Churches across the UK are being offered bursaries to help them establish mentoring programmes aimed at supporting young people and others in their communities.
Christian charity Nicodemus has opened applications for subsidised places on its year-long Build Your Own Mentoring Programme (BYOMP), which provides churches with training and ongoing guidance to develop new mentoring initiatives or strengthen existing ones.
The programme is intended to help churches create mentoring structures that are safe, ethical and sustainable, including through youth ministries, community cafés and wider outreach activities.
Jonnie Welford, CEO of Nicodemus, said: “For vulnerable young people who have experienced abuse or the absence of caring adults, a safe and trusting relationship with a caring mentor can offer the opportunity to be seen, heard and valued in ways they may never have experienced before.
“This is relational discipleship at its most practical. Meaningful mentoring needs structured, well-supported programmes that equip mentors and provide the consistency young people need.
“I believe that when we invest in mentoring, we invest in life-changing relationships that can change the direction of a young person’s life.”
Each participating church or organisation appoints a Programme Manager who works with a Nicodemus trainer throughout the year.
Six one-to-one online consultations are provided every two months, covering areas including establishing the purpose and culture of a mentoring ministry, developing an approach suited to local needs, recruiting and supporting mentors, and planning for its longer-term development.
A maximum of five volunteers from each participating organisation can also undertake Nicodemus’ 12-hour online Foundational Specialist Mentoring Course at no additional cost.
The course focuses on the core skills involved in “safe, relational and faith-informed mentoring”, according to the Christian charity. Participants also receive two additional online workshops during the year.
Churches are provided with resources to help identify needs within their local communities and materials that can be used in mentoring sessions, as well as ongoing digital support.
Nicodemus said the aim is for participating organisations to finish the year with a mentoring framework that can continue operating independently beyond the programme.
Bursaries worth £1,040 are being made available, decreasing the amount participating churches and organisations pay to £25 a month for the year. Those able to meet the full cost can participate for £120 a month.
Although the initiative is mainly intended for churches and church leaders, applications are also being accepted from community organisations such as foodbanks, homelessness projects, youth projects and community cafés.
Nicodemus said its existing training is already being used by churches to strengthen relationships between youth leaders and the young people they support.
Mikky Baker, Youth Pastor and Minister in Training at Legacy Church Walsall, said the charity’s mentor training had helped youth leaders establish meaningful relationships with young people more quickly, enabling them to “get there much quicker”.
Church networks and denominational leaders are also being encouraged to share information about the bursaries with congregations and projects in their networks.
Nicodemus was founded in 2012 by Alastair and Debbie Welford following a visit to Latin America, where they came across young people struggling with a lack of support as they moved from residential children’s homes into adulthood.
The organisation has since developed into a mentoring and training charity working with churches and community groups in the UK and Latin America, with a focus on addressing disadvantage through relationship-based, faith-informed mentoring.
