Form a Circle

To form a Mentoring Circle in your area:

  1. Mentoring Circles usually form when one person chooses to be the point person in putting a group together in his/her area. More about Point Person >>

    2. Duties of a Point Person:
    • Recruit a group of potential participants – not less than 10 or more than 14
    • Gather application forms from potential group members.
    • Submit the list of potential recruits to the person who has been invited to Mentor the group.
    • Schedule an organizational meeting in collaboration with the Mentor.
    • Be the ongoing contact person throughout the year the mentoring circle meets.
    • Collect the fees at each meeting and get them to the Mentor.
    Hide this content.
  2. A Mentoring Circle ideally consists of not less than 10 or more than 14 persons.
    • The members should share a fair amount of affinity – though allow for diversity.
    • Some circles include a blending of elders and full time staff ministers.
    • Other circles are either all elders or all staff ministers.
    • Still other circles are Christian leaders (or aspiring leaders) who are from the ‘market place’, not necessarily ‘church’ leaders.
    • Some circles are interdenominational; others are within one fellowship.
    • Ideally, circle members should live within less than a 2 hour driving time from each other.
    • Circles ordinarily meet approximately one full day per month across one year, with a minimum of 9 meetings and a maximum of 12 meetings.
  3. Each participant contributes financially to the designated Mentor.
    More about Financial Contribution >>

    Financial Contribution to Mentor:
    The rate is figured per meeting, per person, and the rate is to be determined with Mentor. Since a good portion of the fee covers the Mentor’s travel expenses, participants are expected to contribute every meeting – even if absent. The Point Person is the collector of these funds at each meeting. Hide this content.
  4. Once the application forms are in, the point person arranges an organizational meeting for the Mentor to meet with the candidates. This meeting does usually not count as one of the 9-12 mentoring sessions. Agenda for meeting >>
    5. Agenda for organizational meeting:
    • The Mentor describes the process in depth
    • The mentoring circle covenants together on group expectations.
    • Calendar is set for at least the first six months of the covenant year.
    • Note: For the organizational meeting only the participants chip in to pay only the travel expenses of the Mentor, not the full rate.
    Hide this content.
  5. Since Mentoring Partners are able to work effectively with a limited number of mentoring circles each year, circles are accepted on a first come first serve basis. When the year’s calendar is full. Any applying groups left over will be first on the list for the following year.

Please contact us directly for further questions at office@mentornetwork.org