Mentoring must-read

'I would recommend Ruth's book to every youth leader and church leader involved in work with young people.'

So writes Dot Tyler of Emerging Culture in the current issue of Youthwork magazine.

Here's the full text of Dot's review:

Waiting until people are in their 20s and 30s to start mentoring and training them in leadership is just too late - Ruth Hassall.

In BRF's series on Growing Young Leaders, authors explore the 'whys' and 'hows' of developing and releasing emerging leaders. This honest guide to mentoring teens is both very accessible and practical.

From the Biblical foundation for why it is so important to mentor young people, to practical help with how to start meeting up and what questions to ask, this book not only equips the reader to be an effective mentor, but also inspires and encourages the reader that they can do it.

As part of the work of Emerging Culture, we have run FRESH, a practical leadership training course, and as part of the final weekend we asked for feedback about the best bits of the course. Was it the great teaching, fun activities, or brilliant worship? Above all these, it was the 1-2-1 time with mentors that they really valued.

We need to be intentional about building up the young people in our churches and giving them the necessary platforms to grow, explore and reach their potential. Mentoring is so key in this process and Ruth's book gives helpful models, objectives and direction for how to incorporate these as part of our own mentoring.

Often as a mentor we can feel obliged to know everything about the Bible and teach them about how to be a 'good Christian'. Ruth highlights a simple and critical issue in her book: young people need and desire support from those who believe in them and their potential. When it comes to equipping young people in their growth as leaders, good resources like this help us journey with them, enjoying the highs with them and helping them deal with the lows.

I would recommend Ruth's book to every youth leader and church leader involved in work with young people. Her insights and helpful guidance are so relevant, practical and mobilising. I love her honesty, her passion and her firm belief that we need to be building up young people to be leaders in our churches and our communities.

As Ruth says, 'Mentoring young leaders really does have the potential to change a generation and renew leadership in both the church and the nation.'

And to link with Growing Young Leaders, please click here.