CLM Mentor

¶ 205.4 "The lay person is accountable to the district superintendent or another ordained or licensed minister appointed to the charge, who will make provision for sacramental ministry and provide guidance and mentoring to the lay person assigned."

• Responsible for pastoral charge in which CLM serves
• Equip for ministry — Participates in training and/or development of CLM or other assigned e.g. lay missioner
• Provides sacramental authority and ensures provision of sacrament for the congregation
• Relational partnering and collaboration with CLM

In Covenantal Relationship the CLM Mentor:

• Needs skills to build relationship
• Participates in forming the covenant for ministry within the congregation with CLM and mutual ministry team.
• Collaborative relationship with D.S. for mission and ministry through the CLM and mutual ministry team

Roles of Mentor for CLM

• Facilitator — for shared praxis/team ministry (indigenous, situational ministry in partnership with clergy)
• Equipper — mentors to help ensure that CLM can function in their responsibility
• Apprenticeship — helps to develop and shape CLM for mission and ministry in a formative relational process

Duties of CLM Mentor

• Document meeting — more than a cup of coffee
• Resource for problem solving
• Check in with Mutual Ministry Team and congregation
• Respect the call of the CLM as a lay person (not on track for ordination)

Mentoring of CLM

• Depends on relationship and covenant formation
• Covenant helps define the role of the "overseeing clergy" mentor
• Includes mentoring and shared responsibility for ministry

The clergy member of the Mutual Ministry Team will be selected by the district superintendent and be assigned to the ministry team. This person may be an ordained elder or a licensed local pastor. While the role of the clergy member of the team will vary from setting to setting, there are a few responsibilities that will be consistent from place to place:

1. Sacramental authority and responsibility for the sacramental life of the community.
2. Mentoring the Certified Lay Minister by providing guidance and support as the CLM develops the knowledge and skills for pastoral ministry
3. Participation in a team ministry in which the CLM will be seen as the primary pastoral care giver to a community of faith
4. Providing additional ministerial service as defined through a covenant for ministry developed by the Mutual Ministry Team.

The work of the clergy member begins with the gathering of the Mutual Ministry Team for the purpose of:

1. Understanding the nature of ministry in The United Methodist Church
2. Identifying the need for ministry in a faith community and the gifts that God has given for meeting those needs, and
3. Developing a covenant for ministry that will respond to the ministry needs of a specific setting

The experience the clergy member brings to these tasks will add depth to the understanding of the team and contribute to the analysis of need. The work of the clergy member of the team is critical to the development of a covenant for ministry and to the effectiveness of pastoral service that follows.

If participation in the process of building a covenant for ministry is the first task, this is followed by carrying out a carefully defined role in providing sacraments, mentoring the CLM, and assuming other roles and responsibilities as needed. While serving as a CLM mentor, the clergy member is expected to exercise wisdom in helping create a safe place for reflection and growth. CLM mentors should have the maturity of faith and the skills for helping shape a relationship in which reflection about call and the development of knowledge and skills for the fulfillment of vocation can take place.

Trust is one of the fundamental building blocks of a successful mentoring relationship.  A key factor in its development is a shared understanding of the degree to which communication between the mentor and the CLM is considered confidential, both by the individuals themselves and by the structures of the annual conference. Both the CLM and the mentor should be aware of the stated expectations and standards of the conference in regard to communication between the CLM and the mentor.

Mentoring is a supportive relationship in which the clergy member of the Mutual Ministry Team guides the CLM in theological reflection. Any everyday event can become the basis for conversation about "who I am, my roles, and my words and actions." The mentoring process is very different from relationships in which events become the agenda for judging clergy or for seeking solutions to problems. While the Mutual Ministry Team and the clergy member assigned to the team may at times do problem solving, the primary role of the mentor is to help the CLM reflect about his or her authority, call, and the various roles the ministerial vocation requires.

When the clergy member of the team and the CLM meet in a mentoring relationship, they are sharing in sacred time. These sessions should be planned carefully and approached prayerfully. Remember that, in addition to the usual greetings and conversation, the purpose of the session is to engage in theological reflection upon a specific topic. The mentor is not the judge and jury. Instead, the mentor invites the CLM to engage in a "holy conference" on a topic, theme, or issue.

At times issues raised by the CLM will guide the conversation. At other times the mentor may suggest the discussion of important issues. In either case it is important to explore a variety of dimensions of the issue. There are usually more issues than there is time to discuss; therefore, defining at the beginning of the time together the major issue to be discussed will help keep the conversation on track.

Both the mentor and the CLM should keep in mind that the primary focus of the meeting is their roles, authority, and relationships in meeting the pastoral needs of the faith community in which they are serving. This is neither a therapy session nor a nuts and bolts, problem-solving session. The mentor is neither exploring the psychological dynamics of the persons involved nor giving "expert" advice about how to fix a problem. Instead, the mentor assists the CLM in clarifying issues and options, helping the CLM to think about what it means to be in pastoral ministry. The discussion is not complete until there is theological reflection.

Suggested Topics

• Ministry event
• Life event
• Shared experience

Ministry Event

A ministry event might be a conversation, phone call, meeting, worship service, or experience in prayer. Any part of an event — past or anticipated — in the life of the CLM may provide the basis for theological reflection. A ministry event can be shared in a variety of ways, including stream of consciousness, verbatim, or role playing. The purpose is to discover information that will help both persons to understand what happened in the ministry event. Questions such as the following may help to elicit the information:

• As CLM, what are the issues you see for yourself in this ministry event?
• As mentor, what are the issues you see for the CLM?

Life Event

A life event is a personal experience outside of the CLM ministry role, i.e., family issue, health concern, etc.

Shared Experience

This may include times of joint participation in a variety of settings, i.e., a retreat, continuing education event, book study, movie, etc.

REFLECTION PROCESS

Step One:

• Describe an event (ministry, life, or shared experience) that you want to share with your mentor in order to gain deeper theological understanding, insight, and wisdom.
• Write or type your description on the left-hand side of the sheet(s) of paper, allowing space for your mentor to respond with comments. You may choose one of two approaches:
  • narrative, free-flowing "stream-of-consciousness" style
  • "verbatim" style

Step Two:

The mentor and the CLM will reflect on the event using one of the following models: 

 Model 1:

The reflective questions in this model are based on events and relationships in Jesus’ ministry. These questions should serve as aids in the reflection process and should not be used as a way to "test" the CLM. (This model was prepared by the Rev. Sylvia Russell of the Ministry Preparation Resource Team, and is used by permission.)

Loving Others based on the Model of Jesus

• What are the needs, as you understand them, of each person and/or group in the situation?
• How well did you listen to what was being communicated both verbally and nonverbally?
• In what way(s) did your response in the event reflect the way Jesus loved others?
• In light of the way Jesus loved others, are there other ways in which you might have responded in love to the others in this event?
• What did you learn about yourself and about loving others from this event?

Loving Self based on the Model of Jesus

• Describe the emotions you experienced during this event.
• Did your response to this event relate to a predominant theme in your life?
• What need in your life were you hoping this event would meet? Was this need met?
• How did you take care of yourself through this event?
• What did you learn about loving yourself from this event?

Love based on the Model of Jesus, in the Context of this Situation

• What part did culture, gender, race, sexuality, and economics play in this event?
• How were the dynamics of power and authority expressed in this event?
• Were money issues involved in the event? If so, name them.
• Name justice issues that were important in this event.
• What did you learn about yourself and about love in the context of this situation?

Reflections to Share During the Mentoring Time

• In what way(s) did you act out Jesus' love towards one another during this time together?
• Share affirmations and statements of gratitude.
• Complete the statement: "Today I learned ________________."
• Complete the statements: "I feel ______________________. I still need you to _____________________________."
• In what ways did the persons involved make use of scripture, tradition, experience, and reason?
• How did this experience relate to your call, vocation, spiritual discipline, and authority?

Model 2:

The format and content of the four perspectives below are taken from material developed by the Intern Program of Perkins School of Theology, and are use by permission. Reflect on your event using the perspectives listed below in the order in which they appear. These questions are intended to serve as aids in the reflection process and should not be used as a way to "test" the CLM.

Pastoral Questions for Reflection

• How well did you identify and respond to the needs of the person(s) involved in the event?
• Were you able to listen and hear what they were saying to you both verbally and nonverbally?
• In what ways were you helpful?
• Can you explain why you did what you did?
• What did you learn from the event about your own pastoral identity and authority?

Personal Questions for Reflection

• How and why was this event significant for your personally?
• How did you find yourself reacting on rational and emotional levels?
• Did you find the event boring? exciting? frustrating?
• What did you learn about yourself during the event?

Social Questions for Reflection

• How did your identity (culture, gender, race, ethnicity, class) affect this event?
• What cultural issues emerged during the event?
• What gender and/or racial-ethnic issues were involved?
• What class or economic issues were involved?
• What were the power dynamics in this event?
• How aware were you of the emerging social context of the event?
• What role did your own social location play in your behavior?
• What social institutions or agencies were implicated in this event?

Theological Questions for Reflection

• What faith issues were involved in the event, both for you and for the other persons(s)?
• In what ways did you witness to your understanding of the gospel in the event?
• What use did you make of scripture, the tradition of the church, your own experience and that of others in the Christian tradition, and your powers of reason?
• How was God revealed in this event, both for you and for the other person(s) involved?
• How does this ministry relate to your theological understanding of ministry as expressed in your learning covenant?
• In what ways is/was God's presence and activity evident in this event?

Step Three

The CLM provides the mentor with a copy of the reflection at least one week prior to their next meeting.

Step Four

The mentor reads the reflection and makes notes on the right-hand side of the paper.

Step Five

In the meeting, the mentor and CLM review the reflection together. Then, the CLM listens as the mentor responds. The CLM writes the mentor's comments on his or her copy.

Step Six

In ongoing dialogue, the mentor facilitates deeper reflection on the part of the CLM, focusing on the theological perspective.

Closing Sacred Time

Before ending the time together as CLM and mentor, share with each other how you have experienced the session. Quality time together includes:

• Affirming each other
• Acknowledging unfinished business,
• Confirming the schedule for the next meeting, and
• Praying for each other.

The Training of Certified Lay Ministers

One of the requirements for certification as a lay minister is the completion of courses relevant to the CLM assignment in the areas of preaching, exegesis, pastoral care, and other areas of pastoral ministry as recommended by the General Board of Discipleship and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. These courses, coupled with a covenant that includes the mentor in the educational process, provide a place where knowledge can be integrated into the practice of ministry, and the practice of ministry can be examined through the CLM relationship with the mentor.