What Is Marriage Mentoring?
It’s not professional counseling. It’s just one couple walking alongside another couple using topics from pursueGOD to strengthen a marriage.
Talking Points:
- Marriage mentoring allows couples in church to receive care – not from one overworked pastor, but from another couple who has walked in their shoes. Exodus 18:14,18
- PursueGOD marriage mentoring uses conversation starters to speak truth in love in the context of a growing relationship. Ephesians 4:15
- Marriage mentors are not professional counselors, but disciples who make disciples. Matthew 28:19-20
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What excites you about mentoring? What worries you?
- What can go wrong if conversations are not structured and directed?
- Why is it important to distinguish mentoring from professional counseling or therapy? How could failing to make this distinction derail a mentoring relationship?
- Read Galatians 6:1-2. Why is it important to help others who are struggling? How does marriage mentoring fulfill this command from Paul?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Marriage Mentor Leader Essentials
Want to be an effective marriage mentor? Learn these five essentials... and put them into practice!
Leader Essentials:
- Know the couple. Invest time and build rapport so you can establish trust for your future conversations.
- Know the Basics. Get to know our flagship Marriage Basics series to understand the three pillars of a healthy marriage: choose love, earn trust, and keep talking.
- Know the library. Dig into all of the conversation starters at pursueGOD.org, and be ready to use content from the family, faith, and life categories.
- Know your limits. Draw on boundary on your time (if necessary), and don’t forget that you’re not a professional counselor.
- Pray. Remember to depend on God for results, and be sure to pray as a couple for the other couple.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What are some questions you can ask the couple in the first meeting to get to know them? Make a list. (Hint: what would you want someone else to ask you?)
- List the three pillars of a healthy marriage. Which one do you think would be the hardest to talk about, and why?
- Take a look at the faith category online and identify three topics that might be great conversation starters for a couple who is investigating Christianity.
- What are some signs that it might be time to recommend a professional counselor for a couple? Make a list.
- Why is it important to pray together as a couple for the couple you are mentoring? What are the benefits?
- Next steps: talk through Marriage Basics if you haven’t already, and then cover additional training topics as needed.
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