It all started while we were out of town visiting a church in California. A friend and pastor’s wife shared with me that she had begun mentoring a group of women in her church. I love hearing ideas for women’s ministry so naturally, I couldn’t wait to hear all the details! She began to tell me about the program and how God was using it in her life and in the lives of the women in her group! She shared with me the commitment level, the requirements, and that this method was referred to as “radical mentoring!” I was immediately on board and ready to begin my own groups when I got home!
I launched my first two groups in January of 2020, not knowing what would soon happen. I first invited a group of friends to join me and let me be their “mentor” to begin the process and test out the program for our church. Each woman in this group was a dear personal friend, and they graciously agreed to be a part of it! The second group that I chose was a group of young women in their 30’s. One of the women had been asking me to mentor her, and I decided that a group approach would be best. For this group, I enlisted six women all around the same age and life stage. They were each married and had small children. We met once a month for a year, and I wrote a lesson each month from my heart – impactful spiritual lessons that God had taught me over the years. This is how we developed our Flourish Biblical Mentoring curriculum.
A years’ worth of time was invested into each group of women: We met once a month, for three hours, and read the assigned book each month. Reading a book a month is truly a challenge, but the accountability of the group spurs each woman on! Some examples of the books we read are: The Power of a Praying Woman, by Stormie Omartian; Get Out of Your Head, by Jennie Allen; None Like Him, by Jen Wilkin. We also had a notebook with session to complete and discuss each month, along with a memory verse. The requirements were high, and the time investment was substantial, but God was working. After those initial groups, I mentored two additional groups of women. Each of the groups turned out to be an absolute joy and we saw God do amazing things in each woman’s life. The times of prayer that we had together were some of the most life changing aspects of our mentoring sessions. God knitted our hearts together and he changed each of us from the inside out! Each group was unique and special, and I truly loved pouring into each of those women.
Through this experience, God taught me that women need other women. Like Ruth needed Naomi. Like Mary needed Elizabeth. God can use other women in our lives to sharpen and encourage us, so that we can walk in victory and live out our God-given purpose. Mentoring allows women to lean into the wisdom, biblical knowledge, and life experience of a godly older woman for a season. This is a journey of spiritual growth, learning how to renew your mind, and aligning your thinking with God’s truth. Mentors will provide Mentees with a “seat at the table” to grow and flourish like never before.
In 2025, we opened our mentoring program for the women of our church. Until this time, I hand selected women to be in my groups. However, the current process requires them to apply, and our team will prayerfully match them to a caring, godly mentor. The mentoring groups consist of three to five mentees, with one mentor. This has been transformational for the women of our church, and I truly cannot praise God enough for all He has done through this program.
This is not just mentoring – it’s Biblical mentoring with God’s Word at the center of all we do. It’s our goal to provide women a seat at the table for genuine community, positive accountability, and an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth like never before. Through these groups, women of all ages can journey together through intentional relationships, focused on God’s Word. It’s a beautiful thing to see mentees ranging from age 20 to age 70 participate in our program. We begin with a Launch Party in January, and end in October with a celebration night! We then open up the applications for the following year and train our Mentors in November.
One of my greatest passions is to see women flourish in their relationship with God and their relationships with others. Our theme verse for our women’s ministry is Psalm 92:13, “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Investing in other women is eternal work that can change the course of a woman’s life, for the rest of her life! It’s one of the many ways that we follow Jesus’ command to “Go and make disciples!” Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
We just wrapped up this year’s mentoring program and it was a joy to hear feedback from our mentors and mentees. Here’s what some of our Mentees shared this year:
- “The mentor program at Mid-Way was truly life changing for me…I realized that you can have meaningful relationships with other godly women and lean on them for encouragement and strength. The Lord allowed me to walk through the mentor program during one of the darkest seasons of my life and the lessons I learned, along with the prayer, encouragement and care from my group were invaluable.”
- “This mentor program checked all the boxes and more. Everyone should take this program. I honestly believe that we cannot do life without community, and this is exactly what this mentor program did for me!”
- “I have really learned to focus on my thoughts and captivate them under the authority of Christ…this has been so beneficial!”
- “This mentorship healed so much in my heart… I know that I have a great purpose in the Kingdom that nothing on earth can thwart… I’m so thankful for this opportunity to grow deeper roots in my faith so I’m not shaken by the storms of this life. God is faithful. I refuse to give the enemy a seat at my table anymore.”
As we are obedient to make disciples, gathered around our kitchen tables, God changes women for His glory! And that’s no surprise. Matthew 18:20 tells us, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” We cannot help but to be changed in the presence of God. And 2 Corinthians 3:17 reminds us “...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Only God can bring true freedom to the women in our churches.
God has been so kind to us and allow us to mentor many women in 2025 and 2026! I am looking forward to what He will do in 2027 with an expectant heart trusting that He will do exceedingly more than we can ask, hope or think, according to His power (Ephesians 3:20)! Our reward is witnessing women’s lives changed and impacted by the hope of Jesus Christ for the glory of God!
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