson next time, or let them go through the rest of it on their own, and then check back the following week to see if they have any questions. 
• You don't want to be at a home more than an hour and a half. You have to be sensitive to the people, but even if they want you to stay longer, remind them that there is always next week.

 Where do I get people in my church to be involved in something like this? 

• As the pastor, pick some of your leaders or those interested, and ask them if you can do these Bible studies with them through all 7 lessons. To speed up this process, you can do a quick review of all 7 lessons at one time, then go to an actual house and you lead all 7 studies. 
• You just want them to come, pray, and participate. They will see how easy these Bible studies are to lead.
• You might even ask them to lead one, since this will be the second time they have gone over these. 
• Soon you can pick one or more of them to become Bible study team leaders themselves, and lead a home follow-up Bible study themselves. 
• When you go into a home and finish the 7 Bible studies, you then ask these people getting the studies if they would like to join a Mentor's Bible study team by committing to one 7 lesson study in someone else's home. We have found about half are interested. And we find that even if they have just received Christ, they grow very rapidly because of this. 
• If they agree to become a part, they can become a team member, but they don't have to lead. 
• If they were really getting a hold of the lesson, they could possibly lead if they agreed to stay on another seven lessons. 
• If you have cell groups, you could easily make their home and people involved a new cell group on the same night or another night. 

Here is a special note to Pastors. Here are the benefits that we have found in doing this follow-up program.

• First, it lays a good foundation for new birth Christians, and Christians who maybe got saved a time before, but were never really grounded in  foundational teachings (this being taken from Hebrews 6:1-2). 
• Secondly, we have found that these people who might have come to our church probably didn't know too many people, but meeting our people for seven times connects them personally with someone from our church. 
• Thirdly, because they have to look up scripture and read it, they get a confidence in finding things in the Bible. 
• Fourthly, these foundational teaching have helped those in cults get out of them, and those who don't know what they believe to find out what they should believe, and therefore they cease to become a good target for the cults. 
• Fifthly, those who you work with in the team become those you know you can call on to handle tough spiritual situations because you have seen and heard them in action, plus if you are a pastor or leader, they have heard your answers when questioned on something, and they will tend to repeat what they have heard you say. 
• Finally, we have also found these to be very good in prisons and jails. The format is so easy to use, we can send it to them, and they can do it themselves without anyone assisting them. 
• We have also found these to be of benefit for missionaries who can't be everyplace, but with these, and some simple instruction, can start many home Bible studies with the contacts that they have. 

I hope that for whatever use you use them, that they will be a rich blessing in your life or ministry.

Yours in the Word,
Pastor Eric Hoerger