The Tools for Mentoring Story

As a Christ-follower and as a campus pastor alongside my husband Dick, I purposed to follow Jesus’ model of investing His Kingdom’s principles in a few people, who passed them on to others. The apostle Paul’s restatement of Jesus’ method became our guiding passage: And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)

But how? Maybe these thoughts have crossed your mind, too. I want to help my friends grow spiritually but I wonder if addressing whatever they want to talk about covers all they need to know. What am I missing that could trip them up later on in their race? When I plan a topic to study together, often they come with their own questions. I’m not always sure where to find what the Bible says about their questions, and going back to the subject later isn’t quite the same—the teachable moment is gone. Besides, I really don’t have much time to prepare.

These questions boiled down to four criteria that focused my search—and describe why Tools for Mentoring exists. I wanted a resource that established spiritual growth goals, had a flexible format suitable for teachable moments and individual needs, made Bible studies and passages quickly accessible, and equipped people with a tool to pass on what they’d learned. My search for such a resource was unsuccessful, so I created one.

The 19 modules evolved as I began compiling a list of topics people need to work through to develop trustworthy character, healthy relationships, and biblical priorities. I asked questions like: What has freed me from hindrances that encumbered my life? What has freed others to run life’s race well? Dick’s teachings, my files of sermon notes and articles, and Winkie Pratney’s Youth Aflame provided direction and abundant content.

After four years of writing and field testing in six campus ministries, Tools for Mentoring was published in 2000 as a six pound, 600 page, 19 section, three-ring binder. Shortly thereafter, we offered it as a CD-ROM. (Much easier to ship!) I spent another three years revising and expanding TFM with a professional editor and republished it as an e-book in 2014.

Much has changed in the world since 2014, especially on university campuses. The catalyst for an updated version came when missionaries to Belgium university students requested a French translation of the book. They found a French translator and the funding—a significant amount—for the project. I took the opportunity to update each module before I sent it to the translator. We published the 20th Anniversary Edition of TFM in 2022 in French and English on Kindle. Now, the book is available as printable PDFs here. For over two decades Tools for Mentoring has gained increasing momentum in Chi Alpha Campus Ministries throughout the U.S. and now is also poised to equip French-speaking believers anywhere on the globe.