Young men are being seriously blitzed right now. According to the Stanford Review, they are “three times more likely to overdose, four times more likely to commit suicide, and a staggering 14 times more likely to be incarcerated than their female peers.” They’ve been ignored, isolated in social media and inundated with lies about what it means to be a man.
But every generation must find their way, and none of them do it without mentors guiding young men to manhood, helping them find their identity in Christ and experience the security and joy it brings.
Mentorship in Faith
No one figured out how to be a true man on their own. Jesus mentored his disciples. First, He did it and they watched. Then, He told them to follow His example while He watched. Finally, they did it with His guiding spirit, and others watched them. Soon, the Way of Jesus spread all over the world.
Try taking the same approach to mentoring young men. First, you must make sure you are following Jesus’ example and relying on God for everything as best you can. Show them what that means in your daily life. Be real. Tell them about the highs and the lows.
Like any good teacher, you make it real for them. Ask them to pray for someone or invite them to volunteer with you, always listening for God’s instructions on how to best lead them. Then, as their faith grows stronger, encourage them to hear the call that God has put on their life—a specific mission that they can take responsibility for and use their gifts to accomplish it. By doing so, they will become an example to others on guiding young men.
It will never be a clean three steps and you’re done. They will falter. You will falter. But this continual process of modeling, doing and empowering is Jesus’ way of transforming us to be more like Him.
Teaching Young Men Biblical Values
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of voices from all sides telling young men a lot of destructive things right now. Even if they are not listening to them directly, these influences seep into the culture and sway young men without them even realizing it.
That’s why it’s so important that their beliefs are firmly rooted in the Word. You should be encouraging young men to read the Bible every day—and not just to check a box and not so they feel good about being spiritual. These traps are easy to fall into, even as you grow up!
Tell them to really meditate over the Word and let God lead them to what He wants to tell them. At the same time, show them the importance of studying the Word like a serious researcher, using commentary and guides to understand the historical and spiritual context that sets every single word blazing with meaning on guiding young men.
This is the personal aspect of their relationship with God. You can’t do it for them. But you can also be vigilant and speak up when their words or actions do not reflect Biblical values.
Encouraging Spiritual Growth in Youth
The most important part of catalyzing spiritual growth in a young person is making sure that spark is set in the first place. Even though I grew up in a Christian household, when I truly decided to live for God did not come until the end of college. You can show them the life-giving benefits of your own decision to do that, but they cannot grow spiritually until they make that decision for themselves.
Sometimes, there’s a blockage in the way. It could be a selfish, ego desire or it could be a false idea of who God is. If you think it’s the latter, you could invite them to clear away previous conceptions and let God show you who He really is.
After the spark has caught, you can nurture it by continually encouraging and reminding them to receive from God. It might sound like a passive action, but it’s not. It’s about being intentional and sticking to a daily practice of spending time with God.
Then, you can sustain this flame of spiritual growth by making sure they have all the support they need to continue. You can set up a weekly time to ask them how their faith journey is going and share your own relatable experiences with them. Hearing from someone who has gone before you is key to overcoming obstacles. But you should also encourage them to find peers who are going through it at the same time to set up a men’s group about guiding young men. This deep friendship is necessary for a life of continual spiritual growth.
If you would like to share a game plan for setting up this kind of men’s group to foster these friendships, download the Playbook for Level 5 Friendship and send it to them today.
