MQ: From a student's pen - reflections on the MQ experience

written by Julia from Hillsboro, Kansas

Hmm…Ministry Quest. Maybe you have no idea what this program is about; maybe you’ve heard of it, and it sounds, well, rather like another leadership program.

I had personally never participated in any ministry or leadership programs prior to this year, and I entered Ministry Quest having no idea what to expect. I was pretty excited, but just a bit skeptical.

Well, I’m thrilled to share with you how God has become just that much more beautiful to me through all that has taken place and how His hand is working through this program.

To being with, I need to clarify that Ministry or MQ, is predominantly a mentorship program. I feel this program is really about relationships and in a way, it is. However, MQ’s main focus is on leading its participants through a sort of mentorship journey.

The program begins and ends pretty much with the start and finish of the school year, and could almost be considered another class, but a really cool class.

As far as mentorship goes, the program starts by pairing its younger participants with an “elder” from his/her church and requests/requires that they meet regularly throughout the year. The younger participants get to go on two amazing retreats, one in the fall and one in the spring. But the program’s main focus is on what takes place in between travel.

MQ is about coming alongside someone and learning, listening, loving, watching God work.

I have to add that the mentor becomes just as much a participant in the program as the student. His/her growth and participation is just as important.

After being nominated and accepted into Ministry Quest, my experience began with reading, “The Art of Connecting” by Roy Crowne & Bill Muir with Angela Little. In a sense, this book was very freeing to me, and I would highly recommend it. It is also quite small, so it doesn’t take long to get through.

Then, in late August, I attended a fall retreat in Fresno, Calif. – the first of three fall retreats. The MQ fall retreats are intended to help students kick off their journeys, form relationships, and learn about leadership.

Only 13 kids, including me, attended this particular retreat and five of us were from around the Wichita area. The rest came from Oklahoma, Nebraska, California and Canada.

This retreat included a truly phenomenal flight to California, seeing and feeling God’s incredible heart at work, learning what it is to be a leader, fun times, and some serious bonding.

I met a truly amazing, lovely and passionate group of people on this trip, and I am blessed to live very close to four of them. We can’t wait to get together again at Southern District Youth conference and at our February retreat in Canada.

Currently, I’m meeting for about an hour on a weekly basis with my mentor, Janet Whisenhunt. She is a beautiful lady whom I became acquainted with before heading to Anaheim last year, and I get to see her at school almost every day.

We have a sort of devotional book we’re supposed to discuss together, but we spend a lot of time just talking about life.

I’m very blessed to know her, and I know God is speaking to me through her heart and our time together.

I will also be shadowing some church leaders or observing three ministry activities over the next few months.

This first semester or stage of the program is called “Charting Your Course” and involves coming to understand what it means to be ‘called’ to vocational ministry and leadership.

The second stage is called “Setting Your Sail” and will involved building a personal profile that integrates spiritual gifts, personality, passions and interests.

During the second half, I will be doing three more observations as well as participating in a short-term or summer service assignment of my choice. I will also continue mentoring.

Ministry Quest is one of the many amazing ways God is working and revealing His beautiful heart!

This program has been teaching me just how much God loves to work through relationships, and let me tell you, He really, really does.

This article was first published in the Hillsboro MB church newsletter, Encounters, November 2007.