Mentoring Testimonials
"I appreciated the process of
having mentors as a source of support for continual growth."
~ Cleide Cooper
"Thanks for you input on all of this, despite the
overwhelming way this all looked this summer at the start of TM 500, I am now
LOVING the Mentor Program!!!! Thanks."
~ Tracey Bianchi
"This semester my [learning] contract was particularly helpful. It became more of a lens through which I
began to view all of my life rather than a task to incorporate throughout my
week."
~ Julie
Olson
“The mentoring process thus didn’t officially end when I had
taken the necessary ‘training and mentoring’ courses required by Denver
Seminary. Through the learning contracts
initially forced me to embark on a mentoring relationship, this mandate became
the cornerstone of my education, and the catalyst for my project. Without mentoring’s role in my education and
specifically in this project, I have no doubt that I would have quit seminary. Imagine how grateful I am for the training
and mentoring program here at Denver Seminary!”
~ Drew Moser
"One of the distinctives of our mentoring program is the high
degree of intentionality and focus. This
has the rather counter-intuitive effect of illuminating and even creating
growth in collateral areas that were not in view initially. Without this degree of focus (provided by the
learning contract process) mentoring can tend to be rather haphazard in its
results."
~ Don Payne
"One of our students recently wrote a learning contract on
dealing with pride in his life. He is a
very bright, articulate young man who felt convicted about his self-serving,
condescending toward others. His
learning contract incorporated some well-designed strategies to help him
reflect on the Biblical statements about pride and humility, then look for ways
to serve others throughout the contract.
In the process of fulfilling the contract his wife experienced severe
health problems and for several weeks he had to do almost everything for her,
forcing him into a role of humble servanthood unlike anything he had
anticipated. He later recounted that the
interactions with his mentor, the support from other students in his spiritual
formation group, and the Holy Sprit’s work through the focus of the learning
contract changed him beyond what he could have imagined. After a subsequent semester in which God did
equally radical work in his life, he reports of his mentor, 'His timely
questions and graceful expressions of love have helped guide me through a tough
semester. He was willing to ask the
tough questions. He was willing to push
me deeper when I wanted to stay in a comfortable place. At my lowest moments, he encouraged me to
look beyond my misery and see God, and he rejoiced with me when miracles
overflowed in my relationships.'"
~ Don Payne
"Another student wrote a learning contract on developing
compassion in his life. He tends to be a
highly pragmatic, no-nonsense individual who realized that as a future pastor,
he would need to have greater concern for individuals and their needs. His learning contract strategies included a
variety of specific compassionate activities that he would not otherwise have
engaged, including studying the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' visiting a
nursing home, sponsoring a child with World Vision, etc. At the end of the semester he reported, 'In
the beginning I was simply completing strategies and satisfying the
requirements without much thought.
However, by the third week the Lord started working in my heart. With the focus of compassion always on my
mind along with the discipline of being more aware of people’s needs, I started
to feel an urge to change my ways and to start going out of my way and comfort
zone to minister to the needy. At home
my family noticed a change in me as I grew in compassion.' He goes on to list several concrete
examples. He also reflects on two
'unexpected surprises.' One was that 'I
feel like the Grinch whose heart grew three sizes bigger.' The other was that 'while focusing on the
needs of my neighbor, God has expanded my scope and has given me also a true
heart for missions…It has changed my life to the point that I have become open
to any missions opportunity that God may call me to whether it is in the inner
city or across the ocean. This has never
been an option for my family, but it is today!'"
~ Don Payne
"It was Don [Payne] who
oversaw the mentoring program, and I cannot tell you what a profound impact that
had on me as a student. That was truly
the very best part of my entire seminary education. I learned and grew so much through those
customized learning contracts, and I know my ministry will be forever impacted
because of the mentoring program. I cannot
praise enough – a wonderful cornerstone for my seminary education."
~ Beth S. Whittier
"My time as a mentor at Denver Seminary has been a joy and a
privilege, and very humbling. These
young women have so much to offer in their service to our Lord. They have challenged me in my own faith
walk. My prayer is that they have some
how benefited from their time with me."
~ Pam Herbert
