Question 3: Where do we agree?

Question 2: Why does this person believe?

Question 1: What does this person believe?

Proverbs 18:13 (NASB) states that “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him.” In almost every personal interaction mentioned in Proverbs, the first step is listening.

In his book How We Believe, atheist psychologist Michael Shermer discusses a study that surveyed “skeptics” for why they do or do not believe in God. Issues related to scientific evidence for God and design in nature ranked as the number one reason why skeptics doubt God, and also why some believe.

Truth without relationship leads to arrogance, while relationship without truth leads to apathy.

Mentoring is a special kind of shepherding that involves intentionally guiding the next generation toward God’s purposes.

The Barna Research Group found that twentysomethings who stay in church were twice as likely to have a close personal friendship with an adult inside the church. Those who had an adult mentor at church, aside from the pastor, were almost three times as likely to stay as those who did not.4

You can become a solution to this problem. If you provide timely, relevant, and measured information to help them with upcoming messages or classes, you’ll help them succeed in this area and feel a growing sense of excitement to teach about it further. But don’t miss a key word in that list: measured. That means you need to be careful not to