The Mentor
Moderated by Dr. Nathan Baxter
Welcome to the XPastor Mentoring page! Here you will be able to find a multitude of resources to not only encourage the ministry of mentoring but to equip you with handy mentoring tools.
My goal is to host a place where you feel connected to other XPs around the world who are doing their best to give their lives away for the development of others.
To accomplish this vision, I will need your help. Here is what we need to take this resource to the next level. I need you to send me articles and tools that you have found helpful and then give me permission to post and share with others.
Let's work together to share our knowledge and experiences for the benefit of others!
Nathan
Mentor Clinics
Leadership Assessment Tools
Recommended by XPastor
The Birkman Report ($650)
- This tool is for the leader that desires to become more effective by learning more about their unique wiring as a person and as leader.
- Includes: assessment, 75 page report, 2 months coaching
- You will learn insights about your:
- Usual Behavior - a leader's effective behavioral style of dealing with relationships and tasks.
- Underlying Needs - a leader's expectations of how relationships and environments should be arranged to best meet their needs.
- Stress Behaviors - a leader's ineffective style of dealing with relationships or tasks; behavior observed when underlying needs are not met.
- Interests - a leader's expressed preference for job titles based on the assumption of equal economic rewards.
- Organizational Focus - the perspective in which a leader views problems and solutions relating to organizational goals.
The Birkman 360 ($850)
This tool is for the leader who is ready for their leadership effectiveness to be honestly evaluated by those in their leadership orbit.
- Includes: assessment, 55 page report, anonymous evaluation by up to 20 participants of your choosing, 2-3 months coaching
- The tool receives its name (360) because it includes your supervisor(s) (Sr Pastor/Elders/etc), ministry peers, direct reports, others, and yourself.
- Your leadership is evaluated on 9 leadership competencies that include:
- Ensuring Long Term Results - Your ability to bring a sound knowledge of the industry, the organization, and its customers to bear on the strategic thinking process.
- Leading Others - Your ability to define, communicate, and inspire others with your vision of the future.
- Building Strong Teams - Your ability to help the members of your work group translate strategic goals and initiatives into specific responsibilities and priorities.
- Managing Outcomes - Your ability to establish measurable outcomes and create systems for monitoring progress toward them.
- Delegating to Others - Your readiness to explain expectations, provide appropriate resources, and assist with regular and unscheduled coaching.
- Developing Others - Your ability to build the underlying strength and continuity of the organization by recognizing potential and developing it through attention to training, coaching, and evaluation of performance.
- Making Decisions - Your ability to stay strategic, results-oriented, and productive and still do justice to the complexity of issues and the views of others.
- Dealing with Conflicting Ideas - Your ability to speak out in the face of opposition, acknowledge conflict, and work openly toward strategically aligned solutions.
- Personal and Professional Growth - Your ability to solicit and act on constructive feedback, challenge yourself with tough assignments, and demonstrate resilience and courage in the face of setbacks and opposition.
The Birkman Team Building Workshop ($ based on size)
- This workshop is designed to help ministry leaders learn how to be more effective as leaders as well as increase their effectiveness as a team.
- Includes: Birkman Assessments on each staff member, 1-2 day workshop with Dr. Baxter, and exercises the Executive Pastor can use for continuing application of the Birkman reports for staff development.
- Each workshop is designed based on specific needs identified by the Executive Pastor
Other Uses for the Birkman Tools:
- Pre-hire evaluation and interview preparation
- Performance evaluation of a staff member
- Marriage enrichment
- Staff transition
Send Nathan an e-mail
Get to Know your Host, Dr. Baxter
- An experienced Mentor to Executive Pastors and regularly leads scores of XPastors in the XP-Seminar.
- Leader of the XPastor Days on Mentoring and regularly consults with men and women on coaching their leadership skills.
- Available for fee based telephone and in-person consultation.
- Read more about Nathan
Dr. Nathan Baxter
Executive Pastor
Liberty Church
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Send Nathan an e-mail
Defining the Mentor
The Mentor can work as the Chief of Staff, supervising staff and evaluating job descriptions. This may entail mentoring key staff, exhorting staff members as deemed necessary. The Mentor hires and terminates staff, except the Sr. Pastor, and recruits staff for any position as deemed necessary. The Mentor often runs staff meeting and retreats.
What does a Mentor do? Consider Nathan Baxter: Nathan has taken XP mentoring to new heights by deciding to spend the lion's share of his weekly schedule in guiding, coaching, and praying with his team members. He meets regularly with leaders in his church to help them improve their leadership skills and confidence. During the hour he spends with each of his leaders, they review together the leader's personal life, leadership skills, ministry advancement and spiritual life. In addition to one-on-one time, he works with two leadership teams, guiding them to further the ministry of the church while experiencing God and one another. He consistently leads the staff to experience community and move beyond the business of the day.
Mentor's 5 Key Themes
- Chief of Staff
- Develop & exhort staff
- Evaluates job descriptions
- Run staff meeting and retreats
- Supervise, hire and terminate staff
Mentor's 5 Attitudes & Abilities
- Challenging me to change
- “I believe in you!”
- Neither conservative nor liberal
- Stretching and growing
- “You growing is what fulfills me
Articles on the Mentor
- Nathan Baxter on Leadership Assessment Tools Recommended by XPastor
- Mentoring Checklist by Dr. Nathan Baxter
- Nathan Baxter on the Secret of Improving Staff Performance
- Nathan Baxter on "Flat Tire Leadership" Team"
- "Hiring Great Staff" by David Fletcher
- Fostering a Leadership Culture by Dr. Nathan Baxter (April 2006)
- "XPastor as Pioneer" by Dr. Nathan Baxter
- "What Makes for a Happy New Year" by Dr. Nathan Baxter
- By Senior Pastor John Hawco
- Scott Barfoot's research project on "Leader-follower Trust." XPastor fosters solid research on church ministry.
- David McLendon on "Making the Decision to Leave: Led, Lost or Looney?"
- Drew Gentile on "Developmental Paradigms for Leaders: Assess, Challenge & Support"
- Dr. Jerry Wofford's book Transforming Christian Leadership
- Jerry published this book with Baker and now has given permission for it to be published on XPastor. 245 pages.Read Jerry's bio.
- How to Get Hired at a large Church by David Fletcher
- We Have The Power by Nathan Baxter
- "Case-Studies of Policy and Vision Implementation by the Executive Pastors" 355 pages David Fletcher's well-read Dissertation on the XP
