A Study of the Viability of Reverse Mentoring as a Leadership Development Strategy for the Malawi Assemblies of God

Abstract

Reverse mentoring is a topic that is receiving increased attention these days due to the rapid changes that technological advances are bringing about both in the community and in the workplace. This is the kind of mentoring where a younger or junior person mentors an older or senior person. (Meister & Willyerd, 2010: pp. 1-4) point out that the term indicates that in reverse mentoring, the roles of traditional mentoring are reversed: a less experienced person serves as mentor, and a more experienced person taking over the role of the mentee. The problem under investigation is: Is reverse mentoring a viable leadership development strategy for Malawi Assemblies of God? Such leadership development strategy must be applied to the church’s socio-cultural and environmental context of pastors, elders, and members, including the youth. The rationale for this study is that if reverse mentoring is a viable leadership development strategy for the MAoG, then it must be tied to a contextual framework. For this reason, the values, behavioral practices, and perceptions of senior pastors, assistant pastors, student pastors, and elders/members of the MAoG must be taken into consideration to inform the viability of reverse mentoring as a leadership development strategy for the church. The article is based on a proposed study of the viability of reverse mentoring (RM) as a leadership development strategy for the Malawi Assemblies of God (MAoG). Part of this process is to have knowledge of what precedent literature says on RM. The question the study will answer is: What does the biblical and theological literature reveal about mentoring and reverse mentoring? This will be handled in two sections. The first section will examine what the Old Testament reveals about mentoring in general, and reverse mentoring in particular. It will explore the Pentateuch, the historical books, and the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The second section will explore what the New Testament reveals about mentoring in general, and reverse mentoring in particular? It will examine the synoptic gospels and the epistles in the New Testament. The two sections will provide a biblical foundation for the decision to either consider or reject RM as a leadership development strategy for the MAoG. Christian leadership and relationships find their mandate and roots in the Bible. Biblical models of mentoring and reverse mentoring relationships will be highlighted, and the article will also explore Scriptures that support RM relationships.