A Constellation of Mentors

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. - Acts 12:13

The Gospel of Mark is attributed to the young man named in this verse, often called John Mark. His mother was a leader in the early church and no doubt had a huge influence on him. Later we see that the apostles Paul and Barnabas both saw great promise in Mark and chose him to be on their ministry team (Acts 12). Paul later wasn’t so sure about that idea, and he and Barnabas parted ways because Barnabas remained committed to investing in Mark (Acts 15). By the end of Paul’s life, Paul came around to Barnabas’s perspective, demonstrating that he’d stepped back into Mark’s life again (2 Tim 4).

Finally, Christian tradition says that Mark spent a lot of time with the early church leader Peter and that the Gospel of Mark is largely Peter’s story about Jesus.

This one young leader in the church was actively invested in, or you could say mentored by, four key early church leaders. And as you read the New Testament, you realize that each of those leaders had different gifts and experiences and different ways of mentoring.

Around City Church we talk about this as having a constellation of mentors. One will not be enough, even though during certain seasons one may well stand out as most significant. HERE is a two page PDF summarizing what it looks like to have a constellation of mentors and what some of the different types of mentors might do.

Who have been your mentors? Do you feel like you have enough mentors right now? Is there a particular mentor to give thanks for? Is there a particular area where you need a mentor?