Leadership, in all its forms, can sometimes feel like an island. That’s why what we need most as leaders is not management—it's mentorship. Management has its place in any healthy organization, but if we want to thrive as Christian leaders—and help others do the same—we must prioritize mentorship.
Why? Because management focuses on performance, while mentorship develops people. Managers shape tasks; mentors shape leaders. And the difference is transformational.
Every leader, including you, needs a mentor— someone to process new ideas with, to teach you the ropes, to cheer you on and challenge you. Managers improve what you do. Mentors shape who you become. I know, because I wouldn’t be the leader I am today without mentors.
When I entered my first year of teaching in suburban Denver, the various districts gathered me and several hundred new teachers together for training. We were bright-eyed and full of youthful, unwavering enthusiasm, or so we thought. I don't think I made it out of the training before I started to feel my enthusiasm waiver.
The trainers were former teachers, most of whom had been out of the classroom for many years. Their focus was on managing expectations and managing a classroom— managing students. We took a test that gave us a multitude of data points, but no one explained they meant. Hours of being talked at left me exhausted, and all I wanted was someone to talk with.
Thankfully, a lot has changed in the school systems since I was an educator, but on my first day as a teacher, I walked in blind and ill-equipped. I didn’t have a single tool in my teaching tool belt to help me do my job well, and I concluded that management training was not enough. I needed a mentor. That’s when God sent me Rick.
Rick’s classroom was right next to mine, and it was alive with energy. His students were engaged, and that's what I wanted. So, I studied Rick. I watched carefully as he’d set up his lessons, combining different activities to reach his students. I paid attention to his teaching style and how he kept the students' attention. But what made Rick a great teacher was the way he built rapport with his students. He mastered the art of connecting with them, figuring out what motivated them, taking a vested interest in their lives outside of school, and showing them that he cared about them.
Rick taught me more than any training could have. He was my real-world, real- time example of a teacher making a difference in the lives of their students. Over time, I stopped observing and started asking questions. Rick became my go-to guy for all my teacher questions, and pretty soon, I unofficially adopted him as my mentor.
I must have asked Rick a million questions, and if he minded, he never showed it. Rick was the ideal mentor. He was patient, caring, funny, and best of all, he knew how to downplay my roughest days as a new teacher. Rick knew how to encourage me but also how to push me into growth, and I always knew his feedback was given in love. His goal was my success. I'm pretty sure I know how Rick's students felt with him as their teacher.
Rick's influence kept me from burning out. More importantly, he taught me how to invest in young leaders, a skill I carry to this day.
That same year, I began coaching at a high school. The head coach didn’t just assign me tasks; he took me to breakfast, listened to my goals, and then gave me mentors.
He invited me be a part of varsity practices and put me to work. I had opportunities to try, fail, learn, and grow under the guidance of experienced coaches. Mentoring wasn’t about theory. It was about modeling, practicing, and empowering.
And in this, Jesus is the ultimate example.
In chapter 10 of Matthew’s gospel, we see Jesus preparing his disciples for their first missionary journey. Then, a few chapters later, Jesus pulled his disciples aside and told them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” At first glance, these may not seem like clear mentoring moments, but in how He prepared His disciples as much as in what he communicated, Jesus shows us seven key approaches of a mentor.
If leadership is only about management, we’ll measure success in tasks completed. But if leadership is about mentorship, we’ll multiply leaders who influence generations.
Just like Jesus, we’re called to invest in others—not just for what they can do, but for who they will become. Mentorship doesn’t just make organizations better; it transforms lives.
If we want to thrive—and help others thrive—we must lead with a multiplication mindset. Managers may improve performance. But mentors? They multiply leaders.
Download the free tool: The Mentor Mindset Reference Guide and use it as a filter to know when you're mentoring and when you're managing.
Jesus is the ultimate example for effective leadership, and mentoring was just one of the behaviors he modeled. In Easy to Follow, Kat and I line out the remaining seven behaviors with practical steps you can take to lead like Jesus.
Pre-order your copy today and take the first step towards becoming a leader others want to follow. It's the first step to multiplying your leadership and seeing your mission accelerated.
Some content taken from Easy to Follow: Trading Toxic Leadership for the Way of Jesus by Lyle Wells and Kat Armstrong. Copyright © 2025. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
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