Introduction

Welcome to the Northern Illinois Conference's Online Clergy Mentor Training Program.

The purpose of this program is to ensure that candidacy and clergy mentors serving in our conference are well-equipped for their vital calling to prepare the next generation of clergy for years of fruitful ministry. Additionally, it is a requirement of the Book of Discipline that all candidacy and clergy mentors undergo a training course before engaging in actual mentoring. The mentor's completion of this course fulfills that requirement.

Special words of thanks to everyone who made this training program a reality:

Rev. Beth Galbreath - Author of the course

Revs. Scott S. Himel and Heewon Kim - Course managers

Revs. Michelle Taylor-Sanders and Joe Johnson - Course editors

The Northern Illinois Conference's Board of Ordained Ministry - The original body to envision the creation of this course and recognize its need.

Many others on the NIC BOOM participated in piloting and reviewing this course. Many words of thanks to them for their service as well!

It is the prayer of everyone who created this course that its words, videos, and exercises will be a blessing to you, so that you may be a blessing to your mentee(s).

Who should take this course?

All current and new mentors serving within the Northern Illinois Conference are expected to take this course. Both new and current mentors are expected to complete this course within six months after having received a request to do so from either a DCoM or the BOOM.

This course was designed for all clergy serving in a mentoring role within the Northern Illinois Conference. This includes clergy who mentor Licensed Local Pastors (LLPs), Certified Lay Ministers (CLMs), Certified Candidates who are seeking commissioning, and Commissioned Clergy who are on the path toward ordination.

Due to the broad scope of mentors who will take this course, there may be content you the reader find non-relevant to the specific person(s) you are about to or are currently mentoring. Please bear in mind that you may mentor a wide range of individuals throughout your years serving as a mentor. It is consequently in your best interest to understand all levels of the mentoring process so that you are prepared to meet any mentoring requests submitted to you by your DCOM and/or DS.

How to use this online course

  1. Familiarize yourself with this homepage.
  2. Watch the 6-minute “Why Does Mentoring Matter?” introductory video found below this section.
  3. Proceed through all five modules (each requires approximately 45-60 min to complete).
    1. Read and reflect on the module's lesson.
    2. Watch the "side trip" video associated with the module. These provide reflections from real clergy mentors on a variety of applicable topics.
    3. Review the resources found at the conclusion of each module. If you don't find a particular resource helpful, then feel free to skip it. You can always come back to it in the future if you need it by re-accessing this site. You should also be sure to review the "general mentoring resources" found on this homepage.
  4. After you complete all five modules, be sure to complete the "Certification of Completion Form." This form is your honor-system verification stating that you completed the five modules and are familiar with the content of this course. Following your submission of this form, you will receive an automatically-generated email receipt to serve as documentation that you completed this course.

If any questions arise while taking this course, please see the "Questions" subheading near the bottom of this page and direct your question(s) to the appropriate person.

Introductory Video: “Why Does Mentoring Matter?”

https://vimeo.com/788017165/675e691c48

Modules

Module 1: What Mentoring Is and Is Not