Creating a Legacy through the Order of Asbury
by: Luke Embree, Vice President of Leadership, Student Leadership Council
Everyone wants to make a good impression. We’d all like to be known as dependable, smart, trustworthy, and competent. As Christians, we also desire to be seen as godly and Christ-like in our actions. Our legacies are the impressions we leave behind. Often when we think of legacy we think about financial inheritances or trusts. But perhaps the greatest impressions we leave are the impact that we’ve had on others. This is all the more true when we’ve impacted someone else for Christ.
At Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS) we’re excited to be impacting the world for Christ. We’re also blessed by the many graduates of ATS who make it possible. One way our alumni are making a big impact is through the Order of Asbury, a mentorship network made up of kingdom-minded alumni and students. Order of Asbury connects current students to engaged alumni in order to build relationships that extend the impact of Asbury’s heart across locations and generations.
The Order of Asbury is currently growing to include both online students and students at our Wilmore campus as well as exploring how to include our Florida/Dunnam and Memphis campuses. Here’s how it works:
- Students who would like to be a part of the Order must demonstrate their commitment to the ideals of mentorship by becoming mentors of younger students or others in the community. In their final year at ATS they are then paired with an Alumni mentor.
- Interested mentors simply contact the Office of Alumni where they will be paired with a student, ideally within the mentor’s geographic location.
- The pair is then inducted into the Order and begin the process of developing their relationship.
The benefits of mentorship programs are evident for each participant.
Students have access to the wisdom and support of a mentor including advice, direction, prayer, or simply to have someone in his/her corner as (s)he navigates the ministry. When we consider the high rate of ministry burnout, having someone to simply talk to could be the difference between success and dropping out of the ministry.
The alumni mentor has the opportunity to stay intimately connected to Asbury and pour into a student who will, in the future, mentor others. The initial investment will be multiplied several times over, leaving a legacy that will last for generations to come. Recently, Dr. Robert Stamps (former Dean of Chapel at the Wilmore campus) shared an important insight. Reflecting on his many years of ministry and service he noted that, in the final analysis, all we leave behind is Christ. Truly, that is our greatest legacy, impressed in the hearts of those we’ve impacted over the years.
If you would like to join us in creating this kind of a legacy, simply fill out the form here. We look forward to hearing from you as together we impact the world for Christ!
I would be willing to mentor an Asbury student