(The following blog is an edited first chapter from my dissertation on missional mentoring produced as part of my masters in applied theology at Spurgeon's college completed in 2011.)
There is a great deal of Christian literature on mentoring but how
biblical is it? And how effective is the mentoring that does go on? What is the
aim of mentoring? How does mentoring relate to discipleship? Many observers
would agree that the church in the western world is weak on helping people grow
in their faith. Could missional mentoring be part of the answer?
What is Mentoring?
Introduction
In
recent years there has been a huge increase in interest in mentoring and
coaching shown not least in the number of books published particularly in the
areas of business, education and the church. In the English-speaking world
there has also been an explosion of interest in spirituality. Undoubtedly linked
to this has been a growing interest in spiritual direction, soul friendship and
discipling. There are a wide variety of significantly different definitions
suggested by proponents for all these terms. In the following discussion of
terminology[1] I seek to bring some clarity especially with regard to the kind
of mentoring which may help in producing missionary disciples in the UK today.
The following terms will be looked at: spiritual direction, coaching
discipling, mentoring and missional mentoring.
Spiritual
Direction
“Probably
the term with the longest tradition attached to the art of aiding individuals
in their spiritual journey is the term ‘spiritual director’.”[2] The term is widely used in Catholic and Anglican traditions,
various definitions have been posited by its proponents. “Spiritual direction
is listening”[3] is a profound statement but insufficient in itself to be entirely
helpful. Gordon Jeff in reaction against Kenneth Leech and others, who see
direction as a specialism to be practiced by a spiritual elite (as far as the
role of director is concerned), defines direction as “…two people sitting down
together in an attitude of prayer to try to discern where the Holy Spirit is
directing…”[4] He sees direction primarily in terms of help in prayer and
guidance. Perhaps the main problem with the term spiritual direction is that it
has had “…historically troublesome authoritarian connotations.”[5] These difficulties certainly remain to this day despite some
authors insisting it is God who is the real director in any relationship
between a directee and director. Spiritual direction tends to focus on what is
termed the ‘spiritual’ life, particularly the prayer life of a person often to
the exclusion of other aspects of life. There is an inherent danger of a false
division between ‘spiritual’ and other realms of life. This is recognised by Victor
Copan amongst others who writes “...the nature of human personality cannot be
divided neatly into isolated compartments of “the spiritual realm” and “the
realm of the self.””[6] In the area of spiritual direction Copan says “...the focus in
spiritual direction needs to remain on the development of the primary
relationship between the individual and God.”[7]
An
alternative term which like spiritual direction focuses on the spiritual
journey of a disciple is that of spiritual friend, “The term is derived from
the Celtic concept of anamchara, meaning ‘soul friend’”.[8] Both these terms certainly remove the authoritarian connotations
of direction and are helpful in accentuating the element of mutuality in a
relationship. Their use does however leave open the problem of dividing the
sacred and secular and could limit the agenda of the relationship. The element
of mutuality is important in mentoring, particularly as some writers use terms
such as protégé[9] or trainee[10] for a mentee which suggests a certain hierarchy in the
relationship. However it may rightly be argued that such differences of status
were present in biblical examples of mentoring such as Elijah and Elisha, Moses
and Joshua and the apostle Paul and Timothy.
Coaching
There
is some confusion about how coaching, specifically Christian coaching, relates
to mentoring, discipleship and spiritual direction. Many would agree that
coaching has a generally narrower remit than mentoring, focusing on developing
skills and gifts more than the whole person. According to Hughes “...coaching
is about developing people’s gifts/talents/skills, it is focussed and
specific.”[11] However Gary Collins is one of a number of practitioners who see
Christian coaching as having a broader function, “Christian coaching is the art and practice of enabling individuals
and groups to move from where they are to where God wants them to be.”[12] This definition focusing on change infers that Christians and
groups are not where God wants them to be which may or may not be true. It does
however link in well with the metaphor of the Christian life as a journey but
seems inadequate in giving no clue as to how a coach might facilitate this
enabling. Collins also says, “Discipleship is more focused than either
mentoring or coaching.”[13]
He goes on, “Discipleship
deals mostly with spiritual development and seeks to give instruction and
guidance that will enable individuals to grow in Christ likeness and in
knowledge and favor of Jesus Christ.”[14] This view of discipleship seems more in tune with a false
division between the sacred and the secular than the biblical view of
discipleship impacting every aspect of life. Some coaches like Collins do seek
to impact the whole of life and even claim to be ‘whole life’ coaches but what
is inferred from the use of the word coach is that, like a coach in the
sporting realm, he or she has technical expertise to pass on. This would not do
justice to the whole life discipleship for which many people in the UK church
are calling.[15] Coaching techniques and methods, including goal setting and
problem solving, can certainly be useful tools and an aid to spiritual and
personal growth. Coaching and mentoring are terms frequently used in the
corporate world sometimes interchangeably and have been used increasing in
evangelical churches, particularly in the US where the development of mentoring
and coaching in the church context is more deeply rooted and widespread than in
the UK.
Discipling
The
term discipler and discipling are also terms commonly used within
evangelicalism. The advantage of these terms is that they have a clear
terminological link with the NT terms, for example the word ‘disciple’. The word,
“Disciple (from the Latin discipulus,
a pupil) is one who receives instruction from another; a scholar; a learner…”[16] The word disciple is a translation of the Greek word mathētēs which means a learner, pupil or
disciple. One of the main problems with the terms discipler and discipling is
that they are not found in regular English dictionaries and so mean little to
the unchurched. There is also the tendency for a number of authors,
particularly in the US, to think of discipleship as necessary only for new
Christians as a kind of basic formation. Clinton’s definition, “Discipling is a
relational process in which a more experienced follower of Christ shares with a
newer believer the commitment, understanding, and basic skills necessary to
know Jesus Christ as Lord”,[17] is typical of many. This is clearly contrary to NT teaching where
there is no indication that discipleship stops after the basics are acquired.
Discipleship rather is a call to lifelong learning and growth. Hebrews 6:1
speaks of moving on from ‘elementary doctrine’ towards maturity but does so in
the context of a call to persevere in the faith. It is true that outside the
Gospels and Acts the terms ‘disciple’ and ‘follower’ are rare in the New
Testament. However there are according to Richard Longenecker,
(1)
statements regarding the nature of authentic Christian existence, (2)
exhortations urging that the truths of these statements be put into
practice...(3) calls ...for believers to be “imitators” ...and/or reflect in
their lives the “example” or “pattern” (typos, hypotyposis) of the apostle Paul,
of Jesus Christ, or even God himself. At times, as well, there are calls to
imitate or reflect the example of an apostolic emissary or another church or
churches.[18]
Discipling
in the New Testament then has a lot to do with imitating and following a godly
example. Sylvia Collinson emphasises the educational aspect when she writes,
“Discipling is a voluntary, personal relationship between two individuals, in
community or alone, in which the disciple commits him or herself to learn from
the other, by imitation, oral communication and sharing in the life and work of
the discipler.”[19] This definition majors on what the disciple commits him or
herself to. From the disciplers point of view Collinson speaks of discipling as
one method of teaching. Perhaps this is too narrow a definition of Christian
discipling. Jesus’ own disciples no doubt did want to learn from him but they
probably also had other significant desires, hopes and aspirations. His
disciples may have wanted to commit themselves to Jesus for reasons other than
learning, for example, for companionship or the desire to serve. Are these not
also aspects of a discipling relationship? Was Jesus teaching and preaching,
even to large crowds, part of his discipleship of the twelve? If Jesus also
discipled others, for example Mary and Martha who may have had only very
limited opportunity to share in his life and work, was this still
discipling? Jesus himself pointed
strongly to the need for his disciples to develop a close relationship with the
Father. So discipling i.e. making disciples by Jesus and of Jesus has the
essential element, not present in the same way in non-Christian discipling
relationships, that of God in his triune nature which is not mentioned by
Collinson. From Jesus perspective a definition of discipling without mention of
God seems wholly insufficient. Collinson seems to emphasise discipleship in
terms of a one on one relationship although does see them functioning within a
larger nurturing community. Is not direct discipling possible in small groups?
Many if not all of Jesus recorded interactions with individual disciples took
place in the presence of others. Collinson does however make the helpful
distinction between traditional Bible teaching and preaching in large
gatherings which she sees as ‘schooling’ rather than discipling. A close one to one relationship is rightly
seen as important, unique and potentially empowering. Gunter Krallmann
emphasizes that we are given the task of discipling others by spending time
with them and giving them an example to follow, “...it is people imparting life
to other people, and through their association and friendship with them,
showing them the way to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”[20] The power of a strong discipling relationship is that a high
level of trust allows for the kind of accountability rarely found in small
groups and rarely if ever in larger groups.
Mentoring
There
is universal agreement that the English term “mentor” originates in Homer’s
classic, The Odyssey where Odysseus, the King of Greece, chose his old friend
Mentor to bring up and advise his son, Telemachus, while he was away at war.
“Through careful advice, encouragement and example, Mentor prepared Telemachus
for his destiny with a light touch.”[21] The Oxford dictionary defines a mentor as “an
experienced and trusted advisor”[22]
However the practice of mentoring in the corporate, educational, youth and
social spheres has given rise to a wide variety of definitions of the term
mentoring in both secular and Christian works. Megginson indicates there is no
clear definition but says simply, “Mentoring and coaching are used for a
variety of purposes [and]....have one thing in common – change.”[23]
Mentoring is widely practiced in the business world because it is seen as a
means of helping workers establish themselves and or develop within a
particular corporate culture.
In
this work I am focusing on mentoring by Christians within the Christian
community as opposed to other kinds of mentoring. However following the above
definition, limited though it is, the “change” related to in spiritual
mentoring would be about seeing a person become more like Christ. Tony Horsfall
puts it in simple terms: “At its heart spiritual mentoring is simply a
relationship between two people for the purpose of spiritual growth”.[24]
The problem with this definition is that it limits mentoring to two people. As
we shall see in chapters three and four this is neither biblical nor
necessarily the most effective means of mentoring. Fuller definitions are also
more helpful in establishing the nature of the relationship. Engstrom’s
definition gives clarity in indicating what mentoring should mean from a
biblical point of view. “A mentor...provides modeling, close supervision on
special projects, individualized help in many areas-discipline, encouragement,
correction, confrontation, and a calling to accountability.”[25]
I do not believe it is always true that a mentor needs to give ‘close
supervision on special projects’ but the other aspects of the relationship that
he mentions are very helpful if effective discipleship is to take place.
Missional Mentoring
There
is according to some authors a diverse range of mentoring types. Several quote
Robert Clinton who suggests six types of Christian mentoring: “discipler”, “spiritual guide”, “coach”, “counsellor”,
“teacher” and “sponsor”.[26]
This fragmentation of mentoring is unnecessary and fails to give a holistic and
biblical view of discipling. Discipling should be seen as encompassing the role
of “discipler” in Clinton’s scheme and much of what Clinton suggests is the
role of a “spiritual guide”, and “coach” as well as important aspects of the
role of a “counsellor”, “teacher” and “sponsor”. I suggest in view of the need
for the church in the UK to become more effective in mission, that ‘missional’
mentoring when understood holistically rather than as a subdivision of
mentoring is a more helpful term.
In
order to suggest what this might mean it is important to define mission. The
word ‘mission’ is from the Latin missionem (nom. missio) ‘act of sending’ from mittere
‘to send’.[27]
It is helpful to enlarge on this from a biblical point of view; according to
Chris Wright, “Mission, from the point of view of our human endeavour means the
committed participation of God’s people in the purposes of God for the
redemption of the whole of creation.”[28]
The problem with this definition is that it is so all encompassing as to be of
limited value. However there is a danger that mission is restricted in people’s
thinking to evangelism or evangelism and social action and too narrowly
defined. Evangelism itself needs to be so much more than finding the right
words. “Authentic witness is the practice of genuine presence with, sensitivity
to, modeling for, and then sharing with others about one’s deepest beliefs,
values, and hopes.”[29]
Mission
is about bringing peace[30]
as David Bosch indicates, “Today, few Christians would doubt that peace-making
is an intrinsic aspect of the church’s missionary message.”[31]
Mission is also about good stewardship of creation,[32]especially
in the context of global warming, as Chris Wright points out, “As Christian
human beings...we are doubly bound to see active care for creation as a
fundamental part of what it means to love and obey God.”[33]
Mission is also concerned with issues of justice[34]
particularly consideration for weaker members of society[35]
and those who are marginalised. The Lambeth conference of 1988 produced one of
the most helpful recent definitions of mission and encompasses five vital
elements namely:
To
proclaim the good news of the gospel
To
teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To
respond to human need by loving service
To
seek to transform unjust structures of societies
To
strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, to sustain and renew the life of
the earth[36]
Whole
life discipleship is about being representatives of Jesus wherever we are. The
missionary element of discipleship is clearly seen in the way the first
disciples were called. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, (to Simon and
Andrew) "and I will make you fishers of men." (Mk 1:17). Jesus is
linking the disciples’ profession of fishermen with their new task of
metaphorically ‘catching’ people. At this stage it was probably unclear to the
disciples exactly what Jesus meant. Only later in the light of Jesus life and
death and resurrection and great commission, did it become abundantly clear
that they had a task of not just winning new adherents, but making disciples.
Missional mentoring would promote and develop a commitment to holistic mission
both locally and globally. It is anticipated this would normally mean intensive
whole life discipling, in other words training to produce effective missionary
disciples. This type of intentional mentoring has the potential, at the very
least, for transforming lives and addressing the huge challenges facing the
church in the UK.
One
such challenge is the so called ‘missing generation’ phenomenon in the UK
church which was looked at by the Evangelical Alliance Council in September
2009. In one report they highlight the alarming statistic that among 20-29 year
olds church attendance has fallen by 62% from a total of 520,000 in 1985 to 230,600
by 2005.[37]
In the light of this and other urgent challenges from people trafficking, to
global warming the following definition is helpful. “Mentoring is the
empowering of one person by another through personal life, prayer, conversation
and example. It is the making of disciples to go into the entire world who will
in turn reproduce others to do the same.”[38]
There is a danger of choosing a definition which suits personal preferences.
But, in the context of widespread disagreement regarding definitions an
emphasis on missional discipleship in the mentoring relationship is vital as
“Disciple-making is a scriptural imperative, a pastoral imperative and a
missional imperative.”[39]
The
kind of missional mentoring needed in the UK today should seek to train
disciples in such a way that the relationship between mentor and mentee is
mission focused, reproductive and to a significant extent, reciprocal.
Therefore, both mentor, through the need to be an example, and the mentee spur
each other on. Developing disciples and their gifts and ministry within the
church is important; but, in view of the current maintenance mentality of many
churches there is a need for special attention to be given to mission to the
unchurched and to challenge existing ways of doing church. In other words, the
focus of mentoring should not be with helping Christians fit into their
churches better and maintain programmes that are for the benefit of believers.
The focus should not be helping Christians develop their prayer lives or certain
specific gifts or talents, but rather the purpose should be to develop an
integrated, whole life missionary calling to the world. One further reason why
a missional focus to mentoring is important is to guard against weaknesses in
some mentoring models. These include being mentee focussed rather than God
focused, being self-serving rather than serving others and having more to do
with self fulfilment and/or therapy than mission. These weaknesses will be looked at in greater
detail in chapter three.
I
prefer the use of the terms ‘missional’ and ‘missionary disciples’ in contrast
to recent use of the term ‘whole life disciple’ because of the need to stress
the outward focus of the relationship. The mentor and mentee(s) are ‘sent ones’
following both the original meaning of the word mission and John 20:21 where
Jesus says to his disciples, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I
am sending you.”[40]
Not only are the lives of the mentoring partnership to be changed by their
relationship but this relationship should be conducted in order that the lives
of others particularly those outside the church should be impacted.
Discipleship has been an important feature of some churches and ministries,
such as the Navigators, for many years during the Christendom era of the church
in the West. In a post-Christendom context, when much thinking is still stuck
in pastoral mode, there is a need for renewed emphasis on mission. “The church
has had to reengineer to a missionary, as opposed to a pastoral mode.”[41]
Conclusion
Missional
mentoring is an appropriate and accurate term. We have seen that spiritual
direction, soul friendship and coaching are normally more limited in their
focus than mentoring. Missional mentoring is, from a biblical perspective,
discipling but is preferred to that term because it is a more meaningful
outside of the church and may avoid the misunderstanding concerning the nature
of the discipleship, which is lifelong rather than simply for new believers.
Missional is added to the term mentoring deliberately to address the urgent
challenge facing the church in the UK. Furthermore, it is to guard against
possible weaknesses of mentoring including that of being mentee focussed, self
serving, and more to do with self fulfilment and therapy than effective
ministry to unbelievers. On a positive level missional mentoring is a helpful
term in focusing attention on mentor and mentee(s) as missionaries, spurring
each other on as sent ones to participate fully in all that God in his triune
nature is calling them to.
[1] See Copan, V. A., Saint Paul as Spiritual Director (Milton
Keynes: Paternoster, 2007) for a more extended discussion of these and other
related terms.
[2]
Ibid p 7
[3] Nemeck & Coombs., The Way of Spiritual Direction
(Wilmington: Michael Glazier 1989) p 95 quoted in Versluis P., Making disciples in the congregations (Elkhart: Institute of Mennonite Studies,
1995) p 20
[4]
Jeff, G., Spiritual Direction for Every
Christian (London: SPCK, 1987) p 10
[5]
Copan, Saint Paul as Spiritual Director p 7
[6] Ibid p 24
[7] Ibid p 25
[8] Ibid p 12
[9] Biehl, B., Mentoring (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996)
[10] Krallman, G., Mentoring For Mission (Hong Kong:
Jensco, 1994)
[11] Hughes, B., Discipling,
Coaching, Mentoring (Eastbourne: Kingsway Communications, 2003) p 54
[12] Collins G. R., Christian Coaching (Colorado Springs:
NavPress, 2002) p 23 (Authors italics and bold)
[13]
Ibid p 20
[14] Ibid p 21 (Authors italics)
[15] For example Greene M. &
Cotterell T., (eds.) Let my People Grow (Milton
Keynes: Authentic Media, 2006)
[16] http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Disciple
accessed 7/12/2010
[17] Clinton J. R. & Stanley P.
D., Connecting (Colorado Springs:
NavPress 1992) p 48
[18] Longenecker R. N., Ed. Pattern of Discipleship in the New Testament (Cambridge: Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1996) p 5
[19] Collinson S. W., Making Disciples, The Significance of Jesus
Educational Methods for Today’s Church (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2004) p 4
[21] Lewis R., Mentoring Matters (Oxford: Monarch Books 2009) p 41
[22] Hawkins J.M., The Oxford Pocket School Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) p 438
[23]
Megginson D., Coaching and Mentoring
Theory and Practice (London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2009) p 1
[24]
Horsfall T., Mentoring for Spiritual
Growth (Abingdon: The Bible Reading Fellowship 2008) p 122
[25]
Engstrom T.W., The Fine Art of Mentoring (Eugene: Resource Publications,
1989) p 4
[26] Clinton, Connecting
[27] Emphasis added Online Etymology Dictionary http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mission accessed 7/12/10
[28]
Wright, C. J. H., The Mission of God,
(Downers Grove: IVP 2006) p 67 (Author’s italics)
[29]
Augsburger, D., Dissident Discipleship
(Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group 2006) p 171
[30]
Mt 5:9, 44, Lk 6:35, 10:5, Acts 10:36, Jas 3:18
[31] Bosch,
D. J., Transforming Mission: Paradigm
Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis Books, 1991) p118
[32]
Ps 145:9, Ro 9:21-22, Col 1:20
[33]
Wright, The Mission of God p 269; see
p 267-270 for a helpful biblical basis for creation care as an aspect of
mission.
[34]
Dt 16:20, Ps 103:6, Mt 23:23
[35]
Dt 24:17, Ps 140:12, Lk 4:18-19
[36]
Referred to as the five marks of mission in Robinson, M., & Smith, D., Invading Secular Space (Oxford: Monarch
Books 2003) p 94
[37] Walker K., ‘20-30’s and the church: A statistical overview’ (produced for the Sept 2009 consultation) http://www.eauk.org/theology/upload/20-30s-and-the-church-A-Statistical-Overview.pdf
(Accessed 6/10/2010) refers
to the source Brierley P., Pulling
out of the Nosedive: A Contemporary Picture of Churchgoing - What the 2005
English Church Census Reveals
(London: Christian Research Association 2006)
[38]
Earle P. C., Mentoring Renewal
Journal #11 (98:1): Discipleship http://www.pastornet.net.au/renewal/journal11/11g.htm accessed 21st September 2010
[39] Greene, Let my People Grow, p 16
[40] NIV
[41] Tidball, D., ‘What sort of Bible Colleges do we need for the 21st Century?’ p 6
of document sent by email attachment originally presented as a lecture given to
The Centre for Theological Education, Belfast Bible College on the 15th March
2006
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