Mentoring in church work

Connecting- The Mentoring Relationships You Need To Succeed In Life

3 stars (Practical Yet Partial) - This book is based on a simple finding: "Research on mid-career, contemporary leaders led to [the] conclusion - few leaders finish well". Further, in the case where leaders did finish well, "their relationship to another person significantly enhanced their development". Thus the stage is set for the subject of mentoring, which the authors describe as (the concise definition): a relational experience through which one person empowers another by sharing God-given resources. Stanley and Clinton are well respected authorities in the field of leadership development, and this book represents a popular and "lightweight" version of far larger tomes, so providing easy access to their ideas. The authors focus mainly on the types of mentor who may enrich our lives, and how. The book explores nine common mentor types, and "ten commandments" required for successful mentoring. Two further types of mentoring receive special attention, namely The Constellation Model (a relational network of upward, downward, and lateral mentoring), and Peer Co-Mentoring (mutual mentoring with a close friend). The emphasis on the "relational experience" of mentoring is arguably both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of the book. On the one hand, it offers one - in the words of the publishers - "access to the wisdom, experience, vision, and direction of those who have gone before". On the other hand, there is a great deal of emphasis on the values, skills, etc. which are transferred to the one being mentored, yet limited appreciation of how mentoring might point to God. The authors hardly touch on the type of mentoring which focuses on the "encounter with the Holy", and the sovereign grace required for a Christian leader to succeed and survive. In short, it tends towards a "Latin" theology of mentoring. The book has a strong foundation in research and experience, and for this alone it is well worth a look. It is characte...
Navpress Publishing Group :: Religious aspects :: Religion - Christian Living :: Motivational :: Mentoring in church work :: Interpersonal relations :: Inspirational - General :: Christianity :: Connecting- The Mentoring Relationships You Need To Succeed In Life