BCA Mentoring

Proverbs 27:17 teaches us that iron sharpens iron, but it stands to reason that it won’t happen by accident. Knives don’t generally come in contact with each other without an outside force intervening. It’s an intentional process.

It’s been pointed out that when a knife becomes blunt, it doesn’t cease to be a knife. It’s simply become ineffective, not fully serving the purpose for which it was created. That all too often can describe us as communicators. We don’t cease to hold that title, but we can become dull and unproductive in our work.

The rest of that proverb reveals an effective, biblical way for iron to sharpen iron, and that is for one person to sharpen another. Mentoring, especially within an organization like BCA, allows us to do just that.

Most of us can point to someone, often a colleague, supervisor or older friend, who has served as a mentor in our lives, pouring their life into ours. But not every mentorship occurs within your specific workplace or even with someone who does the same type of work you do. We have much to learn from each other in BCA, across the lines of age, organizations and disciplines.

BCA’s mentoring ministry seeks to pair older, more seasoned communications veterans with younger communicators to create an atmosphere of encouragement, learning and sharpening. Each relationship will be same gender and will include people from two different organizations within BCA.

The mentoring relationship is always a two-way street. Both people in the relationship have something to give. Often, a person in the second half of his or her career gains new energy and renewed vigor by becoming a mentor. Likewise, a young professional can learn much from someone who has already walked ahead of them along the path.

A final thought about iron sharpening iron. Typically, a dull knife has lost its shine. The process of sharpening restores that luster, allowing us to shine more brightly and serve the Lord more effectively not only professionally, but in every area of our lives.

If you would like to participate in a mentoring relationship, either as a mentor or a mentee, please provide some basic information about yourself using the survey. A BCA officer will be in touch in the weeks ahead to discuss the possibilities!