Mentoring: The Strategy of the Master

by Ron Lee Davis

Argues that the concept and principles of mentoring are derived from the example of Jesus Christ, and describes how mentoring can change lives and promote spiritual growth

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1991

Reviews

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sometimes am reluctant to read "Christian living" books, especially without a pesonal recommendation from someone I trust. Books in this genre sometimes feel shallow, like pop psychology or Christian self-help. At their best, they can read like a good sermon series, with serious exegesis and real-world illustrations. I read this one because it deals with a topic that I work with daily, mentoring.

This book is pretty good, although it doesn't really fit into either of the categories I mentioned above. True, it reads at times like a sermon, with illustrations taken both from the life of the author as well as from history and culture. But it is not so much a serious, exegetical work (although there are references to scripture scattered throughout) as a reflection on lessons learned by the author over a lifetime in ministry, both serving as a mentor and being mentored by others.

Ultimately, what Davis has concluded is that mentoring was the single most important strategy employed by Jesus to further his work on Earth. Investing deeply in a few people (e.g. the 12 disciples) is more productive than sermonizing to large crowds. Agree or disagree with that basic point, there are still some interesting thoughts on what it means to be a good mentor (or mentee) in this book.

[Jeff Noble]

Mentoring: The Strategy of the Master by Ron Lee Davis (?)