Christian students have to consider more than financing and flexibility when choosing a college. They also need professors and course content that will strengthen their Christ-like character. Supportive relationships are critical to reinforcing Christian identity, increasing capacity, and stewarding God-sized callings. Students today need effective faculty mentors who invest in their personal development as much or more than their academic success.
What is Mentorship?
Mentorship is most commonly defined as a relationship where a more experienced person offers support and guidance to a less experienced person. When God graciously brought me to my knees in desperation for Jesus, I was ignorant to His way, His will, and His Word. Sandy, my mentor, met me at Panera Bread every Sunday after church for two hours for over two years. God used her faithfulness and dedication to show me the ugly facets of myself that were keeping me from living a full and abundant life in Christ. I am forever grateful for the gift of her time and discipleship.
More Than Instruction: The Role of Effective Faculty Mentorship
Mentorship is a time-tested game changer in life, in leadership, and in faith; but what about mentorship in academia? What do healthy student/instructor mentoring relationships look like? How can Christian educators embrace effective mentoring roles?
As a vocational Christian counselor, I admit I have an advantage. I take a vested interest in students’ lives because I am drawn to hearing people’s stories. I enjoy getting to know the person behind the name on a roster and the testimonies behind the assignments they complete.
I believe Christian mentoring in higher education should strategically integrate faith, discipleship, and learning. Rather than meeting weekly for hours over several years as my mentor afforded me, I meet with students less frequently but with more structure. Rather than fostering lengthy self-reflective conversations, my meetings with students tend to be more compact and topic-specific.
Call it the counselor in me, but I believe a well-planned five-minute conversation can shape a student more than an hour of course lecture. The classroom (online or in person) remains one of the most consistent points of contact students have. Effective faculty mentors are those who are thoughtful to use these opportunities well.
Relational Pedagogy
Mentoring is about building relationships, not just imparting knowledge. The relationship between a student and instructor may seem one-directional, but I have found the strongest mentoring presence occurs in bi-directional environments.
Collaborative mentoring relationships don’t diminish my role as an instructor. Though it may sound antithetical to humility, I have an assumed authority that I can never ignore. If I dismiss the positional influence or responsibility that the role of ‘teacher’ carries, I not only dishonor God but I could become insensitive to how my words and actions impact others.
However, I believe relational engagement increases self-efficacy and academic success for students. It increases the likelihood that knowledge taught becomes knowledge gained. Most importantly, relational engagement reflects the mentoring style of Jesus. Relationships were the vehicle Jesus used to impact the world, and relationships remain the most effective demonstration of the Christian faith two-thousand years later.
In my role as teacher, advisor, and mentor I can easily make mistakes. I do not shy away from admitting them, apologizing for them, and asking for abundant grace. This helps students to feel safe openly sharing when they make mistakes as well. When I’m teaching students, I share stories from my life, and I freely discuss my spiritual journey as I ask them to share theirs. Other ways I’ve learned to cultivate relational engagement are:
- Clarifying Expectations. Just as all students are not the same, all professors are not the same. We each have areas of grading that we are passionate about, and others we are less bothered by. I take great pains to provide clarity regarding assignment expectations to set students up for success.
- Availability. I aim to be available via phone, text, email, or smoke signal (location depending of course) and be responsive to student needs. I offer Zoom Conferences for most if not all Discussion Board assignments where Socratic discussion fosters relational depth.
- Prayer. I pray with and for every student by name at least weekly.
What Makes Mentorship Last?
Not all faculty mentoring relationships endure beyond graduation or even a semester. Longevity in mentoring is fostered through relational equity. Students in biblical higher education may not move on to work in traditional vocational ministry roles. Yet, they should be able to look back on their college years fondly, remembering the vocational ministry and discipleship they received. That is the kind of mentorship that lasts beyond the classroom.
Dr. Rebecca Dykes, Manna University Teacher, Mentor, Discipler