Biblically, the word “mentor” is not a word employed by Scripture writers. However, its sense and meaning can be observed throughout Scriptures in several words and relationships. Walter Brueggemann acknowledges this when he writes, “Mentoring as an idea is quite a modern notion. The practice of mentoring, however, is quite old.”^[1] In the Old Testament, Hebrew words such as “teacher or guide” (Moreh)^[2], “counselor or advisor” (Yoets)^[3], and “shepherd” (Roeh)^[4] give clear sense of the word.  In the New Testament, words such as “teacher” (didaskolos)^[5], “guide” (kathegetes)^[6], and “overseer” (Episkopos)^[7] reflect the nature of mentoring for the purpose of spiritual growth and leadership development to individuals and the community of faith. 

The meaning and application of these mentoring words can be seen in several important mentoring relationships in the Old and New Testament. For example, in the Old Testament, mentoring can be observed in relationships of Jethro and Moses (Exodus 18), Moses and Joshua (Numbers 27:18-23), and Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 19:19-21).^[8]  In the New Testament, the mentoring example of Jesus and the Apostles in the Gospels and Paul and Timothy in Acts and the Pauline Epistles reveals mentoring relationships.  Through these examples we can see mentoring as a biblical way to disciple leaders. In his book Mentor: How Along-The-Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life, Chuck Lawless, reinforces this when he succinctly writes, “Mentoring is Biblical”^[9].  He explains that Jesus’ investment in 12 men and Paul’s modeling of Jesus by pouring into several men, including Timothy, is a good model for believers in Christ.  He concludes, “If Jesus and Paul made disciples through this means, it’s a good pattern for us to follow.”^[10]  The lack of a biblical word for “mentor” does not matter because of the many synonymous terms for “mentoring” and the general meaning and sense of the word is verifiable throughout the Scriptures in the many mentoring relationships we observe.   

Biblical mentoring is woven into the fabric of the Gospel Story. It is a primary way God chose to develop leaders to carry out his purposes in both the Old and the New Testament. The example of Jesus and the disciples is a master-class on intentional mentoring for a key purpose, the launching of the NT Church into the World to carry out the Great Commission. Many books have been written to capture Jesus’ approach to discipling. One that has become a classic is Robert Coleman’s “The Master Plan of Evangelism.” In his book he shares eight guiding principles of Jesus’ way of developing the disciples for the task ahead. He writes, “It all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow him. This revealed immediately the direction his evangelistic strategy would take. His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow. Remarkable as it may seem, Jesus started to gather these men before he ever organized an evangelistic campaign or even preached a sermon in public. Men were to be his method of winning the world to God.” (Coleman, 21). The short book is worth your time.

In the posts ahead we will consider some definitions of spiritual mentoring and then will focus on several components of the Paul and Timothy mentoring relationship.

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^[1] Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison, eds., Mentoring: Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 7. 

^[2] Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006), 435–436.

^[3] William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old

Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 149.

^[4] Bruce K. Waltke and M. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical HebrewSyntax (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 597–598.

^[5] Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, eds., Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 315–317.

^[6] Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 529.

^[7] Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 2, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), 608–611.

^[8] Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison, eds., Mentoring: Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 10-13. 

^[9] Chuck Lawless, Mentor: How Along The Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life (Nashville: Lifeway Press, 2017), 9. 

^[10] Chuck Lawless, Mentor: How Along The Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life, 9.