Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • Request a free trial
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • Request a free trial

First Person: The need for women mentors

  • November 16, 2022
  • Arkansas Baptist News
  • Arkansas Baptist News, Church Life, Latest News
woman in black jacket sitting beside woman in white blazer
(Unsplash photo)

First Person: The need for women mentors

Every other fall semester, I have the wonderful privilege of teaching college women who are interested in pursuing ministry.

Each year, my perspective is broadened and enriched by the insights I gain from listening to and learning from these gifted young women.

A topic that has come up rather frequently this year is the topic of mentoring. I have been approached by several young women, asking if I knew someone who could be a mentor for them. We also discussed this topic in class, in conjunction with a book we were reading together.

It was out of these discussions and responses, that I became burdened about the lack of women who are willing to serve as mentors, and more importantly, the reasons behind why.

I posed the following question to these young women:

“Too often our discipleship ministries never seem to go very deep with each other. What are some of the barriers or challenges that keep us from going spiritually deeper with women in our churches and how can we overcome these barriers?”

Below are some of the responses:

Challenges

— “Older women get scared of letting others down and bail out. Also, younger women expect too much. The way we can overcome this is by talking about it and finding a middle ground where reality and hopes are together, so the source of the discipleship is on the Word and not just faulty expectations.”

— “There is often a lack of older women who are willing to mentor younger women because they were not mentored, or they feel incompetent. Also, a discipleship program could be superficial, not allowing the relationship to go deep. Authentic discipleship requires sharing one’s life honestly and studying the Word together. We need to be willing to step up and pour into the younger ones. The younger ones also need to have grace with their mentors and not place unrealistic expectations on them. When this works, both generations grow beautifully.”

— “One way that keeps us from going spiritually deeper with women in our churches is that the older generation does not feel adequate theologically. By feeling that way, they do not want to take on the challenge of teaching, mentoring or making disciples of the younger generations. A way to overcome this barrier is to offer training for older members of the church but also showing that it is okay to not know everything about theology to be able to make an impact on the life of someone younger than them. It is something that the younger generations have been looking for but have never had because the older generations are too worried to do anything wrong, so they do nothing at all.”

— “There are many barriers or challenges that can keep us from going spiritually deeper with women in our churches. I think the biggest one is not knowing the Bible for yourself. When we don’t really know what the Bible says for ourselves, we are unable to teach it to other women or go deeper in studying it. Sometimes, people are unequipped on how to study the Bible deeper on their own. They can go to church on Sunday and be in a Life Group, but they do not know how to read and study the Bible for themselves. I think another barrier sometimes is that they haven’t built relationships with each other. When you do not have a strong relationship with the other women, it makes it hard to go deeper in Scripture with them.”

After reading these responses, I was challenged by the honesty and wisdom evidenced by these young women.

The hard truth is if we are not mentoring, teaching and intentionally encouraging the younger women in our midst, we are not being obedient to the command Paul gives to Titus, “the older women are to teach what is good …” in Titus 2:3–5.

The question is, what will we do to step up and step into the lives of these young women who yearn for older women to pour wisdom, life experience, and biblical truth into them?

I have a few suggestions:

  1. Pray and ask God to show us who we can be a mentor to.
  2. Learn how to read our Bibles so that we can show someone else what God is teaching us from His Word.
  3. Notice the younger women in our midst and have courage to speak up and offer a mentor relationship. These young women desire for older women to speak into their lives and have often been turned down for various reasons.

Where is God challenging you in this area?

“One generation will declare your works to the next …” Psalm 145:4


EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Shari Edwards and originally published by Arkansas Baptist News. 

Share with others:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • Endangered youth: When parents fail their children
    Endangered youth: When parents fail their children
    March 23, 2023/
    0 Comments
  • Former SWBTS professor of missions Samuel Shahid dies at 87
    Former SWBTS professor of missions Samuel Shahid dies at 87
    March 22, 2023/
    0 Comments
  • Churches more financially equipped to weather hardships, study shows
    Churches more financially equipped to weather hardships, study shows
    March 22, 2023/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

boy leaning on black wall

Endangered youth: When parents fail their children

Researchers today consider bad parenting one of the most important public health issues facing our society. Uninvolved, abusive, irresponsible, absent or immature parents are endangering

Former SWBTS professor of missions Samuel Shahid dies at 87

Samuel Shahid, professor of missions in the Islamic Studies program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1998–2013, died March 2. He was 87 years old.

a stack of money sitting on top of a laptop computer

Churches more financially equipped to weather hardships, study shows

After enduring difficult economic seasons recently, churches are better prepared for financial rainy days than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Lifeway Research study

Tony Wolfe elected new SCBC executive director-treasurer

South Carolina Baptist Convention messengers unanimously elected Tony Wolfe as the new executive director-treasurer Monday afternoon (March 20) in a special called meeting at Shandon

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
Copyright © 2023 TAB Media Group
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ

Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org

  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel