TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
What does a Mentor do?
A Freedom Mentor supports those on their journey to freedom, restoration and wholeness through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As a Mentor, they will listen, guide, encourage & help disciple a person through life struggles using specific Bible-based keys to freedom as well as help the, move through key milestones.
One-to-one: Mentor meet privately with one Mentee of the same gender.
Volunteers: Mentors are trained and supervised volunteers, not professional counselors or therapists, pastors, or physicians. Mentors are not authorized to give legal, medical, financial, or any other advice, but Bible-based encouragement.
Christian: Mentors are Christians who care in the name of Christ. They are willing to talk about spiritual issues but won't force them.
Care: Mentors care by listening, supporting, encouraging, praying, being dependable and trustworthy and maintaining confidentiality in their caregiving.
Confidentiality
Mentors keep personal information confidential. Therefore, you can feel free to share with your Mentor without worrying that everyone else will know about it. There are rare occasions when a Mentor must share confidential information in order to save a life. Those occasions are suicide, homicide, or abuse.
Small Group Peer Supervision
Mentors meet twice a month in small groups to give and receive peer supervision, which is necessary to help them provide quality care and grow as mentors. In supervision, mentors talk about their caring relationships and their own feelings about caregiving. They may share small amounts of information about their mentee, but they never tell the Mentee’s name and they do not share information that would reveal the Mentee’s identity. Freedom Mentors may also receive individual supervision from a Freedom Leader or pastor, but the same rules apply.
Professional Consultation
On rare occasions a Mentor, in consultation with a Freedom Leader or pastor, may decide that the best way to care for a Mentee is to consult with a mental health professional. In such cases confidentiality is strictly maintained.
Referral to Professional
Some Mentees may end up needing professional care. In such a case, a Mentor or Freedom Leader will inform the Mentee and help him or her obtain the care he or she needs. That may mean the caring relationship with the Mentee will be interrupted or even have to end. When a Mentee needs professional care, the relationship with the Mentor may only continue after the care receiver has met with the professional and the professional has given permission for the Mentor relationship to continue.
Miscellaneous
When you are receiving ministry from a Freedom Mentor, it is important to honor the commitment you have made to meet with your Mentor, and to take an active role.
Freedom Mentoring works best when you and Mentor develop a good relationship based on mutual trust, honesty and respect. It is important to be on time to your weekly meetings and notify Mentor in advance if if you need to reschedule or are running behind. Mentor will do the same as well. If you experience any problems or difficulties relating to your Mentor, we encourage you to try to resolve these with him/her first. If no resolution is reached, contact Andrea Villegas-Shanahan, Ministry Leader for the Mentoring program at freedommentoringprogram@gmail.com
Lakewood Church cannot guarantee any results from Freedom mentoring. There may be some risks associated with receiving care. For example, you may discover things about yourself or experience memories that are uncomfortable. If you are discussing a traumatic event with your Mentor, sometimes the feelings get more intense. For the best outcome in the program, faithful attendance and trusting Christ through the entire process will be valuable.
You have the right to terminate this agreement and the services of your Mentor at any time. In that event, the Freedom Ministries staff at Lakewood is willing to help you locate alternative resources for help.