Book Critique

Cheryl Mendoza
Azusa Pacific University

LDRS 516
Sarah Visser, M.ED.
July 16, 2013

Book Critique

Introduction
The Mentors Guide (2011), by Lois J. Zachary is a book that provides helpful tools to
mentor. The book contains two parts. The first section provides insight and suggestion about how
to create a foundation for mentoring. The first part of the book also provides informative tables
with challenging paradigms. In addition to the various helpful tables, there are many useful and
applicable illustrated examples between a mentor and a mentee. The second part of the book
shifts to engaging and the different phases of mentoring. This section also discusses how to
facilitate growth and development.
In order to be successful, the mentor needs to first develop self-awareness and become
familiar with his or her life journey. The mentor needs to reflect on his or her own life
experiences and become aware of what and where, they developed his or her principles and
values. Mentoring is a collaborative and mutual discovery that develops a growth experience for
both mentor and mentee. Both the mentor and mentee has something to give in the relationship
and something to learn which helps produce growth. The relationship is nurtured through
commitment and engagement. This relationship shifts both to learn together.
The mentor and mentee works toward a goal to accomplish successfully. The goals are
communicated and understood between the two partners. The mentor helps develop the skills and
capabilities of the mentee. For effective mentoring to develop and grow, both mentor and mentee
need to be active participants in keeping one another accountable. The relationship is both

collaborative and reciprocal type of relationship with mutually defined goals. The learning
process of the relationships has many stages and is a process.
Context:
Zachary (2011) gives good insight and step-by-step mentoring guides on how to start the
mentoring processes. The context is easy to follow and user friendly. This book could be used in
a church to develop mentoring relationships. This could be applied in a church to develop
relationships to grow and learn together. The mentoring relationships could be used to bring
spiritual growth or develop leaders in ministry. These mentoring relationships could also be
helpful with personal support and the different goals people might have. There are endless
opportunities for mentoring relationships to develop in a church. A church as well as the
members could benefit from encouraging mentoring relationship to develop.
Predictable Phases:
Zacharys four predictable stages, are negotiating, enabling growth, and coming to
closure, are key elements to mentoring and would be applicable in mentoring someone at church.
These four concepts bring clarification and guidance to a mentoring relationship. The preparing
phase formulates the mentor for a new relationship, which begins with self-awareness. Also,
building a relationship on trust and respect is needed for an effective relationship. In the
negotiating phase, the mentoring relationship builds on consensus and commitment. The next
phase is enabling growth; this allows the mentee and mentor to communicate a plan together.
The predictable phase could be used in building a mentoring relationship at any age at a church.
There could be many benefits to establishing mentoring at a church. For example, mentoring can
build the church community by growing relationships and building ministry, both short and long-

term relationships. The possibilities are endless and the outcome is a great learning experience
for both mentor and mentee.

Relevance:
There are many helpful tools as well as interesting examples that make it relatable and
easy to understand how to apply the concepts with real live incidents. The book contains several
tables, activities, and exercises to follow. This book is a great guide to use mentoring a
relationship.
Gaps:
Since I am encouraging churches to implement mentoring, I would have a few
suggestions. First, I would recommend for Zachary (2011) to add some examples of how
mentoring could be helpful in a church setting, and what would be some possible outcomes or
benefits of building mentoring relationships. Another suggestion I would have would be to list
the many combinations of what mentoring relationships could look like; for instance, an elder
with a young woman and the possibilities for growth in personal, spiritual growth, and growth in
ministry. I think this will help others to see that there are endless possibilities and opportunities
of mentoring.
Conclusion:
Finally, the mentoring relationship can be a learning experience that promotes
development and growth at any age. I think many could benefit in establishing a mentoring
ministry at a church. Mentoring is a great way to learn self-awareness and also learn from each
others experience. I would recommend The Mentors Guide, by Louis J. Zachary (2011), to any
organization looking to implement mentoring in their organization.

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Reference

Zachary, L. (2011). The mentor\'s guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships . (2nd ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.