Most leaders can name the person who saw them first.
01 / The vision
Why mentors matter to this city.
Frankfurt needs more disciples of Jesus. But disciples are not made in the abstract. They are formed by people who know the Gospel deeply enough to pass it on with their whole life.
That means we need leaders. Not titles, not platforms, but people who take responsibility for others, live missionally, strengthen the church, and multiply what has been given to them.
mLeiten exists because no single church can carry this alone. Across Frankfurt, we want to identify, form, and release leaders who can carry the Gospel into the places, relationships, and networks where God has already placed them.
Programs can train. Curriculum can support. But only people can walk closely enough to help another person become.
The shortage is not potential. It is people willing to recognize it, name it, and form it over time.
That is the larger vision. Your part in it is concrete: walk with one leader for two years.
02 / The mentor's role
A mentor sees, invites, walks with, and releases.
In mLeiten, the mentor chooses the mentee.
That does not mean pressure. It does not mean control. It means active responsibility. A mentor looks around, sees potential in a specific person, recognizes a possible calling, and says, "I want to invest in you."
This is not friendship alone. It is not advice on demand. It is not coaching someone toward whatever goal they already bring. Mentoring in mLeiten is intentional formation with a direction in mind: maturity in Christ, Gospel-rooted leadership, missional courage, and the ability to form others.
You are not helping someone fill a slot in a church system. You are helping them become the kind of leader who can carry the Gospel with their own gifts, in their own voice, in the context God has placed them.
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01See.
You notice potential, faithfulness, responsibility, hunger, and calling.
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02Invite.
You name what you see and invite the person into a serious two-year formation process.
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03Walk with.
You meet regularly, ask honest questions, pray, challenge, encourage, and help them apply what they are learning.
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04Release.
You help them become established enough in Christ that they can stand, discern, lead, and eventually form others.
03 / The outcome
What kind of leader does mLeiten form?
mLeiten is not trying to produce better church insiders. We are forming leaders who can live the Gospel, lead with maturity, and help others grow.
A good leader is someone who takes responsibility for their own life, for other people, and for the work entrusted to them, with the goal of further development and growth.
Your mentee will grow deeper in Christ, not merely in leadership knowledge. They will learn to stand firmly in the Gospel, articulate it clearly, and lead from grace rather than performance.
Your mentee will learn to live the Gospel in real relationships, especially with people who do not yet know Jesus. Mission becomes part of their ordinary life, not an occasional church activity.
Your mentee will become a contributor to the health of their local church and the wider Gospel network in Frankfurt. They will learn to build up the body, not simply participate in it.
Your mentee will grow in core leadership competencies: self-leadership, team leadership, vision, conflict, communication, and multiplication. The goal is not competence alone, but competence that helps others mature.
After two years, we hope your mentee is more deeply rooted in the Gospel, more faithful in their personal walk with Jesus, more active in mission, more responsible in leadership, and more ready to invest in others.
04 / The process
A simple rhythm over two years.
mLeiten runs as a continuous cycle of twelve training units across two years. Six training nights happen each year, roughly every two months, gathering participants from churches across Frankfurt.
Your mentee attends every training. You are welcome to attend, but not required. After each training, we send you the video recording, a written summary, and the reflection questions your mentee is working through.
Between the trainings is where your work happens. You meet with your mentee at least once between each training night. That means a minimum of six mentoring meetings per year, twelve over the two years.
Each meeting should be at least 90 minutes. The depth of conversation we are aiming for needs space.
Leadership is not learned by listening alone. It is practiced, reflected on, corrected, and practiced again. The mentoring relationship is where that loop becomes personal.
The four conversations you always have
Deepen and apply what was taught.
Keep this in every conversation. Who are they praying for? Where are they building real relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus? What is their missional frontier?
Talk about where they actually lead right now, and how they are applying what they are learning.
Ask how they are really doing with God. Pray with them, out loud. Make this normal.
05 / The commitment
What you are stepping into.
If you say yes, here is the shape of the commitment.
- Minimum 6 mentoring meetings per year
- At least 90 minutes per meeting
- Real preparation and follow-up around each meeting
- 3 to 4 mentor collaboration meetings per year
- Mature Christian with a credible and visible life of faith
- Experienced leader who has carried responsibility
- Clear on the Gospel and able to articulate it
- Living in real relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus
- Actively involved in a local church
- Living in healthy relationships
None of this is about perfection. We are all still becoming. In fact, one of the gifts of being a mentor is that the process keeps shaping you too. The act of teaching someone what you have learned is one of the strongest ways to deepen your own understanding. You will grow through this, not just your mentee.
06 / Before you decide
Seven questions to ask yourself about a possible mentee.
- 01 Is this person a mature Christian who lives a credible and visible life of faith?
- 02 Has this person already shown leadership experience and demonstrated the capacity to take responsibility?
- 03 Does this person have clarity in the Gospel, theologically sound and content-clear?
- 04 Does this person live in real relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus, and do they have the instinct to help others grow in that direction?
- 05 Does this person have enough time and focus to be mentored for a full two years?
- 06 Is this person committed to a local church and actively involved in it?
- 07 Does this person live in healthy relationships, family, friends, and church, such that we can expect they will do the same with their own mentee one day?
Not a grading rubric. A frame for honest discernment. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to recognize someone who is ready to grow in these directions and willing to give two years to it.
07 / Honest clarity
A serious invitation deserves honest discernment.
mLeiten mentoring is meaningful, but it is not light. This may not be the right time if:
- You do not have capacity for a two-year relationship.
- You are looking mainly for someone to support your own ministry or vision.
- You are not currently living in active relationship with people who do not yet know Jesus.
- You are not willing to prepare, follow up, and engage honestly with your mentee's formation.
- You are in a season where your own spiritual life or relationships need primary attention.
— / Frequently asked
A few questions we hear often.
Do I need to already have a mentee in mind?
No. If you already have someone in mind, we will help you discern the fit. If you do not, we can help you think through whether there is someone in your context to consider.
Do I need to attend every training?
No. Your mentee attends every training. You are welcome to attend, and we send you the recording and summary afterward.
What if I do not feel qualified?
You do not need to be perfect or professional. You need a credible life of faith, leadership experience, Gospel clarity, and willingness to invest intentionally.
Can the mentee come from another church?
Possibly, but normally the mentor comes from the mentee's own church or ministry context. If the situation is different, we can discuss it.
What happens after two years?
The goal is that your mentee is more rooted, more responsible, more missionally alive, and more able to form others.
08 / The next step
Book a discernment conversation.
If this sounds like a responsibility you are ready to consider, the next step is a conversation.
We will talk through the person you have in mind, answer your questions, and confirm the fit on both sides. If you do not yet have someone in mind, we can help you discern whether there is someone in your context you should consider.
Either Stephan or Phillip from MainProjekt, or a leader in your own church, will sit down with you for this.
Or reach out directly:
Stephan Pues — stephan@mainprojekt.com Phillip Glickman — phillip@mainprojekt.com