MENTORING BELIEVERS THE WAY JESUS DID – The Book Nook
Mentor for Life: Finding Purpose through Intentional Discipleship
by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson
Zondervan, PB
272 pages
Church programs teach all sorts of things, but rarely how to mentor believers the way Jesus did. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson has spent years doing just that, building small groups where Christians meet and intentionally disciple each other. In this book Robinson describes her process, arguing that discipleship works best in small groups and outlining the major areas where people need discipleship: Bible study, worship, fellowship, ministry, tithing, and witnessing.
There are many excellent ideas in this book, but also some things Robinson doesn’t quite develop enough. She argues that since Jesus didn’t mentor one disciple at a time, Christians should disciple each other in small groups rather than one-on-one. Whereas she gives some practical reasons that support this argument, she doesn’t build a strong biblical case for why small group discipleship is best. She also forgets other situations wherein one-on-one discipleship was done, such as Paul with Timothy, Barnabas with John Mark, and Elijah with Elisha. Beyond that, the book provides many great insights that will help Christians start small groups and guide each other toward greater spiritual maturity.
The suggested audience for this book would be church leaders interested in starting small groups for mentoring and women interested in biblical mentoring.
This book references Scripture throughout, and quotes many respected Christian leaders. The last two sections include lists of recommended books for small groups to study. This book is targeted at women, but its concepts and explanations are universal enough that men can easily read and learn from them as well.
G. Connor Salter is a student at Taylor University, majoring in professional writing. He is a Content Creator for the Odyssey, and a freelance writer for The Echo and The Waynedale News.
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