This post is an excerpt from SEND Canada's 2021 Annual Report. To read more, click here!
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My wife and I have served with SEND for over 35 years, first in the Philippines, then in Russia, and now since 2009, in Ukraine. I currently serve as the head of SEND U, the training department for our missionaries. I turned 60 this past year and am now the oldest member of our International Leadership Team (ILT). But over half of the ILT are also baby boomers, born before 1965. In the next few years, we will need to pass the baton of leadership to the next generation.
As we considered this reality, we realized that those of us in senior leadership need to give extra attention to mentoring potential future leaders. We want to support and encourage them individually in their growth in character and in their development of leadership skills. So, in 2021, SEND U launched a leadership mentoring program that began with inviting senior SEND leaders to be trained in mentoring. Fifteen senior leaders completed the training led by me and Marvin Brubacher of MentorLink Canada.
At the same time, we identified many younger SEND members who we thought might be interested in being mentored in such a program. Some of them are already in a leadership role and others not yet. We were encouraged by the enthusiastic response of those invited to participate in the mentorship program. Some even submitted their application within just a few hours of receiving the email!
Just before Christmas 2021, I started the prayerful process of matching our mentees with our newly trained mentors. I am thankful to report that fourteen younger leaders have now been partnered with one of our senior leaders. We pray that this mentorship program and the relationships formed will strengthen the faith, character, and wisdom of mentees. Further, we hope that these younger members will be more prepared and willing to accept major leadership roles at SEND in the next five years. The plan is that these mentoring relationships will continue for a 2-year period, meeting monthly and working toward mutually agreed upon growth goals. In 2022, we plan to expand the mentoring training to others in SEND.
