The Mentor Handbook | Book Review

Reviewed by Thomas Scarborough.

The Mentor Handbook is born of the recognition that all is not well in ministry today — and that failure in ministry and Christian leadership is common. Such failure is described by the authors as “not finishing well”. The authors state simply: “The seminaries and Bible College, the major mainstays for training, fall far short of what is needed. […] Few leaders finish well. This is confirmed by historical and comparative studies on leaders. Can we do anything about this? Can we improve the quality of leaders so that more will finish well?”

Thus the stage is set for the subject of mentoring. The authors state: “We do know that [leaders’] development was significantly enhanced by a relationship to another person. […] Certainly the kind of mentoring we will describe in this book can help prevent failures in leadership.”

WHAT IS THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK?

As the title suggests, the book is a handbook. It is a practical manual, 400 pages thick, based on extensive research and experience in leadership. This is its great strength. I previously reviewed the book “Connecting” here (http://jmm.org.au/articles/15419.htm), which represents a “friendly” introduction to the subject of mentoring, and serves as an introduction to this book.

The Mentor Handbook describes in detail nine types of mentoring. In this regard, its definition of mentoring is probably broader than the popular definition would accommodate. It describes mentoring that we may receive through discipling, through spiritual guides, through practical coaching, counselling, and teaching, through strategic sponsorship, through modelling, historical examples, and finally divinely planned encounters.

The book further identifies five major dynamics that are present in varying degrees in most mentoring relationships: an attraction dynamic between mentor and mentoree, the establishment of a relationship (a bond) as the prerequisite for continuing mentoring, the responsiveness of the mentoree, the establishment of mechanisms of accountability to put “teeth” into the relationship, and finally, “empowerment” as the intended goal.

The book further describes a so-called “constellation model” of mentoring — that is, a balance or “range of relationships” in various directions — upward, downward, and lateral — so as to enrich one in different ways, as well as enabling one to enrich others at the same time. This is described as the “ideal model”.

The book closes with several appendices — a glossary, a developmental perspective on ministry, a summary of spiritual disciplines, several case studies, and many useful references.

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK?

There are proven methods for making mentoring work. Whether you would want to disciple someone, or coach them in leadership skills, or mentor an entire group — or in fact receive mentoring yourself — there are certain methods which will greatly enhance the experience. This book describes such methods — probably in sufficient detail for the reader to be able to adopt such skills themselves.

The book amply demonstrates how entering into a mentoring relationship may add a purposive aspect to one’s ministry or spiritual growth that otherwise may be missed. I adopted the methods of the book for mentoring a colleague who felt adrift in his ministry, and was surprised how easily he was encouraged to set a new focus and take his ministry to a new level.

The book further shows great flexibility in the application of mentoring. The ideal mentor may not be available, or one’s own time may be limited. With this in mind, the book contains various practical advices — in fact it demonstrates how a mentoree may receive effective mentoring even without a living mentor in sight.

Each chapter of the book contains clear headings, useful definitions, practical examples, and personal comments — and frequent “Feedback” pages, which encourage one to assess and apply the material contained in a chapter. Further, there are many tables and diagrams to further bring the concepts into focus.

WHAT ARE THE WEAKNESSES OF THE BOOK?

One’s understanding of mentoring would have been greatly expanded and enriched even with a brief description of alternative approaches to mentoring. Regrettably, the book presents only one specific “genre”. For the record, it tends towards a “Latin” approach to mentoring, as opposed to a more typically Protestant approach.

While the subject matter is supported by a great deal of research and analysis, the book is not well supported by the data where it would seem to matter most. As an example, it fails to consider mentoring in the lives of those who did NOT “finish well”. Did such persons receive mentoring, too, and if so, what TYPES of mentoring did they receive?

The thrust of the book is that mentoring leads to “empowerment” — that is, positive enabling for ministry or leadership. However, it fails to take into account the possibility that some mentoring may have negative consequences for ministry or Christian leadership. What kinds of mentoring might have imbued Christian leaders with perspectives or priorities that proved to be counter-productive, and vice versa?

Lastly, the book places a heavy emphasis on the “relational process”. There is much emphasis on the values, skills, etc. which are transferred, yet limited appreciation of how mentoring might point to God. For the Protestant paradigm, the vertical aspect is everything — while in The Mentor Handbook, this is almost completely absent.

SYNTHESIS

The Mentor Handbook is a very useful resource which could make the vital difference to ministry in a given circumstance. It offers one an excellent grounding in some of the more practical aspects of mentoring and being mentored, and is grounded in a wealth of research and experience. Not least, it imparts a sense of confidence in the reader that mentoring can work — which indeed it can.

One could wish for little more — if only the content were combined or complemented with a few other perspectives to round it out.

Since The Mentor Handbook is published by a smaller publisher in California, I have included full details in the Citation of References below.

CITATION OF REFERENCES

J. Robert Clinton and Richard W. Clinton. The Mentor Handbook: Detailed Guidelines And Helps For Christian Mentors And Mentorees. 2175 North Holliston Avenue, Altadena, California 91001, U.S.A.: Barnabas Publishers, 1991. ISBN 0-9710454-8-8. Publisher Price: U.S.$22.00.

Paul D. Stanley & J. Robert Clinton. Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need To Succeed In Life. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Navpress, 1992. ISBN 08910-96388. Publisher Price U.S.$14. This book may be purchased on-line from the publishers at http://www.navpress.com/Store/Product/0891096388.html

Thomas Scarborough is the minister of an Evangelical Congregational Church in Sea Point, Cape Town — Africa’s most densely populated suburb. He has served as national chairman of the Evangelical Congregational Churches in Southern Africa, and is currently studying for a Master’s degree through Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena.