New resource shows the value of a mentoring relationship
in order to persevere through the early years of ministry
Many pastors feel isolated and helpless, especially those just starting out in pastoral ministry. However, it helps to have a trusted friend who has traveled the road and can be a guide for navigating the journey. In their new book, Shepherding the Pastor: Help for the Early Years of Ministry (New Growth Press/February 13, 2023), Phil Newton and Rich Shadden share the benefits they have gained from pastoral mentoring.
Shepherding the Pastor, published in partnership with 9Marks, shares examples of the authors’ mentor/mentee relationship from the perspective of Rich, a young pastor receiving support and guidance, and Phil, an older, more experienced shepherd offering grace-filled direction. Together, they help new and upcoming pastors to identify and understand the common struggles and pitfalls that arise in the early years of ministry and to face difficulties with faith, wisdom, and patience.
In the opening chapter, Shadden gives the analogy of a medical student needing hands-on training in addition to book and in-class learning to be the best physician to his patients. In the same way, a young pastor needs more than seminary classes to minister to the church. “Mentoring gives an aspiring pastor the opportunity to observe how doctrine connects with practice,” Shadden writes. “Mentoring allows future pastors to make diagnoses, prescribe medication, and perform surgery under the careful eye of experienced physicians. The patterns and practices I observed shaped my pastoral aspirations and formed a backbone for longevity. No matter a man’s ministry setting—a church plant, a revitalization, or a church that’s more-or-less healthy already—a man still needs training.”
It is common for pastors to get swamped in the busyness of pastoral ministry, especially during the early years, but having an experienced pastoral mentor to shepherd them through the inevitable challenges will help them develop healthy patterns for pastoral longevity. Newton and Shadden identify four key practices that will help pastors thrive despite the stresses of ministry: a deepening walk with Christ, faithful exposition of Scripture, continual learning from mentors, and growth in skillful patience with their flock. New and more experienced pastors alike will be encouraged to see how mentoring relationships are an antidote to pastoral burnout and vital to thriving in ministry.
“Writing this book together has given us a deeper sense of gratitude for all that goes into pastoral ministry. By the Lord’s design, we need each other to model, encourage, instruct, correct, and bear burdens in the patient process of pastoral work,” shares Newton. “Our goal has been to offer a glimpse at how we’ve put this into practice in our ministries. We hope you find our model, even with its inadequacies, a means to encourage you to persevere and progress in your pastoral ministry.”
Daniel L. Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary writes, “This is a book I could not put down and is one I would love to place in the hands of every God-called pastor, elder, or overseer. It is a fountain of biblical and pastoral wisdom that will serve the body of Christ well for years to come.”
