Ministry Without Competition 1: Engage in Bold Mentorship

From Jethro to Moses, Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha, and Paul to Timothy, we see a pattern: God’s work advances when leaders pour into others. Mentoring is not about competition—it’s about multiplication. When we invest in someone else, we’re extending Kingdom impact far beyond ourselves. You must participate in ministry without competition within the Body of Christ if you are to be successful!

Over the past few weeks ("Activate Abundance" series, choose any of those 4 posts), we’ve seen how unity in the body of Christ grows stronger when we pray for one another, encourage one another, celebrate one another, and refuse to compete with one another. I want to look at another way to build unity: mentoring. Scripture shows us again and again that God’s work thrives when one generation invests in the next, not as rivals, but as partners in Kingdom purpose.

Psalm 145:4 states, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts”. This is a powerful reminder to us that faith is not meant to be kept private.  Your gifts are not to be contained within a single lifetime. It’s a sacred responsibility — each generation carries the testimony of God’s goodness, passing it on so the next can run their own race with faith and confidence. When we share our stories of God’s faithfulness, we give our children and spiritual sons and daughters a foundation. Every praise we speak, every miracle we recall, every moment we testify of God’s grace becomes a seed of faith in the next generation—ensuring that His glory is never forgotten.

Let’s look at a few examples of mentorship in the Bible, examples where ministry without competition was chosen:

Jethro and Moses – Wisdom for Leadership

“Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you” Exodus 18:17-19)

When Moses was overwhelmed with leading the people, his father-in-law Jethro stepped in—not to take over, but to mentor him in wise leadership (Exodus 18:13–24.  Oh, how I desperately want to go into a lecture on over-functioning right now, but I’ll demonstrate some self control and stay on track!). Jethro taught Moses to delegate, raising up other leaders so he wouldn’t burn out and so that more people could receive the wisdom and guidance that they needed so badly. This moment of mentoring multiplied effectiveness and preserved Moses’ strength for the long haul.

Moses and Joshua – Preparing the Next Leader

“the Lord said to Moses: ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient” Numbers 27:18-20

Moses invested in Joshua by bringing him close, letting him witness leadership firsthand, and commissioning him publicly (Numbers 27:18–20; Deuteronomy 31:7–8). Moses didn’t treat Joshua as competition, but poured into him so Israel could move forward after his time was done. Look at this phrase: “that all the congregation… may be obedient” (27:20).  This mentorship, one on one, would create a huge, far-reaching impact - and we still feel this today! Joshua’s success was in large part due to Moses’ intentional mentoring. Ministry without competition - Moses wanted Joshua set up for success.

Elijah and Elisha – Passing the Mantle

“Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” 1 Kings 2:9

Don’t miss this: Elijah initiated the question.  Knowing that his time on earth was short (1 Kings 2:1 tells us that the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven), he wants to make sure that Elisha is equipped to continue the work. Feel the weight of this: Elijah has literal minutes left on earth.  We put a big emphasis on “final words”, don’t we?  These words create legacy, these words would be remembered, and Elijah uses this time to find out what else he can do for Elisha.  That’s powerful.  

Elisha followed Elijah closely, serving him and learning from him before stepping into prophetic ministry himself (1 Kings 19:19–21; 2 Kings 2:9–15). Elijah modeled bold faith and obedience in front of Elisha. Elisha asked for and received a “double portion” of his spirit. The mentoring relationship multiplied prophetic impact across generations.  Look at the example: because Elijah refused to compete, Elisha had space and grace to grow into a prophetic ministry - which literally was double the impact of Elijah’s ministry. We talk a lot about the “double portion”, that’s a familiar phrase - but don’t overlook the fact that Elijah initiated this conversation and made space for Elisha’s request.

Elijah paved the way for Elisha’s ministry, and shares in the legacy created here.  That’s a win-win! That's ministry without competition.

Paul and Timothy – Spiritual Sonship

“For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know [Timothy’s] proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel” Philippians 2:21-22

Paul calls Timothy his “true son in the faith.” He discipled him, trained him in doctrine, entrusted him with leadership assignments, and encouraged him to be bold despite his youth (2 Timothy 1:2–6; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:19–22). Timothy carried on Paul’s work, not as a copy, but as a faithful leader shaped through intentional mentoring. In sending him to the Philippians, he gives such a powerful compliment and recommendation: “you know his proven character”. This didn’t take anything away from Paul - Paul’s ministry was so vast and so fruitful. Can you imagine if Paul did not refuse to compete?  Can you imagine if Paul insisted on doing all the work himself, in an effort to keep all the glory for himself? 

"Refuse to Compete" Mentality in Action

Careful, please….. “in an effort to keep all the glory for himself”.  Can you think of any other reason we would have to engage in competition with any of our brothers and sisters in Christ? We have to start living and operating as if John 10:10 is absolutely unequivocally true: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”.  That means abundance for me, abundance for you, abundance for all of us - there is no lack in God.

Let’s circle back really quickly to Psalm 145:4 before we close up for today - “ “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts”.  Shall  - we don’t have to look at that up in the Strong’s, do we?  It’s not a suggestion like “we could praise God’s works to the next generation” or an encouragement like “we should praise God’s works to the next generation”.  It’s a command - we shall. 

Unfortunately, we have a biblical example of a generation dropping the ball: “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).  One generation shirked the responsibility and the very next generation did not know the Lord.  Okay, so for this blog that’s a rabbit trail - but it’s a great place to start next week! If you haven’t joined the mailing list yet, do that today! 

Mentoring builds unity and ends competition - and God’s kingdom is expanded exponentially!  Choose collaboration, choose mentorship, choose ministry without competition. That’s a treasure we can enjoy together!

Join me on the Connect Podcast on Youtube and let’s continue this conversation on Thursday!