At the ACMN, we know that mentoring is a ministry that enables profound transformation. Over the last few years, Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has come to that realisation as well.
You may already be familiar with the work of CAP. CAP is a charity that started in the UK but has been operating in Australia for over 20 years, well known for the CAP Money Course and church based Debt Centres. As CAP is committed to stewarding the generosity of supporters well, the ministry needed to innovate to ensure that the Church could be inspired and equipped to help more people in financial distress and see the transformation of individuals, communities and the Church as a whole. Through extensive research in the financial hardship sector and by questioning what the Church is uniquely able to offer in that space, a model involving Christian Mentoring was identified as the way forward. CAP reached out to the ACMN and consulted with a number of other mentors to develop a new model – Money Mentoring.
Money Mentoring involves training church-based staff and volunteers in mentoring, interpersonal, and financial capability skills so churches can implement effective money mentoring ministries to best reach people in financial distress in their community. Resources are centred on the biblical claim that we are created for a life of thankfulness to God, a generosity to those around us and the responsibility to be good stewards of what we have. Money Mentoring isn’t just about helping someone out of financial distress. It provides opportunities for discipleship, for people to be connected into church community and to experience whole life transformation, through knowing Jesus, with support from their Money Mentors. Walking alongside people in financial distress can be challenging and is often complex, so CAP is there to support every church and their Money Mentors over the long term – providing updated resources, expert advice, ongoing training and access to tools that maximise the impact of a Money Mentor.
The result of this new direction is a growing network of Christians who can competently mentor people who are in financial distress towards a place of greater financial capability, giving them the opportunity to meet Jesus along the way.
I have been working for CAP as their Mentor Community Coordinator since mid-2022 and have seen firsthand how effective the new model can be. It is immensely satisfying seeing how Christian Mentoring can be applied in the financial hardship sector to the glory of God, and for the flourishing of more people in His world.
If you would like more information about how to refer people to a Money Mentor or how your church could join this growing movement, please visit the CAP website: https://capaust.org/
– Kylie Brown