Our church, Northeast Christian Church, was introduced to Radical Mentoring in 2019. What began as a church mentoring program with three groups and 18 men quickly became something much deeper.

 I still vividly remember our commissioning service at the end of that first nine-month journey. We invited our Senior Pastor, Tyler McKenzie, to speak. The atmosphere in the room was filled with a sense of accomplishment. 

It felt like we had reached the finish line. We had read the books, completed the homework, memorized Scripture, and walked through the journey together.

Then Tyler said something that completely shifted the room.

He told us, “You have studied Scripture, read books, memorized Scripture, done the work, and shared life together in community. This should be normal. This is what every Christian should be doing every day.”

The mood changed because he was right. That moment helped us realize this wasn’t the finish line, it was just the beginning. It challenged us to see mentoring not as a program, but as a standard for discipleship across our church. 

That realization launched our church into a deeper mentoring journey intentionally investing in people and equipping them to lead. Our tagline became clear:  Discipled to Make Disciples.

The long-term impact of a church mentoring program

Over the past six years, it has been an incredible journey filled with countless stories of life change. We truly love mentoring because of the impact it has had on our church. In six years, we have taken 450 people through mentoring, which represents 20% of our adult congregation.

Our worship department set a goal for 90% of their volunteers to go through mentoring. I love that our worship leader, Corbin Marshall, isn’t just focused on building talented teams but on shaping the hearts of leaders who step onto the stage.

One of the biggest reasons mentoring has been so successful at our church is because of the incredible mentors who have embraced the vision. They understand this is not a small group, Bible study, or book club. It is an intentional and challenging leadership development journey. 

Our goal is to develop disciples who are excited to serve. Serving isn’t optional — it’s part of who we are. God has uniquely wired each person with gifts and abilities to lead, and our mentors help mentees discover how they are called to serve.

Every participant creates a Ministry Plan, which answers two simple but powerful questions:

1. Where do I plan to lead and serve?
2. What are my next steps?

While the document itself is simple, developing it often takes months of prayer, reflection, and discernment.

At the final meeting, each participant shares their Ministry Plan with their group. We do this for two important reasons: accountability and encouragement. One of the outcomes we have seen is how excited people become when they hear others share their calling. Often, they feel inspired to join and serve alongside one another.

I am so thankful for our Radical Mentoring Guide and the whole Radical Mentoring team. Because of mentoring, we have seen people step into ministry, launch new initiatives, and serve their communities in meaningful ways.

If your church is not currently using mentoring as a discipleship pathway, I would strongly encourage you to consider it. It has truly been a game changer for us.