Caleb Green Business major and Philosophy Minor Freshman. Peter Smith Business Administration and Philosophy double major Freshman. outside buisness building
Each year, California Baptist University faculty and students invested in others through one-on-one meetings and discipleship groups. In these settings, students of all ages experienced spiritual and personal growth.
Mentorship on campus extended beyond individual relationships and developed into a cycle of influence. Students who received mentorship often sought to pour into others using the wisdom they gained and planned to continue that influence after graduation.
Hannah Anich, senior accounting major, led a discipleship group, known as a “d-group,” for freshman women and served as a resident assistant for three years. She said the experience humbled her and strengthened her faith.
“Spiritual growth, I think, has to happen in community,” Anich said.
She said community played a crucial role in her faith development and credited her own mentors from her freshman year. Those mentors intentionally asked about her life and spent time with her over lunch or coffee.
“That discipleship group leader, she helped me grow my faith so much by showing me what a mature Christian looks like,” Anich said, “And I think because of that, and because of their guidance in my life, that made me want to be that positive impact for others.”
Michael Contreras, a member of CBU’s discipleship staff, said mentorship shaped his own spiritual journey. One of his mentors, Luke, helped him understand that mentorship was meant to multiply.
“[Luke told me]: as you learn these things about how to follow Jesus, you’re meant to pass them along right away,” Contreras said.
Contreras joined the discipleship staff believing college years marked a formative season in life. He said mentorship during that time equipped students with tools they could carry beyond graduation. He added that he hoped what he taught new believers now would remain simple enough to pass on to their children decades later.
“If I can be a part of helping people follow Christ and learn the building blocks of following him for a lifetime, then I’d love to be a part of doing that,” Contreras said.
CBU’s discipleship model centered on small d-groups that focused on Bible reading, prayer, fellowship or evangelism. After a semester, leaders often identified students eager to grow and invested in them through one-on-one mentorship.
These meetings allowed students to ask thoughtful questions and learn alongside someone further along in their faith. Leaders aimed not only to guide students spiritually but also to prepare them to disciple others.
“We’re called to make disciples who make disciples,” Anich said.
Nicole Dobler, sophomore elementary education major, participated in discipleship during her freshman year under Jailyn Contreras, a discipleship staff member and the wife of Michael Contreras.
Jailyn Contreras encouraged Dobler to lead a Bible study and later a d-group. Dobler said her mentor strengthened her confidence while modeling obedience and faithfulness.
Dobler said her d-group members showed eagerness to continue meeting.
“I feel like they’re super intentional with community,” Dobler said, “with each other and with me and Alli, they’re so intentional.”
She said mentorship taught her that faith and community belonged together. She described one-on-ones, d-groups and Bible studies as spaces where fellowship with Christ flourished.
“It keeps me teachable and keeps me growing,” Dobler said.
Contreras said his goal extended beyond campus mentorship and included connecting students to local churches.
“I really hope not to disciple people one dimensionally,” Contreras said, “where they’re only connected to me, and then they graduate, and they’re not connected to a local church.”
He said church communities provided long-term support beyond college.
“These four years at CBU are kind of like an incubator season. Like, this is a specific season in the young person’s life where they can learn building blocks for the rest of their life,” Contreras said.
College provided a safe environment where students learned life skills through mentorship and Bible study. Many students learned the foundations of discipleship with the intention of applying those lessons beyond campus.
Dobler said willingness mattered most in mentorship.
All it takes to be mentored or to mentor someone else is the willingness to “… be faithful and be available,” Dobler said.
Mentorship influenced both spiritual and professional growth across campus. Many CBU students who received guidance now sought to invest in others, using intentional conversations and attentive listening to create lasting impact within their university and beyond.
