Mentoring is a vital part of succession planning, and it is apparent the Apostle Paul understood the necessity of mentoring as well as the need to have a process in place. Paul’s relationship with Timothy is a process of methodically preparing him for ministry and facing the challenges he would face.
The process of mentoring is establishing a relationship where an experienced mentor works to further the personal and professional growth of a protégé who is less experienced. (Sosik, 2005) Over the years, in increasing amounts, mentoring relationships have gained attention from organizational leadership researchers and practitioners as an ideal approach to succession planning and leadership development. (Nash, 2006)
In the relationship between Paul and Timothy, there is a clear process Paul is using to develop Timothy into the best pastoral leader he can be. If leaders seeking to mentor their own successors, or just develop young leaders, implementing Paul’s strategies will produce “leaders who lead followers who are committed, motivated, and personally satisfied by their work.” (Hoehl, 2011, p. 35) Paul’s process of mentorship insured Timothy the ability to face the leadership challenges he would face in his future ministry. (Hoehl, 2011, p. 35)
Paul’s approach included:
- Selecting The Right Person for the Job
- Equipping for the Task at Hand
- Empowering for Successful Leadership
- Employing for Effectiveness
- Treasuring the Mentoring Relationship (Hoehl, 2011, p. 35)
Paul gives a solid process for mentoring and succession planning for any leader to follow. Timothy proved to be a powerful and effective leader due to Paul’s mentorship.
Reference
Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: study Bible: English standard version (ESV text ed). Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles.
Hoehl, S. (2011). The Mentor Relationship- An Exploration of Paul as a Loving Mentor to Timothy and the Application of this Relationship to Contemporary Leadership Challenges. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, Vol. 3(Iss. 2), 32–47.
Nash, M., & Nedd, N. (2006). Guided Growth Intervention: from novice to expert through a mentoring program. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Vol. 21(No. 1), pp. 20–23.
Sosik, J. J., Lee, D., & Bouquillon, E. A. (2005). Context and Mentoring: Examining Formal and Informal Relationships in High Tech Firms and K-12 Schools. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(2), 94–108.
