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8E. Shared Ministry, Mentoring and Empowering 
Like the organs and limbs of a human body, different members in the Household of Faith work best in combination. Though each part is unique, they act together. Paul writes, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." 17Like a bicycle wheel, the Body of Christ in the Household of Faith is most effective when its spokes are attached to the Jesus hub, and to their Christian friends at the rim.
MANY MINISTRIES COMBINE TO MAKE THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH EFFECTIVE
No Stars
There are no "stars" in the Household of Faith. Paul Brand writes, "In our society, a janitor has little status because he is so replaceable. Thus, we pay the janitor less and tend to look down upon him. But the body's division of labour is not based on status; status is, in fact, immaterial to the task being performed. The body's janitors are indispensable."18
Twelve Disciples
Each of us should gather a group of committed Christians around us like Jesus did. Lewis Garnsworthy, when Bishop of Toronto, asked his clergy to follow our Lord's example and draw twelve lay people into leadership with them for mutual support and encouragement. Those in the Household of Faith need one another. Consider the simple act of flying a kite,
The Kite
"Who flies the kite?" "I," said the boy;
"it is my joy; I fly the kite."
"Who flies the kite?" "I," said the wind;
"it is my whim; I fly the kite."
"Who flies the kite?" "I," said the tail;
"I make it sail; I fly the kite."
"Who flies the kite?"
All are wrong; all are right; All fly the kite.
Questions for Discussion
1. Can you identify the twelve or so lay people who mutually support and encourage your clergy?
2. Who "flies the kite" in your church? Is it a shared ministry?
Christ's Resources
Mentoring is where your resources in Christ become another person's resources. This is very important for clergy with Household Leaders and also for Household Leaders with other members of the Household. We all have mentors in our lives whether we realize it or not. Barnabas mentored Paul. Paul mentored Timothy and so on.
Encouragement
As a child in the early Fifties, I remember two spinsters, Miss Church and Miss Butt, collecting insurance money every week from my parents. They gently encouraged me, my brother and sister into a schoolhouse Sunday school and planted the seeds of my later commitment to Christ and ministry in the church. Another of my mentors as a teenager was George Hoffman. George was a scout leader and prompted me to take part in church and scout activities, though my family was barely able to afford it. On one occasion, George even gave me a pair of hiking socks because he cared. Hiking socks still remind me of the gentle mentoring of that great man of God. Mentoring in a Christian marriage means making a total commitment to the other person. Husbands and wives should encourage one another by spending time together, holding hands and talking. Christian marriage involves a total commitment. It is the apex of the mentoring process.
A Masterful Mentor
In the Gospels, Jesus is pictured as a masterful mentor who moved among and affected people almost without them knowing. Rather than cloning disciples like robots or trained dogs, he encouraged them to think for themselves. Without realizing it, they invariably embraced his moral and ethical code. Jesus gave us an example in his own life of what we should do, as well as what we should say! The Holy Spirit empowers the Household of Faith. Paul writes, "Now to him, (the Holy Spirit) who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory."21 The Holy Spirit's "force of God" not only works alongside us but energizes us within, encouraging us to encounter and experience Jesus.
