Listening to another conversation, it has been interesting to overhear quite a diverse opinion of what was meant by mentoring. Mentoring, coaching, supervision, training and development were all used interchangeably to mean the same thing – what was meant by the individuals was vastly different. It will be interesting to see how the action points are noted 😉
supervision
Supervision Thoughts
The whole nature of management and supervision of youthworkers (or anyone for that matter) has been a constant source of frustration and tensions in the Christian world for some time. In regard to youth workers/ministres/pastors etc., we have raised the understanding in training which in turn has increased the expectation of the line manager by the worker. Often, those responsible, in church settings, are ill equipped to deal with problems and issues. Below are some pointers in dealing with problems;
Instead of reacting to the difficulty/problem, attempt to understand why there may be a problem. Just a subtle shift, but still important. As you understand the problem and define it more clearly, then there is a greater chance of dealing with the problem in a constructive way.
to do this, think through these questions:
a. What evidence is there that suggests a problem?
b. Where is the problem occurring?
c. How is the problem occurring?
d. When is the problem occurring?
e. With whom is the problem occurring? (Not; Whom is causing the problem at this stage?!)
f. Why is the problem occurring?
None of this is rocket science but it helps to be reminded once in a while