Mentoring Ministry: How God Can Use You to Shape the Following Generations: Revised Edition

By Fraser Keay

• Revised edition (2023), which includes the role of Philip the Evangelist as a type of mentor.
• Please post an honest review as it helps with visibility, social proof, and sales. Thank you so much.

 

Our journeys are unique, and as we get older we should be better able to help shape the following generations using our gifts and experience. Yet many would-be mentors aren't so sure about how to go about this. Past failures, pride, insecurity, lack of confidence and opportunity in a fragmented Western culture that prizes individualism have helped create seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Reliance on programs in business and church, and the professionalisation of Christian ministry have tended to hinder more natural connections between the generations; systems and organizational expertise may have grown, but often at the expense of discipleship and personal growth.

 

Drawing on 30 years of ministry experience in four churches across three countries and two continents, my aim is to help you consider how you can better mentor an increasingly isolated generation of older teenagers and young adults – those aged between 18 and 30 years of age.

 

By reading this you will:

 

1. Gain a better understanding of the history of mentoring, and its biblical basis.

2. Better appreciate typical obstacles to effective mentoring today.

3. Consider biblical characters who mentored others, and how they point us to Christ.

4. Gain clarity regarding your unique skills, interests and knowledge.

5. Understand the essential components in a solid mentoring relationship.

6. Recognize how you can begin to invest practically in young adults, and put yourself at God's disposal to help them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Illumine Press
• Release date: Aug 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781393461746

Fraser Keay

Fraser (M.Div., Denver Seminary) has served on staff in churches in several countries. During that time he has recruited, encouraged and developed a number of younger leaders in their 20's and 30's. Some of his books reflect his continued interest in leadership development, while others are aimed at helping Christians more generally, or those curious about the Christian faith. Fraser and his wife currently live in Scotland and have grown-up children, and several grandchildren.

Book preview

Reviews of the E-Book and Audiobook Versions from Around the World

Amazon Global Reviews

I’ve been a mentoring pastor for 40 years in the States, and have met Fraser personally. I’ve seen firsthand how he lives his life with authentic grace, invitation for organic hospitality with his life and home, and how he very naturally mentors relationally.

He has now put in layman’s terms, with biblical depth, the historical basis, critical lost art, and helpful steps toward a mentoring lifestyle, whether you are in the church or outside in your neighborhood and workplace. He answers our doubts, questions, and negligent busy-ness to free us to organically shape key lives around us, and we all have them–Pat Harrison, Pastor, CO, US

Thank you, Fraser for giving us the time to reflect on the shapers evident in our lives, the fundamentals of how to incorporate mentoring, and the awareness to see what we’re losing by not being purposeful mentors to a few key people-- that are already waiting to be asked. As someone who personally benefited from the author’s guidance and encouragement in becoming a mentor, I cannot recommend this book highly enough–Sue Barrow, Author, Wales, UK

Excellent book–Dr Anne Dryburgh, Author of Debilitated and Diminished: Help for Christian Women in Emotionally Abusive Marriages

A helpful book which draws on the Bible, the wisdom of others and personal experience to provide both a framework and a practical guide to mentoring.

A review of Scriptural discipleship aligned with Christian orthodoxy.

Some reviews from Google Play Books

Immensely practical and biblical.

Helpful. Inspiring.

Thanks. Due to…our small groups and fellowship not meeting…this helped me feel embraced and to understand the path to continue and grow.

Worth listening to.

MENTORING

MINISTRY

COPYRIGHT

Illumine Press

United Kingdom

COPYRIGHT © Fraser Keay, 2019 (e-book)

This paperback 2021

Revised first edition 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Short extracts may be used for review purposes.

Unless stated otherwise all scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Some content taken from Connecting by Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton. Copyright © 1992. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

Published by Illumine Press, an imprint of First Half Leadership

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-0-9954729-6-9

Email address for all publishing matters:

[e-mail]

Also by Fraser Keay

The Abuse of Power and the Grace of God

(e-book and audiobook)

The Character and Timing

of the Kingdom of God

(e-book)

The King’s Table

(e-book and audiobook)

Youth Ministry Across the Continents:

Eleven Youth Pastors From Ten Countries On The Key Building Blocks For Effective Youth Work Leadership In The Local Church

(paperback – 2nd edition 2021)

Fighter, Fugitive, King:

David’s Leadership Development, How it Points us to Christ, and its Relevance Today

Dedication and Gratitude

To all those mentors mentioned in this book who impacted me in various ways. Thank you, and glory to God.

My sincere thanks to Amanda Howard, Mike Dillon and others for commenting on earlier drafts, and especially to Carol Barnard for proofreading the entire manuscript.

Contents

Reviews of the E-Book and Audiobook Versions from Around the World

Also by Fraser Keay

Dedication and Gratitude

Preface

The Revised Edition

Introduction:

Our Journeys

Chapter One:

Origins And Definitions

Chapter Two:

Mentoring In The Bible (Part One)

Chapter Three:

Mentoring In The Bible (Part Two)

Chapter Four:

Taking Time To Reflect

Chapter Five:

Essential Connectors

Chapter Six:

Practical Advice

Chapter Seven:

Practical Advice (Continued)

Chapter Eight:

Good Mentoring, Bad Mentoring

Chapter Nine:

Finishing Well

Conclusion

Appendix:

Barnabas — A Superb Mentor

Preface

The Revised Edition

Mentoring in a Christian context is commonly associated with helping believers, not non-believers. So I thought some might find it fruitful to consider Philip the Evangelist as a type of mentor to those seeking eternal life and wondering about Jesus. If you’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, you’ll recall the character Evangelist guiding Christian before he comes to faith and asking him questions like ‘How about the light? Do you see the light?’ If you’ve not read this classic 17th century allegory, one of the most popular books of its day and which had a massive impact on generations of believers, try the shorter readable modern version in e-book format by Alan Vermilye – it also comes with a study guide.

After all, there will be some reading this who find particular joy in seeking non-believers and leading them to Christ. Some are also good at it, gifted by Christ himself, a role given by him to help equip his church (Ephesians 4:11-13). As with other roles and spiritual gifts in the Bible, those truly gifted in evangelism have differing aspects to their ministries – different kinds of service and working. The Good News Translation puts it like this: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 – my italics). As someone coined it, differing ‘Tools, task and torque’.

At the same time, all believers are called to ‘make disciples’ as our Saviour commanded, and teach them to obey all that he commanded (Matthew 28 — which includes the command he just gave). This ‘disciple-making’ spectrum as it were, goes from seeking the lost all the way to helping all believers, no matter the age or stage they are at as a Christian. While mature Christians are by definition those who are standing firm ‘in all the will of God, mature and fully assured’ (Colossians 4:12), the truth is believers need each other in the disciple-making process. All the way to the end. It’s not a case of once you reach maturity you no longer need discipled. Using the family motif, even Paul referred to Rufus’ mother as being a mother to him, and he an older man and experienced apostle no less (Romans 16:13).

A helpful book on disciple-making for all (as opposed to focusing on structures and organisation and programmes) is The Trellis and the Vine by Marshall and Payne (2021, with study guide). Another which gets into the nitty gritty of discipling new believers (not simply taking them through a 13-week course and then saying goodbye) is Organic Discipleship by McCallum and Lowery. I’ve read both twice; they are immensely helpful.

Introduction:

Our Journeys

Our pilgrimages are unique. I was fortunate enough in my early days from late teens to late twenties to benefit from a few good people with different skills who took an active interest in me as I tried to make sense of my newfound faith. During that formative period I studied, worked or volunteered in various contexts: college, a meat factory, church, various offices, the police. It was also during this time that Chris invited me to join his small weekly prayer group; Alan taught me the basics of the faith; Steph constantly encouraged me; Jack both demonstrated leadership and invited me to lead things; Mary was like an Aunt figure, and Tom a grandfather. Yet others contributed to my development in other ways without me realizing it at the time.

God also used the encouragement and correction of work and academic supervisors to hone my character and deepen my faith. Both bible seminary and police training involved intensive mentoring. Mentors and older colleagues in both environments were free to comment on what they thought of my performance or attitude, be it excellent...or the opposite. It was important learning. On one occasion I cried out to God. The reply was: Not a pebble will reach the ground.¹ It was from the book of Amos where Amos prophesied the judging and sifting of the people of Israel as you would use a sieve to strain out unwanted elements. I was to learn that God does not undertake shallow work and will do whatever he pleases to fashion us into his image.

Others were both helpful and unhelpful. After a bruising experience, a colleague remarked that I could learn from the mistakes and not just the successes of others, especially if their mistakes directly affected me. He was right. Tougher patches taught me more deeply than smooth. As a result I found I could better help others