The identity imperative: mentoring as a tool for Christian young adult identity formation

Mentoring is a commonly practiced and well-researched activity, as are the subsets of Christian mentoring and young adult mentoring. The research question explored here was simple: How can mentoring be most helpful for Christian young adults, given their particular nuances? This article therefore su...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Brailey, Geoffrey Samuel (Author) ; Parker, Stephen Douglas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: [2020]
In: International journal of children's spirituality
Year: 2020, Volume: 25, Issue: 2, Pages: 109-123
IxTheo Classification:CB Christian life; spirituality
CH Christianity and Society
RF Christian education; catechetics
Further subjects:B Young adults
B Spiritual Formation
B Christian
B Mentoring
B Identity
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:Mentoring is a commonly practiced and well-researched activity, as are the subsets of Christian mentoring and young adult mentoring. The research question explored here was simple: How can mentoring be most helpful for Christian young adults, given their particular nuances? This article therefore surveys the literature on Christian mentoring, showing it as a pivotal tool for spiritual formation. It then investigates the world young adults are emerging into, one that is dominated by complexity, secularity, alienation, abandonment, insecurity and a lack of identity. It shows how mentoring can be of particular assistance in helping Christian young adults to develop their identity, which in turn is fundamental to their own spiritual formation. As mentors practice the arts of listening, questioning and encouraging these young adults, the journey of identity and spiritual formation can be assisted. The article concludes with proposals for the training and promotion of Christian mentoring overall, but with a particular focus for young adults on identity.
ISSN:1469-8455
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of children's spirituality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2020.1819775