Augustine as Mentor By Edward L. Smither Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2008, 264 pp, $17.99 softcover. Edward Smither, associate professor of Church History and Intercultural Studies at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, has given a thoughtful and well-reasoned for how Augustine can serve as an example of mentor for pastors and spiritual leaders today. Smither previously taught in France and North Africa, which has given him both a specific and well-rounded experience in study and presentation of the materials presented in this book. Smither notes the fact that “many pastors today, especially in the West, are struggling in isolation without a pastor to nurture their souls.” (Smither, v). As a result, a work of this nature is particularly meaningful to pastors and leaders, although it is not limited to those readers. On a personal note, having agreed with the proposed problem in the West, this reader has found the work to be insightful, encouraging, and challenging. In addition to providing some basic background information on Aurelius Augustinus, Smither opens the book by summarizing what mentoring looked like during Augustine’s time period. Augustine had a profound impact on other spiritual leaders during his life. Additionally, his thoughts and writings have influenced other great theologians such as John Calvin and Ibn Khaldoun. Smither has chosen not to address Augustine’s influence on women, nor how Augustine disciple his congregation in Hippo. While mentoring has had various meanings throughout various times and in various places, Smither says that mentoring in its essence is “a master, expert, or someone with significant experience is imparting knowledge and skill to a novice in an atmosphere of discipline, commitment, and accountability.” (Smither, 4) He then recounts the terms in the New Testament that are most closely related to mentoring. Smither argues that a disciple of Jesus or one who was mentored by Jesus was one who integrated their behavior with Jesus’ teaching. Thus, a person’s beliefs and actions went hand in hand as the disciple found his identity in Christ. Several concepts are taken from this New Testament style of mentoring including: 1) the group context, 2) the mentor as disciple, 3) selection of those to be mentored, 4) the mentor-disciple relationship, 5) sound teaching, 6) modeling and involving in ministry, 7) releasing to ministry, and 8) resourcing leaders. Smither covers a variety of mentoring that took place in the third and fourth centuries, including Cyprian, Pachomius, Basil of Caesarea, and Ambrose of Milan. The purpose of this endeavor is to “set the stage for Augustine’s mentoring of spiritual leaders.” (Smither, 24) These men each invested in mentoring of other spiritual leaders, even though their theologies and cultures differed. Letters and books seemed to be of the highest importance in mentoring during this period. These letters and books addressed doctrine, spiritual leadership, and church matters. Church councils were also an important component of mentoring during the time. Sound teaching was also a strong component of the mentoring relationship. Taken together, these approached provide “a fine backdrop for the study of the mentoring ministry of Augustine.” (Smither, 91) Smither next covers who mentored Augustine, a list which includes his mother, Ambrose, Simplicianus, and Valerius. Smither also notes how, for Augustine, “community and friendship became necessary elements for spiritual growth.” (Smither, 100) The influence of this community, including his mother, friends, a bishop, an educated man, and a fatherly figure had a profound effect on the way that Augustine chose to mentor the spiritual leaders of his day. Augustine mentored hundreds of clergy after becoming presbyter in 391. According to Smither, “Augustine valued carrying the burden of the ministry in humility.” (Smither, 127) Augustine saw preaching as his primary responsibility and preached more than 500 sermons. Of second importance was Augustine’s role in overseeing the church. He saw presiding over the sacraments and serving as judge as important and participated in church councils. Although he found community to be important, Augustine was also interested in the Monastic lifestyle. Smither mentions several ways in which “the clerical monastery provides us with the clearest form of Augustine interacting in community with the clergy.” (Smither, 151). These important factors were: 1) the preaching and teaching of Augustine, 2) intellectual training for the clergy, 3) the practice of dialogue, 4) opening his door and demonstrating hospitality, 5) correction and discipline, 6) involving his clergy in the monastery’s work, and 7) releasing his men to serve throughout North Africa. Even though only half of his men stayed in ministry, Augustine’s efforts resulted in many clergy being sent out to the North African church. Many of Augustine’s letters and writings were considered key doctrinal and apologetic works for clergyman and councils. His many ways of mentoring were all warm and personal, whether he had the chance to see his men in person or not. Smither argues that based on Augustine’s observations, writings, and behavior, one can see that his thoughts on the matter or consistent with the model of mentoring presented earlier in the book. Augustine mentored in a group context, which serves as a model for the church. Augustine saw the mentor as disciple and stressed selection of these disciples. Additionally, Augustine saw the importance of the mentor-disciple relationship, and stressed sound teaching. Lastly, modeling and involving in the ministry and releasing to ministry were of key value to Augustine. Having gone through this process and then releasing his men to ministry, Augustine “continued to be available as a resource to spiritual leaders.” (Smither, 252). Smither argues that this process serves as a model for today’s pastors and spiritual leaders, with the priority being Augustine’s value of community and relationship. Of primary importance in Smither’s book is the theme that a mentor must remain a disciple. Smither says that “nothing is more attractive or inspiring to a student than to see his teacher is continually learning.” (Smither, 258) Smither rightly wonders what the ongoing plan is for pastors and spiritual leaders today who are not continually learning. His point is correct, as a large number of pastors today have settled into their thoughts and are not continually being challenged to learn and grow. Smither notes that a mentor who continues to learn as a disciple shows humility and authenticity for his disciples. This is why many pastors today appear inauthentic and proud, having all the answers. Unless a pastor is willing to be a life-long learner, it will be difficult to escape this perception. Smither argues that Jesus and Paul both modeled this posture and would have inspired the early believers to do so as well. I think this is also why Paul called himself the “chief” of sinners in I Timothy 1:15. The more Paul learned and the more he grew, the more he realized that he had a lot to learn and a long way to go. This emphasis on continuing to grow as a disciple is absolutely essential to the life and ministry of the pastor and spiritual leader. This might be taken in tandem with the concept of releasing a disciple to ministry, acknowledging that while being released, a true disciple will continue to learn and be mentored throughout his life. Another important theme in the book is the importance of community and friendship in relation to pastoral responsibility and spiritual leadership. Smither notes that the word mathetes “is repeated 239 times in the plural form in the Gospels and Acts compared to only 25 times in the singular form.” (Smither, 13) This is such an important concept for both the mentor and the group that he is mentoring. When a pastor approaches ministry as a Lone Ranger, there is a high possibility of burn-out, moral compromise, or discouragement. Operating within a community and in friendship allows for the possibility of carrying each other burdens, accountability, and encouragement. Also, for the group being mentored there is the camaraderie and fulfillment of relational needs. Smither notes that this was the model with the twelve disciples and with believers in the early church. This model remains effective for today’s ministries because of its ability to take care of relational needs. This is what the Bible refers to when it talks about the church as a “Kingdom of priests” in Exodus 19:6, I Peter 2:9-10, and Revelation 1:6. We were meant to be separated into a group and were never meant to walk the Christian life alone. I think Paul is perhaps the exception, who seems to have been more isolated than the rest of the apostles. However, even Paul had Barnabas, Timothy, Luke, and others with which to be in relationship. And, at the very least, Paul came across as warm and relational in his letters, indicating how much he longed to see those to whom he was writing (Romans 1:11). I think Paul knew that there would be times that the believer had to stand alone in the faith, perhaps on the outside of the safety of the group context. This instruction is to stand firm even when facing persecution (I. Thessalonians 3:6). Paul’s direction to the believer was to be able to stand firm even in situations like these, which may have been removed from the safety of the group. In these situations, Paul encourages the believer to find strength in the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). A third theme of the book, releasing the disciple to ministry, is vital to the health of this model of mentoring. Jesus empowered the disciples and released them to ministry, giving them the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. Paul entrusted the leadership of the church in Ephesus to Timothy. In the same way, pastors and shepherds today must be able to empower disciples and entrust the leadership of various ministries into their hands. Smither says that “this stage was a veritable weaning for the disciples from developing an unhealthy dependency on the mentor and ultimately depriving the church of needed ministers.” (Smither, 22) In this comment, Smither hits on two important items for the modern church. The first is that the disciples must be able to move forward without dependency on the mentor in order to be empowered and entrusted for the ministry that God has for them. Secondly, if this release does not happen, the church runs the risk of not developing and discipling needed ministers for the church. This is why many churches end up with one burnt out pastor: the pastor has been unable to release his disciples to ministry. Christ empowered and entrusted his disciples in Acts 1:8 when he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The ironic aspect here is that Christ was releasing his disciples to ministry, but also promised them the Holy Spirit in an effort to keep the believers sealed in Christ community. Overall, I found Augustine as Mentor to be personally very enlightening. I have found a specific model for my pastoral ministry, containing some approaches that I was already taking bud did not know how to describe clearly. Specifically, I have been attempting to teach in a group, live as a life-long disciple, provide sound teaching, and model ministry. Through Smither’s book and the example of Augustine, I can see an increased need to select as a mentor, shore up the mentor-disciple relationships, and release disciples into ministry in Christ! Tyler Thompson Pursuing Master of Divinity, Pastor Counseling Associate Pastor, Oaks Bible Church
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 20:25:16 +0000
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