108 The Art of Accompaniment
Informal
Less formal relationships of accompaniment are ones that are not nec-
essarily part of an established program or ministry, but serve as spaces of
periodic accompaniment. This informal type of accompaniment is more
spontaneous, but still requires a relationship to be present between men-
tors and those accompanied in order to be fruitful. Informal relationships
of accompaniment might begin as a result of a shared experience between
mentors and those accompanied (for example, professors and students at a
university) or because of the close proximity of mentors and those accompa-
nied (for example, coaches). While formal relationships of accompaniment
are more likely to be bound by time and a sense of regularity, informal
relationships are more defined by “moments of accompaniment”; these mo-
ments of accompaniment are places of encounter, where the experiences of
life are still shared between the mentor and the one accompanied in order to
discover the movements of God and draw closer to Christ. Though informal
relationships of accompaniment are characterized by spontaneous moments
of encounter, they might also involve a degree of openness to a more regular
and ongoing style of accompaniment.
One-to-One
As mentioned in The Art of Accompaniment, accompaniment can func-
tion in both a one-to-one style and communal style. One-to-one accompa-
niment is well-suited to facilitate a deep bond between the mentor and the
one accompanied, and a very personal style of accompaniment. One-to-
one accompaniment also more easily translates to both formal and informal
relationships than communal accompaniment, which might require more
structure to be fruitful.
Communal
Communal accompaniment involves one or more mentors who accom-
pany one or more others. Communal accompaniment allows for a variety
of perspectives, experiences, and personalities to enrich the group rela-
tionship of accompaniment. Additionally, communal accompaniment also
allows for Christian formation in community. To the mentor’s guidance,
the support of community in accompaniment adds dimensions of account-
ability, encouragement, and responsibility among those accompanied in the