Deep Mentoring

"God is in the business of raising up leaders." —J. Robert (Bobby) ClintonWhen good leaders are needed, when the work is urgent, our immediate reaction is to enlist new leaders. Instead we are called to invest in new leaders.Good leaders are developed in and through slow, deep mentoring. To think otherwise is to embrace the myth of the quick fix. We proceed, instead, by paying careful attention to and joining in the work God is already doing in people's lives.This book is designed to help you know better how to come alongside others as a guide and a friend, to invest in their spiritual formation and leadership. If you want long-term impact on the lives of future leaders, how you guide must be as important as the content you impart. Only then will youl see lifelong change and empowerment in those you mentor.Randy Reese and Robert Loane show you how to make the most of this crucial ministry. They offer a biblically grounded approach that also draws on the research and teaching of Bobby Clinton as well as their own experience in resourcing churches and Christian organizations.Jesus Christ still calls people to become leaders in a lifelong journey of conforming to his image. Join him as you guide others through deep mentoring.



Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.



Robert Loane (M.Div., Biola University, Talbot School of Theology) oversees educational design at VantagePoint3, a ministry seeking to foster renewal and maturity in local communities through the development of lifelong approaches to Christian leadership formation.



Randy Reese (Doctor of Missiology, Fuller Theological Seminary) is president of VantagePoint3, a ministry seeking to foster renewal and maturity in local communities through the development of lifelong approaches to Christian leadership formation. Reese is also adjunct faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary, teaching courses on global leadership and missiology.He is the author of Spiritual Mentoring.

Preface


Introduction


Foreword by Eugene H. Peterson
I. Noticing . . . God's Already Present Action


1. Paying Attention


2. A Storied Way: What We Learn from Editing Our Lives
II. Learning . . . from Those Who Have Come Before Us


3. Foundation: A Beginning


4. Preparation: Finding Our Way


5. Contribution: Leading Out of Who We Are


6. Multiplication: Finishing Well
III. Guiding . . . the Formation of Others


7. Imitating Jesus' Way with Others


8. Christian Leadership Formation: The Nature of Our Work


Appendices

"Sharing the biblical reflections of leadership guru J. Robert Clinton, Reese and Loane ably communicate the insights gained from a lifetime of study. Their book imparts life-changing ideas. Reflecting on the patterns of growth in others, the book deepens our understanding of how to develop leaders. Deep Mentoring moves the needle toward maturing leadership!"



"Two fresh, 'younger' doctors of the soul offer invaluable guidance to those who desire to honestly pursue the path of transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Deep mentoring is an essential, desperately needed discipline for today's church if the large and growing chasm between the generations (modern and postmodern?) is to be bridged. Deep Mentoring provides both inspiration and wisdom towards this vital task of the twenty-first-century body of Christ.Deep Mentoring presents a much needed broader exposure of the already-proven but largely unknown ministry of VP3. I have seen firsthand as a pastor more than a hundred lay leaders and ministers have their lives changed by going through this process of spiritual formation. Read this book and taste the process, and then run to get your church involved in the most effective ministry and leadership development tool/discipline/process for the local church I have ever come across.This book, while thoroughly grounded in Scripture and good theology ('Who is God?'), is really about application of the Gospel and the implications of the Gospel for how we live our lives (see Eph. 2:10, which may be called the theme verse of the VP3 process). People everywhere in the church are looking for someone to apply the Bible to their lives. What they don't realize and what Deep Mentoring makes clear is that only they, with a few others helping them (hopefully including a mentor and necessarily including the Holy Spirit), can truly apply the Word of God to their lives! No one can do it for them! They must hear uniquely from God the answers to the often unasked questions, 'Who am I?' and 'What am I to do with my life?'. Few things are needed in the contemporary church more than the deep exercise of seriously and honestly asking these three questions that form the threefold 'vantage point' of this process described in Deep Mentoring."



"With wide-ranging knowledge and with voices steeped in experience, we have been given a gift in this book! You are holding in your hands a guide to how a leader is made. This is not a shallow guide offering tips and techniques, it is a profound tool to help you understand how the soul of a leader is shaped. This book is set to become the go-to book on leadership development. I simply loved it! I was inspired, helped, equipped and motivated! You will be too!"



"More than any other element, the church of today is desperate for leaders to be shaped to not merely do more stuff, but to be men and women who are living a life of formation in Christ. How does one live a formative life while living a sacrificial life? And how do we guide others in this lifestyle? Randy and Rob's service to us in this book is to provide a road map of sorts for the formative life in Christ."



"There is a hunger inside churches that leaves adults wanting more--more conversations and encouragement, deeper listening, better questions and a model for finishing well with Christ. Randy Reese and Rob Loane describe this hunger and provide a path for discipleship and leadership development that only courageous and patient adult leaders will follow. My own experience with these processes after five years inside the local church is transforming our ministry goals, deepening our commitment to each other and slowing us down. We are recovering our Christ follower-ship for the good of others, but we needed a path to get us there."



"Reese and Loane have crafted an engagingly perceptive exploration of ways to help others find God's creative and redeeming purposes in the midst of the realities of their lives. In a thoughtful yet accessible personal style, drawing on their own rich experience in leadership formation, the authors remind us that Christian calling and vocation--whether as ministers, teachers, farmers or mechanics--is discovered in who we are as the persons God has made us to be, not in idealized spiritual notions of who we think we should be as followers of Christ. With grace and wisdom, they lead us carefully into the deep and refreshing waters of following Christ in life as it is."



"Deep Mentoring is a must-read for anyone in leadership, a valuable tool for those mentoring the next generation of leaders as well as a helpful guide for those seeking mentoring. It has lots of great examples and ideas for building strong, effective mentoring relationships that will change lives as mentors and mentees learn to notice God's work in their lives."



"I have to believe that whether you are a seasoned Christian leader or one just starting out, Deep Mentoring will provide enough food to feast on for years to come! In this book, Randy Reese and Rob Loane provide substantive content and guidance along with probing questions and vivid examples that demystify the critical but often-ignored task of developing others."



"Sometimes we can't see because what we're looking for is too obvious. Sometimes we can't see because we're moving too rapidly past what we need. Sometimes we don't see because we settle for something less too quickly. Deep Mentoring opens the door to a centuries-deep practice of apprenticeship in Jesus' way of forming leaders. Reese and Loane invite us to linger at that table of formation which begins with the practice of learning to pay attention to the presence of God in everything. Let's face it: we need help for holy seeing and sacred listening. Deep Mentoring gives us that help."



"Deep Mentoring is a breath of fresh air for churches and Christian leaders weary of business leadership axioms and growth principles. I highly recommend reading this book but even more strongly encourage Christian mentors to prayerfully ponder the wise guidance provided for the important work of guiding others and begin to pay attention to the way that God grows his people toward maturity in Christ. As you read, be prepared to slow down." weniger anzeigen expand_less