We analyze mentoring, not only to know what it is, but to sift through concepts commonly held about mentoring or alleged mentoring – so to discover the importance of what is really an ancient and excellent idea applied to modern life. Every mentored person ought to become a mentoring person. Our first mentors ought to be our parents. Ministers and athletes often refer to the parental mentoring. In the busyness of our lives the concept and practice has significantly declined. It is great loss. However, there has been some evidence of renewal in the education of retired people to become mentors to the young generation. Many relate to it and many do not. Some appealing and great literature accents it.
We may begin by differentiating what some call distant mentoring from close coupled mentoring. Distant mentors are not really mentors in the traditional sense, but can be to some degree by the definition here. They may be heroes, or models, that inspire us – even to stimulate us to attempt exploits. As a child, I was inspired by Lindberg, but he was not a mentor to me. Others have looked for model inspiration in Gandhi, Livingston, Joan of Arc, Lincoln, Washington, Nightingale, and including others like the Apostle Paul and Jesus. There are only elements of mentoring in this worthy context, where models for some are mentors for others. Fox’s, Book of Martyrs, plays upon the concepts of spiritual resolution and example. Persons identified gave their lives for individual causes and so may we – is the implied lesson from self-giving.
During our era, the concept of the hero has fallen upon hard times. Unhappy and politically correct people have reduced some models by focusing on their sins. Note emerging negatives about Jefferson, as well as Lincoln and other presidents. Even Columbus is picketed on annual Columbus Day parades. Albert Schweitzer is downplayed for his remarks about the black race and competencies. Ministers, on TV and in the Church generally, have lost face and high reputation because of a few clergy who have been disgraced. The cynics sometimes prevail, in much of the communication. Altruism is not taken seriously by many citizens cynical of human conduct and attitudes. Although some factors are deplored, we do well to avoid despair related to human performance when we acknowledge contributing achievements with the failures. The Apostle Paul urged Philippians to follow him in their conduct. The Apostle saw himself as a model, a life which had Christian heroic dimensions in it. He was also a facilitator, which has much of teaching in it. The Apostle did well, and we acknowledge his involvement. But these factors, as important as they are, do not qualify for the full mentoring as Jesus mentored disciples for a thousand days. Jesus’ disciples, John the Baptist with his, and the Apostle Paul with Silas, Timothy and Titus carried mentoring to the full. Paul was apparently mentored early in his ministry by Barnabas. In the Old Testament, prophets mentored prophets, as Elijah did with Elisha. Even kings were mentored by priests on occasion.
A mentored person may be perceived as a protégé – as a master violinist takes on a promising young student in a special relationship to achieve aspirations. A mentored person for professional life has been identified for centuries as an apprentice – when rightly agreed upon. But the apprentice may pay money to be accepted as one learning a professional skill, or paid for his/her part in the context. We cannot doubt that the apprentice was mentored, but apprentices nearly always earned a stipend received from the master instructor, avoiding slavery. In this both the mentor and the mentored profited materially. Mentoring, as we like to use the term here, is usually practiced without financial consideration, although it may – as is certainly true with parental mentoring. Jesus mentored twelve men in close coupling process, and his requirements for them were recited in Matthew, Chapter 10. He mentored 120 additionally in a somewhat distant mentoring. He demonstrated that there is a place for both processes. The mentor expects the mentored to give up or modify specified privileges, like independence and time periods, for the purpose. Jesus continues that mentoring through Scripture, and the Holy Spirit. He calls clergy and laity to mentor families in Christian faith. It is an unselfish ministry. It originates in parents. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020