THE GOOD INFLUENCER:
A Guide to Christian Mentoring
By D. Eryl Davies
Christian Focus. 127 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 527 110 038
‘And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.’ Jonathan’s support of his friend David takes us to the heart of the Biblical ministry of mentoring. Mentoring is the intentional investing in the spiritual lives of our fellow believers.
Having served as the first Principal of what has become the Union School of Theology, and now serving as a Research Supervisor, Dr Davies draws on a wealth of ministry experience. Having defined what mentoring is – not quite counselling on the one hand or coaching on the other – and what it looks like in practice, he goes on to show how both the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul model the practice of investing in the lives of others.
In a fascinating series of chapters entitled ‘Learning from Others’, a range of church leaders and gospel workers tell us in their own words how they have been shaped and sustained in ministry by those who have mentored them. Sometimes, that process has been little more than informal gospel-hearted friendship; at other times it has been more deliberate and purposeful. Always, it has made a profound impact for good on those being mentored. That, after all, is why Father God has placed us in a community of collective wisdom.
Clearly an advocate of this aspect of discipleship, Dr Davies is careful to warn us its dangers – notably in the potential misuse of relational influence, intrusion into the private lives of others and the creation of (co-)dependency. However, the author’s heart is revealed in the final chapter entitled, ‘An Urgent Call for Action’. So, let’s leave the last word with him: ‘Let’s be real with the Lord and be prepared to come alongside others in caring and praying for them … [and] all for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ!’ Amen!
