Darlene Zschech
Bethany House, 2011, 192 pp., $19.99
Darlene Zschech, a well-known singer, songwriter and worship leader, is also an active and passionate mentor. She’s written this book to others who share that passion in order to empower them with the knowledge that she has gained in her years of experience. She’s forthcoming with the mistakes she’s made mentoring, hoping that her readers will learn from her flaws and save themselves “a whole lot of heartache in the future.” The book’s methods are boldly Christo-centric and refrain from promoting a common mentoring pitfall that she calls meology.
The chapter topics are fairly generic (i.e., Encouragement, Energy, Excellence and Humility). The chapters do little to build on one another, and that relative autonomy diminishes the book’s potential effectiveness as a training tool. The Art of Mentoring is not as practical as As Iron Sharpens Iron by Howard Hendricks and not as inspirational as Fatherless Generation by John Sowers; but if you’re passionate about training the next generation, the book’s labor to encourage and empower Christian mentors gives it enough potential value to merit your consideration.
