Cruising through Bruce Gordon's masterful biography on Calvin, I've been struck to see that pastors aren't born but formed. It's easy when reading the final edition of the Institutes
or the later commentaries, at such a historical remove, to forget the
development and the formative influences involved in turning the proud
young legal scholar into a mature churchman and theologian.
As
a young pastor myself, one theme that caught my attention was the
formative influence of mentors and friends. In what follows I'd like to
highlight three lessons on mentorship for both younger and older pastors drawn from Calvin's early years.
Choose Your Mentors Wisely
First, choose your mentors wisely, with an eye to their weaknesses
and strengths. Early on Calvin came under the mentorship of the fiery
reformer William Farel. Farel was a strong voice for reform with solid
theological credentials and a gospel heart, but he was overaggressive,
and, at times, downright rowdy. In fact, Farel initially drafted the
young Calvin into the work of reform in Geneva by threatening him with
divine judgment on his studies and life if he refused to stay and help. Continue at Derek Rishmawy
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