Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 18:2 (Fall 2021)
Article: Implementing Biblical Principles For Mentoring Emerging Leaders
Author: Randal Lanthripe

JBTM 18:2 (Fall 2021) p. 219

Implementing Biblical Principles For Mentoring Emerging Leaders

Randal Lanthripe

Randal Lanthripe founded Church in the Valley, Ontario, California, where he has served as senior pastor for 35 years and which started five additional churches. He also serves as director of the 17:6 Network of churches and director of The Antioch Project, which partners with Northwest Baptist Seminary, Langley, British Columbia, using a competency-based approach to train people for vocational ministry.

Church in the Valley (CIV) was planted in August of 1987. It launched in Diamond Bar, California, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County. The vision for CIV has been to reach non-Christians with the gospel and then help the new Christians and members grow to maturity in Christ. If God would allow, the dream was also to mentor young men who would launch out to plant and pastor more churches.1 As time went by, the focus zeroed in on planting churches throughout the Los Angeles region. God has graciously allowed that to happen. At first, mentoring was more informal yet intentional as young leaders to mentor emerged in the congregation. Currently, most of the mentoring is accomplished through a formal training program.

A training program called The Antioch Project began in 2008 at Hope Church in Fort Worth, Texas, under the pastoral leadership of Harold Bullock. The program was created by Jessica Sturdevant. It is a five-year program designed to train men and women who sense a call to vocational ministry.2 Mentoring is a core component of the Antioch Project. In 2012, Church in the Valley in Southern California was offered the opportunity to participate in the project. The author of this article is now the director of this program. There are forty-four alumni of the program and fifty-two

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current students from five churches. There is one campus in Texas and one in Southern California.

Mentoring And Time Commitment

Often, coaching and mentoring are used interchangeably. However, there is a clear difference between the two. For example, baseball coaches play a very specific role in a player’s life. They aim to instruct their players in the fundamentals and strategy of baseball alone. The relationship does not expand to other areas of life. In contrast, mentors guide players in navigating the world beyond the ballpark: fame, finances, and wise relationships. A spiritual mentor aims to develop people across all areas of life. The New Testament qualifications for leadership focus on handling life in a godly way. Paul’s instruction to Timothy illustr...