Congregational Mentoring and Discipleship: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article describes a phenomenological study of youth mentoring in 50 Midwestern Christian congregations, with specific attention to the relevance of congregational mentoring for professional social work. Findings revealed that most mentoring relationships were congruent with goals of Christian discipleship and focused on existing congregation members. Evangelical churches were more intentional and expansive than nonevangelical Protestant and Catholic congregations in community outreach efforts, and more likely to have multiple mentoring options based on differing youth faith commitments. Discussion highlights implications of findings for social work practice with youth and families.