Pa Elton was a missionary from Britain. In the 60s and 70s till the mid 80s, God used him on several campuses in Nigeria teaching and raising young leaders most of whom have become pillars of the faith in Nigeria.
In the biography of late Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa, I read the portion where he decided to submit his life and ministry for mentoring under the late Pa Elton. God told him to go meet Pa Elton in Ilesha. He obeyed and it paid off.
At the time he received that instruction, he was already established in the ministry and making waves. God saw what was missing in his life and he connected him with a man that supplied what he needed.
Kenneth E. Hagin of blessed memory learnt a lot from brother and sister Goodwin. He was established in the ministry when he connected with the Goodwin family yet he related with them like a student learning under a master.
In the pursuit of that vision God gave you, It is dangerous to be a lone ranger. You'll get to a point in life where you either remain stagnant or get someone to mid-wife your vision and birth you into greatness.
Jesus laid the pattern of discipleship for us all. He chose twelve men, he taught them, trained them and empowered them for life and ministry. He poured himself into them.
They imbibed the life and teachings of Jesus to the point where it was said, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that THESE MEN HAD BEEN WITH JESUS."(Acts4:13).
A servant must be with his master for a considerable length of time before he can become a master. Even after a servant is released to stand on his own, occasion may demand re learning and consultation. Mentoring is life-long learning.
Godly mentors may not be men with height but they have depth. You need to be mentored by men with depth for the actualization of your vision.
Stop looking for popular men that you don't have access to. True mentorship requires some measure of access. Don't be a name dropper. Name droppers love to associate with big names yet they do not have access to them.
Yes, I agree that you can learn from books and tapes of a preacher and be mentored through materials. However, it is limited. All you need to learn may not be written in books. There are situations where you need to consult and report your progress to your mentor.
The person God has designed to mentor you may just be around you but most people miss God here because they want to identify with a television or radio preacher. What is lacking in the pursuit of your vision can be supplied by a godly mentor, prayerfully get one.
