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Augustine as Mentor: A Model for Preparing Spiritual Leaders

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I purchased this book for a Graduate writing assignment. However, it is now a treasured part of my personal library. The author presents Augustine in a way that makes you want to know more about him, as a leader, as a Christian, as a friend, and as a perpetual knowledge-seeker.

Great book for leaders or anyone interested in Christian maturity.

The man known to many as Saint Augustine represents one of the great puzzles of history. Why did this one-time man of the world forsake everything to become a monk? Even the casual student of history knows that he had a spiritual conversion and that he was a great scholar whose writings endure. But these things do little to explain his humble return to Africa, his decision to start a monastery, or the longevity and effectiveness of his ministry. Dr. Smither points--as an explanation of this enigma--to Augustine's desire to impact the lives of others while garnering for himself a sort of incubator of Christian maturity. His church leadership, cultural and historical impact, and his great contribution to theology can be better understood when we view Augustine as Mentor.

I purchased this book as a part of a graduate course, and found it to be very well documented, and worthwhile. Often remembered for his thoughts and writings, Augustine of Hippo has influenced virtually every theologian and philosopher of the last fifteen hundred years. But his ministry methods stand out in a time when many were seeking solitude, Augustine was always in the company of people, his friends, other clergy, he was often visiting disciples and writing mentoring letters to those he knew. This book brings that out for us to use today.
Dr. Smither does put in quite a bit of useful detail, that will be useful if you are putting together a mentoring group, or just looking for some examples. But there are a lot of examples, so its not a quick read.
If there is a downside, the epilogue is very short. In my opinion this could have been a chapter unto itself. Genuine mentoring in the church is greatly needed today, so this is a great resource.

Contemporary Evangelicalism possesses a large vocabulary to describe discipleship. Besides the already meantioned, "discipleship", words like mentoring and phrases like "coming along-side" and "pouring into" have found their way into day-to-day usage. They have become so common that they meaning and intent is no longer questioned. I fear that, soon, these words - which point to a crucial aspect of Christianity - will have lost meaning.

Whether the words which we use to describe the process of making disciples become cliche, the reality to which they point is still very much alive and well. Models and ideas abound. Sometimes the best practice is to look into the past to the wisdom and practice of early Christians. Edward Smither has done that for us. As Assistant Professor of Church History and Intercultural Studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary he has written Augustine as Mentor in order to display an ancient model of mentoring practiced by one of the church's foremost pastors and theologians: Augustine of Hippo.

This book examines Augustine's pastoral theology. He demonstrates the importance Augustine placed on mentoring and discipleship for church leaders. However, as Smither's demonstrates, his practice of mentoring was not unique to him. Augustine learned from those who mentored him.

Smither's begins with Christ and his disciples. Surveying the Scriptures he finds patterns and practices of Jesus and the apostles. Moving into the early church Smithers shows that the bishops and pastors followed these same patterns of Jesus in their context. Augustine's practice of mentoring was a heritage of faith passed down from Jesus and the apostles.

His mother Monica, his friends, and church leaders like Ambrose, Simplicianus and Valerius all contributed to Augustine's growth. Smither's highlights three key areas in which they all mentored him in their own way: purity and piety, intellectual rigor and honest and friendship. Many Evangelicals may know of Augustine as an intellectal, but few probably know him as a close and caring friend.

Smithers has written this book to present a model for Evangelical discipleship. Concerning the whole, Evangelicals do well at promoting piety. I believe they fail at intellectual discipleship. Augustine's mentoring was powerful because he combined all three with equal confidence and authority. It seems today we have many pastors and leader who know piety and friendship but care little for the intellect. Evangelicals also possess their fair share of intellectuals who care little for piety and friendship. They only care for being right. Neither of these will do.

This book was rich with historical insight. Surprisingly (to my joy, I might add), it was well-written and enjoyable to read. His thesis was clear and his argument was easy to follow. It was written that we might learn from this important church figure. I learned a lot. This book will serve as an excellent tool in developing leaders and discipleship programs in local churches.

NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission I would like to state that I received a complementary copy of the aforementioned text for the purposes of review. I was not required to furnish a positive review.

Mentor is not a bad word, especially since it has ancient roots (see Homer's works). Mentor in the modern context can get goofy at times. Here is a book about the kind of mentor we would all like to have.