Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Gandalf, Albus Dumbledore.

In just about every good story, the young hero has an older, wiser mentor; one who has traveled a similar journey at an earlier point. At a critical moment in the story, the hero consults the wise old sage for wisdom and encouragement in the journey. Hope is all but loss — the odds are against him — it looks impossible. The wise mentor shares some observations, a bit of wisdom and a few insider secrets only a mentor would know to help the young man on his journey. The hero now fully embraces his true calling and goes up against those odds to defeat the Dark Side, the fire-breathing dragon or The One Who Shall Not Be Named (Only a nerd like Josh would know the above stories well enough to use them in an analogy like this!).

Wikipedia describes this wise character this way:

This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure that uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor.

You are a youth ministry hero. You are on a journey. And you need the wisdom of a mentor.

In the youth ministry journey there are ups, downs, traps, pitfalls and frustrations. To have access to a ministry Yoda or the wisdom of a former youth pastor is critical to your success. You need a wise old soul in your life. You need someone who is ready with his or her wisdom, counsel and sound judgment. Youth ministry is an adventurous journey that you shouldn’t attempt to navigate on your own.

It has been said that “Mentoring is God’s way to lift another toward their full potential.” The Bible puts it this way, “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” (Proverbs 12:15)

You may be brand new, and your youth ministry adventure is just beginning. You may be facing some “enemies” that are trying to disrupt your path. You may be feeling lost and in need of guidance. Or you may feel like an unstoppable force who doesn’t need some old fart sharing stuff from the past that you don’t think is of any benefit to you and your future (you would be wrong, of course)!

Wherever you find yourself today, we hope you’ll consider the following: