A discipleship culture grows through intentional relationships. Radical Mentoring helps churches build that culture through whole-life mentoring.

In my journey becoming a new mom, I’ve been looking for groups of moms and activities I can bring my baby to. I’m happy to say that I’ve found several opportunities to connect and not feel lonely in this new season of life.

In the midst of the beauty and challenge of having a baby, I’ve found people who make me feel seen, understood, and like I belong. And then I realized that’s something we all want as humans. We want to belong to something.

At Radical Mentoring, we often talk about B3: Be Truthful, Be Known, Belong. It starts with being truthful and sharing our unvarnished stories. When we allow others to really know us, we create the kind of relationships where true belonging can grow.

That’s one of the reasons people sign up to become mentees at churches that run Radical Mentoring. Yes, they want to be guided and grow in their faith, but they also want to belong.

And belonging creates an opportunity for discipleship.

More than gathering once a month

Throughout a Radical Mentoring season, mentees gather once a month, read books, complete assignments, spend time with their growth partners, and have honest conversations about their lives and faith.

But the process is about much more than completing those things.

At its core, Radical Mentoring is relational. Mentees are invited to be known by others, to ask hard questions, to become vulnerable, and to walk alongside people who are intentionally pursuing Jesus with them.

That kind of relationship reflects the way Jesus discipled people. He shared life with His disciples. He taught them, challenged them, asked questions, and prepared them for what would come next.

Over the course of a mentoring season, mentees aren’t simply learning more. They are practicing a way of living in community with others. And when those relationships begin influencing how people live beyond their mentoring group, a discipleship culture begins to take root.

From belonging to investing in others

As the process comes to its final month, mentees participate in a commencement retreat where they spend time thinking about their gifts, calling, and how God might use them to serve others inside or outside the church.

The focus begins to shift from what they have received to what they can now give.

Some may eventually become mentors themselves. Others may step into leadership or find new ways to serve their church. They may become more intentional about discipling their children, investing in friendships, or walking alongside someone who needs encouragement and guidance.

This is where a mentoring group can begin shaping the discipleship culture of an entire church.

When people experience what it feels like to be known, challenged, encouraged, and intentionally invested in, they learn how to offer those same things to others.

And as more people begin living that way, discipleship doesn’t remain something that happens within a program or once-a-month meeting. It becomes part of how people relate to one another throughout the church.

Radical Mentoring provides a process and a place to begin, but the goal has always been bigger than mentoring.

People may come looking for a place to belong. Through mentoring, they can discover that they also have the opportunity to create that kind of belonging, growth, and discipleship for someone else.