Date
12-2019
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Steve Vandegriff
Keywords
Mentoring, Women Mentors, Discipleship, Mentee, Church, Barriers
Disciplines
Christianity | Religion
Recommended Citation
Pettigrew, Natasha Amy, "A Phenomenological Exploration of Women’s Attitudes Towards Women Mentoring Other Women in the Church" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2270.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2270
Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study explores the attitudes and views of women towards mentoring other women in the church for discipleship purposes. Although there are many benefits to women entering into a mentoring relationship for discipleship purposes, including spiritual growth, increase in the practice of spiritual disciplines, staying grounded in the Christian faith, and experiencing deeper intimacy with Christ, there is still a significant percentage of women who are not doing so. The researcher surveyed 37 Christian women between the ages of 18 and 65 to explore their attitudes and views towards women mentoring one another in the church for discipleship purposes. All participants viewed mentoring amongst women for discipleship purposes with a positive attitude, whether they had been mentored previously in this capacity or not. Most participants believed having a mentor would be a great source of encouragement and would provide guidance and accountability in their discipleship process. The research found that there are barriers to women entering into a mentoring relationship in the church for discipleship purposes. These barriers give insight into reasons why a significant percentage of women are not entering into mentoring relationships in the church for discipleship purposes. Identifying these barriers is the first step to determining how to assist women in overcoming these barriers so that there can be an increase in discipleship through mentoring relationships in the church.
