In their book Becoming an Effective Mentoring Leader, William J. Rothwell and Peter Chee talk about the importance of teaching by example (New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2013, 95–120). They note that teaching by example, or modelling, has been around for a long time because it works, and it may be the natural way to learn for most people. They also point out that recent scientific research supports this observation.
Using sophisticated brain imaging technologies, neuroscientists have shown that our brains contain a type of neurons called “mirror neurons,” and these neurons enable us to mimic the actions of another person. In other words, the mirror neurons make it possible for us to learn imitatively. It doesn’t require a quantum leap in logic to connect mirror neurons with modelling. Daniel Goleman, author of the influential book Emotional Intelligence, writes eloquently about the connection: “Spending time with a living, breathing model of effective behavior provides the perfect stimulation of our mirror neurons, which allow us to directly experience, internalize, and ultimately emulate what we observe” . . . (96)
If you Google “mirror neurons” you will discover that the scientific community is still debating as to their existence and to their actual function. A recent review article on mirror neurons in Scientific American concludes by saying:
After decades of research, these strange cells continue to astound and confound us—not only with their unique abilities, but with the hidden complexity to which they may provide a key. But, as so often happens in neuroscience, we may end up having to pick the lock before we understand exactly how the key fits into it. (Ben Thomas, “What’s So Special about Mirror Neurons?” Scientific American, November 6, 2012.)
It seems that there is general scientific acknowledgement of the existence of mirror neurons. The on-going debate is on what they are exactly and what they actually do. The fact that modelling has been around a long time, however, and universally accepted as a key method of teaching, is not in doubt. It is the key method for shaping lives in the New Testament. Here is Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:15b–16:
. . . you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. (NIV)
Commenting on these verses, Gordon D. Fee writes:
The picture is one of a father who has instructed his children in proper behavior by his own example. They are to be “like father, like children.” (The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987, 186.)
On this regular call by Paul for people to imitate him, Fee further comments:
. . .Paul was long on behavioral concerns . . . . He is never satisfied simply to change people’s thinking. That is obviously important because the one (right behavior) flows out of the other (correct theology); but in his letters he never leaves them with an argument that does not have its corresponding parenesis (ethical instruction). (Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 187.)
We see this pattern in Paul’s teaching. He lays down the theological foundations of the points he is trying to make. Then he draws out the ethical implications of what he teaches. And then he says, “imitate me”. His end goal is not an informed audience. His end goal is changed lives, and therefore he has to teach by example. This truth is also expounded by Randy D. Reese and Robert Loane in their book, Deep Mentoring:
We can become too self-satisfied in our admiration of Jesus and thereby keep his claim or demand on our lives at a safe distance. But Jesus is seeking something far more than mere admirers or knowledgeable spectators. Jesus calls us to appreciate who he is to such an extent that we seek to turn from our own way of life in order to imitate him day-in and day-out . . . in this apprenticeship with Jesus there is absolutely no substitute for seeing the gospel lived out by another. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012, 187–188.)
I know that I am not alone in my deep concern that most of the teaching I encounter in the churches and institutions I know takes the form of verbal instruction—sermons, lectures, homilies, devotional talks, etc. The end goal of such efforts: an informed audience but not necessarily a transformed one. Rarely do I see preachers and teachers say “imitate me”. I am not saying that teachers and preachers are not laying out their lives as models for their teaching. I am saying that our teaching methodology is teaching by lecture and not teaching by example. The close relationships needed for modelling are often just not there.
Recently I celebrated another birthday. The more I move on in life, the more I want to champion the cause of relational transformation. This is not a new commitment but I am more committed to this than ever. There is some irony here. I think I am a better preacher than I am a mentor. But our adequacy is in Christ. I am getting many invitations to teach about discipleship, spiritual mentoring, and spiritual friendship. Further irony—such subjects are more caught than taught. I struggle with how I am to teach on these subjects in ways that are integral to the subject matter. One thing’s for sure—there are no short cuts. And we can’t do this alone. If you have similar concerns to the one raised in this article, drop me a note?
We may not have all the details about mirror neurons but we are called to mirror Christ and we are called to help each other do that.