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AN IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE PERSONAL NEEDS
AND ISSUES OF THE DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FEMALE STUDENTS
__________________________
A Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty of
Dallas Theological Seminary
___________________________
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
___________________________
by
Lynn Etta Manning
May 2009

Accepted by the Faculty of the Dallas Theological Seminary in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry
Examining Committee
___________________________________
____________________________________

ABSTRACT
AN IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE PERSONAL NEEDS
AND ISSUES OF THE DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINJARY
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FEMALE STUDENTS
Lynn Etta Manning
Readers: Joye B. Baker, Linda Marten
This study sought to identify the personal needs and issues of the female
students at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and to analyze those needs and issues.
The results will guide in the development of a mentoring ministry and help to design and
implement programming to better prepare and nurture the female seminarians for a life of
Christian service. This D.Min. project is the first study of its kind at DTS to ask the
female students to reveal their personal needs and issues. The research focuses on the
identification of those needs and issues, and analyzes the frequency with which the
female students experience specific needs and issues. The study also investigates the
value of mentoring by an older Christian woman or a peer mentor which could contribute
towards helping the women students address their personal needs and issues while
attending Dallas Seminary. The biblical basis and foundation of this dissertation
examined the Titus 2: 3-5 passage for the support of the importance of mentoring.
A descriptive survey designed by the researcher generated a 52% response
rate from the 296 women students who completed and returned the survey and were
currently enrolled in DTS in 2008. The survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative
responses by using both closed and open-ended questions. The survey included a limited
amount of demographic information to protect the confidentiality and anonymity of the
respondents. The survey was designed to collect demographic information, to assess
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current personal needs and issues of the female students, to discover the relevant topics to
use in programming events and speakers, and to gain specific recommendations from the
women students.
The research for this project included a review of literature focused on the
topic of mentoring, the importance of women mentoring women, and the need for both
peer mentors and older, more spiritually mature mentors. This study sought to determine
the need for mentoring and to consider ways to provide mentoring as part of the female
seminarians’ preparation for a life of Christian ministry.
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DEDICATION
Throughout my life significant women have poured wisdom into me without my
realizing it as mentoring or as the model described in Titus 2: 3-5. No one walks this journey of
life without needing the assistance, companionship, encouragement, wisdom, comfort, and
support of others who walk alongside us at some point in our journey. These important women
who have most influenced me are from many walks of life and many different circumstances and
relationships. I know now that I could not have made it without them because of the powerful and
positive impact they have had in my life. I acknowledge and dedicate this project to these specific
women who made the writing and completion of this project possible.
In Memory of:
Loretta Gilmore – my mother, my dear friend
who gave me life, showed me how to be a woman of integrity, a faithful wife,
a devoted mother, a loving grandmother, a hard worker, and
how to die with grace, dignity, and trust in the Lord.
In Honor of:
Molly Manning Rutty – my daughter and my dear friend
who is my inspiration for trusting the Lord with all things, at all times, and in all circumstances.
She has been my mentor teaching me how to love “The Father” by her love and relationship
with her daddy. She refreshes my joy with her young and growing faith in the Lord,
and her passion to seek God and His Word with all her heart, mind, soul,
and strength has given me strength and encouragement.
Erika Oropeza Manning – my daughter-in-love and my dear friend
who entered our family adding love, spice, grandchildren, and perspective
on how to be an intercultural family. She has brought us joy, laughter, and has
mentored me by her giving of herself. Her growing relationship with the Lord and desire to seek
the knowledge of His Word has been a blessing.
Joye Baker – my precious friend and sister of the heart in Christ
who has been my faithful peer mentor, best friend, spiritual sister, encourager, colleague, and
stable influence in the pursuit of holiness and a deep walk with the Lord.
She has been the “wind beneath my wings” in the completion of
this dissertation and pursuit of “Doctor of Ministry.”
Arlene Phelps – my spiritual mother and dear friend
who brought me to the Shepherd, taught me how to love Him and walk with Him daily. She
trusted me, as her mentor when she needed one; and mentored me from the beginning
of our relationship on the love for God’s Word, to depend on the Savior through prayer,
to teach others His Word, and to trust Him always.
The DTS women students – my friends and inspiration
who provided the personal data from their lives and the relationships to trust me to mentor them.
My prayer is that this study will provide a foundation as they mentor others they encounter
in their walk with Christ. Their love for the Lord, pursuit of equipping themselves to serve Him,
and desire to walk with complete integrity has been a blessing and encouragement.
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In addition to the women who have enriched my life, I have been extremely
blessed to have a few incredible men who have loved me and believed in me beyond
what I ever thought I could do, be, or accomplish. I acknowledge and dedicate this
project to these amazing and godly men who have significantly touched my life.
In Memory of:
Mike Manning – my precious husband and best friend
who loved me unconditionally, encouraged me, believed in me when I didn’t believe
in myself, saw potential in me, and invested in my DTS education. He endured with
me, and walked every step with me while he was fighting his own battle with
kidney cancer. One of his goals before he went to be with the Lord on January 6, 2009,
was to see me finish this dissertation and graduate in May 2009. Now he will
have the best view of graduation from a heavenly perspective. I could not have
done any of this without his total support and love. He has been my
greatest advocate and mentor as my husband and best friend of 36 ½ years.
In Honor of:
Jeff Manning – my son and my dear friend
who has always believed in me, encouraged me, and inspired me to reach for
greater and greater accomplishments. He has mentored me through his steady faith
and pursuit of greater and greater understanding of God’s Word. Now that his father and mentor
is gone, he is an invaluable support and strength to me.
Jon Rutty – my son-in-love and dear friend
who is a precious addition to our family and has used his incredible faith
and musical talents to bring worship alive. He has mentored my by his life of prayer, faith,
kindness, and trust in the Lord and His plans for the future. And he has taught me the joy and
love of praising the Lord through music.
Dr. Robert Garippa – my colleague, friend and “boss” at DTS
who recognized my gifts, saw my potential and gave me the opportunity to serve at DTS as the
Advisor for Women Students. He has been a seasoned and sensitive mentor,
friend, and a great support throughout the past 5 years as I have
served and mentored the women students.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iii
xi
xiv
xvi
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….1
Importance of the Study
Rationale for the Study
Definition of Terms
Mentoring
Spiritual Mothering
Discipleship
Shepherding
Pastoral Care and Pastoral Ministry
Counseling
Women as Mentors
Research Question and Anticipated Results
Research Design of the Study
Limitations
Preview of Remaining Chapters
2. PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND LITERATURE OVERVIEW……………..19
Biblical-Theological Basis of the Study
Literature Review
Definitions of Mentoring
General Mentoring Overview
Women Mentoring Women
Peer Mentoring
Multi-Cultural Mentoring
Mentoring in Academia
Personal Issues of Seminary Women
Loneliness and Isolation
Depression
Conclusions from Research
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3. PROCEDURE AND RESEARCH METHOD………………………………86
Research Question and Hypotheses
Research Method
Population
Development of the Instrument
Description of the Instrument
Procedures for Collecting the Data
Procedures for Analyzing the Data
Conclusion
4. RESEARCH RESULTS……………………………………………..............96
Current Description of Survey Respondents
Age of Respondents
Marital Status of Respondents
Degree Program of Respondents
Campus Location
Student Status
Cross-tabulation of Current Age and Current Student Status
Participation in Spiritual Formation Groups
American Citizenship Versus International Student Population
Issues of Personal Struggle
Issues Related to Hypothesis Two
Depression
Loneliness
Difficulty Handling Stress
Anxiety/Fear
Panic Attacks
Perfectionism
Issues Related to Hypothesis Three
Unhealthy Personal Body Image
Bulimia and Anorexia
Low Self-esteem
Low Self-confidence
Other Issues of the DTS Female Students
Alcohol Use
Balancing Marriage, Family, and Studies
Balancing Singleness, Family, and Studies
Marital Fidelity in Thought Life
Marital Fidelity in Actions
Discontentment in Singleness
Discontentment in Marriage
Homosexual Desires
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Masturbation
Doubts about Personal Faith and Beliefs
Insecurity
Comparison with Other Women
Communicating Intentions Appropriately with Men
Developing Friendships with Men
Developing Friendships with Married Women
Developing Friendships with Single Women
Satisfaction with Friendship/Support Network
Pornography
Sexual Activity
Sexual Abuse
Verbal and/or Emotional Abuse
Physical Abuse
Current Personal Needs While At DTS
Need for Female Mentors and Christian Friends
Past Female Mentor
Current Female Mentor
Peer Spiritual Mentor
Desire for a Peer Spiritual Mentor
Close Friendship(s)
Abortion
Additional Personal Needs
Relationships Between Female Students and Student Wives
Accountability for Behavior and Actions
New Student Connections
Financial Needs
Desire for Personal and Relational Connection with Other
Female Students
Desire for Marriage
Dating and Healthy Boundaries
Relationships Among Female Students
Family Issues
Topics for Programming, Seminars, and Speakers at DTS
Recommended Program or Speaker Topics
Survey Correlations
Depression
Loneliness
Low Self-esteem
Perfectionism
Personal Body Image
Self-confidence
Insecurity
Discontentment with Singleness
Difficulty Handling Stress
Struggle with Comparing Self with Other Women
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Relationships with Male Students
Relationship with an Older Christian Woman
Desire for a Female Mentor
Concluding Comments from Survey
Summary
Demographic Results
Results of the Struggles and Issues Faced by the Female Students
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………………………177
APPENDIXES
Summary of the Problem, Methodology, and Results
The Problem
Methodology
Overall Results
Demographic Summary
Results Related to Research Question
Results Related to Hypotheses
First Hypothesis
Second Hypothesis
Perfectionism
Loneliness
Stress and Anxiety
Depression
Third Hypothesis
Fourth Hypothesis
Fifth Hypothesis
Research Conclusions and Recommendations
Recommendations for Further Research
Implications of These Findings
A. PILOT STUDY COVER LETTER 196
B. DTS WOMEN STUDENTS’ SURVEY 198
C. SURVEY COVER LETTER 205
D. SURVEY EXPENSES 206
E. EMAIL REMINDER LETTER 207
F. CODING FOR SURVEY DATA RESULTS 208
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 218
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LIST OF TABLES
Table
Page
1. Age of Respondents 97
2. Current Marital Status 98
3. Current Age and Current Marital Status Cross-tabulation 99
4. DTS Degree 100
5. Current Age and DTS Degree Cross-tabulation 101
6. Dallas Campus Attendance 102
7. Current Student Status 102
8. Current Age and Current Student Status Cross-Tabulation 103
9. Spiritual Formation Group Participation 104
10. DTS Degree and Spiritual Formation Group Participation 105
11. American Citizenship 105
12. Struggle with Depression 107
13. Struggle with Loneliness 108
14. Difficulty Handling Stress 108
15. Difficulty Handling Anxiety/Fear 109
16. Experience Panic Attacks 110
17. Struggle with Perfectionism 111
18. Struggle with an Unhealthy Body Image 112
19. Struggle with Either Bulimia or Anorexia 113
20. Struggle with Low Self-esteem 113
21. Struggle with Low Self-confidence 114
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22. Drink Alcoholic Beverage While Attending DTS 115
23. Struggle with Balancing Marriage, Family, and Studies 116
24. Struggle with Balancing Singleness, Family, and Studies 117
25. Struggle with Faithfulness to Husband in Thought Life 118
26. Struggle with Faithfulness to Husband in Actions 118
27. Discontentment in Singleness 119
28. Discontentment in Marriage 120
29. Struggle with Homosexual Desires 121
30. Struggle with Sexual Needs Resolved with Masturbation 121
31. Struggle with Doubts About Faith and Beliefs 122
32. Struggle with Feelings of Insecurity 123
33. Struggle with Comparison to Other Women 124
34. Struggle with Communicating Intentions Appropriately with Men 125
35. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with DTS Male Students 126
36. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with Married Women Students 127
37. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with Single Women Students 128
38. Current Satisfaction with Support/Friendship Network 129
39. Use, View, or Read Pornography 129
40. Sexual Abuse 130
41. Verbal and/or Emotional Abuse 131
42. Physical Abuse 131
43. Past Relationship with an Older Christian Woman as a Mentor 132
44. Current Relationship with a Female Mentor and/or Desire for a Mentor 133
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45. Current Relationship with a Peer Spiritual Mentor 134
46. Desire to Have a Peer as a Mentor 135
47. Desire for a Peer Mentor and Have a Peer Mentor Cross-tabulation 135
48. Close Friendship(s) 136
49. Need Help with Past Abortion Issues 137
50. Responses to Survey Questions C6, C8, and C10-C16 on Needs 137
51. Non-Academic Needs as a DTS Student 143
52. Desired Speaker Topics 145
53. DTS Degree and Loneliness Cross-tabulation 150
54. DTS Degree and Perfectionism Cross-tabulation 154
55. DTS Degree and Unhealthy Body Image Cross-tabulation 156
56. DTS Degree and Low Self-confidence Cross-tabulation 158
57. DTS Degree and Insecurity Cross-tabulation 160
58. DTS Degree and Discontentment with Singleness Cross-tabulation 162
59. DTS Degree and Difficulty Handling Stress Cross-tabulation 163
60. DTS Degree and Comparison to Other Women Cross-tabulation 165
61. DTS Degree and Relationships with Male Students Cross-tabulation 167
62. DTS Degree and Relationship with an Older Woman Cross-tabulation 169
63. DTS Degree and Desire for a Female Mentor Cross-tabulation 171
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
Page
1. Degree of Need 138
2. Size of Non-academic Need 144
3. Speaker Topics Desired According to Need 145
4. Struggle with Depression by Marital Status 148
5. Struggle with Depression by Age 148
6. Struggle with Loneliness by Marital Status 149
7. Struggle with Loneliness by Age 150
8. Struggle with Low Self-esteem by Age 151
9. Struggle with Low Self-esteem by Marital Status 152
10. Struggle with Perfectionism by Marital Status 153
11. Struggle with Perfectionism by Age 154
12. Struggle with Personal Body Image by Marital Status 155
13. Struggle with Personal Body Image by Age 156
14. Struggle with Self-confidence by Marital Status 157
15. Struggle with Self-confidence by Age 158
16. Struggle with Insecurity by Marital Status 159
17. Struggle with Insecurity by Age 160
18. Discontentedness with Singleness by Age 161
19. Difficulty Handling Stress by Marital Status 162
20. Difficulty Handling Stress by Age 163
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21. Struggle with Comparing Self to Other Women by Marital Status 164
22. Struggle with Comparing Self to Other Women by Age 165
23. Difficulty with Relationships with Male Students by Marital Status 166
24. Difficulty with Relationships with Male Students by Age 167
25. Current Relationship with an Older Christian Woman by Age 168
26. Current Relationship with an Older Christian Woman by Marital Status 169
27. Desire for a Female Mentor by Marital Status 170
28. Desire for a Female Mentor by Age 171
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Mentors and mature older women in my life have had a huge impact on me,
my personal life, and my professional development. It wasn’t until I became a Christian
later in life that I realized that Christian community, relationships, and the wisdom of
brothers and sisters in Christ further along in the faith journey would be the fundamental
value that I would be called to fulfill in my own life. Life on this earth can be difficult.
And when it is, we need other Christians to come alongside and encourage us with hope,
faith, and love to continue the path that the Lord has called us to walk. And it is to that
end that I acknowledge those who have helped me to complete this D.Min. project, for I
could not have done it without their help, expertise, and encouragement.
These faithful brothers and sisters in Christ were long-suffering friends and
family who came alongside me and were mentors, encouragers, providers of expertise
and information, and prayer warriors. Dr. Jerry Wofford, Dr. John Reed, along with my
two readers, Dr. Joye Baker and Dr. Linda Marten assisted me in visioning this project,
provided permission and guidance for designing the survey instrument, and for producing
the final product. Jeanne Ballard, Tamra Barbieri, Eva Bleeker, Karen Clay, Vickie
Gregg, Lacie Habekott, Rose Henness, Paige King, Agnes Leung, Markene Meyers, Janet
Pope, and Lisa Yunker were the faithful women students who participated in the pilot
study, offering helpful insights, changes, and recommendations for the final development
of the survey. The DTS Office of the Registrar provided the address labels for the mailing
list, Terri Justice executed the printing and collating of the survey, and the DTS Postal
Office and its staff helped immensely with the mailing and receiving of the surveys. Dr.
Gene Pond, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness and Mark Howell,
Assistant Director for Institutional Research provided hours of gracious counsel and
professional designing of the charts, graphs and figures essential to the assessment of the
research data and its communication in the actual dissertation. I also want to
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acknowledge the wonderful help and provision of patient skill provided by Michelle Bly-
Shetter to get the pagination successfully done and Jenae Wyrtzen Edwards for her
excellence in the professional editing and printing of this dissertation.
The writing of this dissertation was done under the loving and professional
guidance of my two readers, Dr. Joye Baker and Dr. Linda Marten, who put in hours and
hours of loving and dedicated time reading, suggesting changes, editing, and offering
encouraging comments. Months and years of prayer were provided as encouragement and
support by many of my DTS colleagues as well as by many of my friends in Rockwall,
Texas, and most especially by my husband, Mike, and my family, Jeff and Erika
Manning, and Molly and Jon Rutty. These loved ones also persevered and sacrificed
alongside with me and for me so that I could complete this project.
This D.Min. project was conceived out of the passionate desire to serve the
women students of DTS more effectively, personally, and thoroughly as I serve in the
role of Advisor for Women Students. I am grateful to all the women students who
participated in this research and provided a completed survey in response to my
questions. It is because of their honest input and vulnerable sharing of their personal
needs and issues with which they struggle that this dissertation was possible. It is my
prayer that they will benefit from what we have learned as a result of this research and
that they will leave DTS as graduates who have been well prepared in all aspects of their
personal lives as well as academic scholarship to serve the Lord “with all their hearts,
minds, souls, and strength” as they go into all the world in ministry. It is also my hope
that this research will not only assist me in ministry and service to the DTS women
students but also that it will help those who will follow after me in the role of Advisor for
Women Students.
xvii

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Importance of the Study
The female seminarian represents a fairly recent phenomenon in the life and
ministry of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). Women joined the DTS student body in
1975 with approximately 1500 women graduates as of 2008. These women trained and
prepared for ministry through biblical and theological study to fulfill the mission of
Dallas Seminary “to glorify God by equipping godly servant leaders.” 1 As of the date of
this dissertation, no specific research has addressed the personal needs and issues of the
female students. In the past, studies were conducted related to the DTS women alumnae 2
and the wives of DTS students. 3 In 1977, three women graduated from DTS. Ten years
later, in 1987, twenty-eight women graduated. By1997, the number of women graduating
from DTS was forty-six. In 2007, ninety-five women graduated with DTS degrees and in
2008, one-hundred twelve women graduated with DTS degrees. With the increasing
numbers of women attending and graduating from Dallas Seminary, the issues and needs
of female students have increased proportionately each year. Literature and resources
2008), 6.
1 Dallas Theological Seminary Catalog (Dallas, TX: Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007-
2 Joye B. Baker, “An Analysis of the Leadership Challenges Facing the Dallas Theological
Seminary Women Alumnae” (D.Min. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005).
3 Jeannette M. Entz Shubert. “An Evaluation of the Seminary Wives In Ministry Program at
Dallas Theological Seminary” (D.Min. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001).
1

2
exist which address the personal needs and issues of women. However, there is limited
research specifically related to Dallas Seminary female seminarians.
This study sought to identify and assess the personal needs and issues of the
Dallas Theological Seminary twenty-first century female students. As part of this
research, a specifically designed survey was used to discover the personal needs and
issues of the women students. The data from the survey will help strengthen and enhance
the programming, leadership training, and pastoral care provided by the Advisor for
Women Students. Beyond the application useful to Dallas Seminary, this research could
also be a benefit to women in other seminaries as well as women in churches since the
DTS female students represent a cross-section of Christian women.
As the Advisor for Women Students at DTS, I chose this research focus
because I have the responsibility to provide pastoral care, guidance, and resources for the
women students. A large part of my role includes meeting with every female student
personally and to regularly meet with students desiring an on-going, deeper mentoring
relationship. I have served in this role since 2004, and I believe that this study provides
me with the information needed to better adjust, design, plan, and implement
programming and resources for the women students.
One responsibility of the Advisor for Women Students is to oversee the
Women Students’ Fellowship (WSF) and to train and guide the WSF student leadership.
This student organization provides a training environment for women leaders as they plan
and execute different programs, retreats, and seminars. These events connect the women
with one another, provide an opportunity to meet some of the relational needs of the
women students, and help in their preparation for future ministry to others. As the
Advisor for Women Students, I regularly mentor those who serve in positions on the
WSF Leadership Team and help identify and address some of their own personal and
relational issues.

3
The information gained through this research will also inform the DTS faculty
and staff regarding curriculum, training needs, counseling, and support services for the
female students. Beyond the application useful to Dallas Seminary, women in similar
roles at other seminaries might find this information helpful as they guide, counsel, and
plan pertinent programming and courses for their female students. Additionally, the data
from this research could also be very helpful in training, leading, and ministering to
women in local churches.
Rationale for the Study
Titus 2 offers a biblical mandate for older, more spiritually mature women to
care for the needs of younger women. The Apostle Paul instructs Christian women to
teach and train other women to live godly lives. Paul states in Titus 2: 1-5:
But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older
men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in
perseverance. Older women, likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not
malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they
may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to
be sensible, pure workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that
the word of God may not be dishonored (Titus 2:1-5).
Paul exhorts older men regarding their behaviors, attitudes, and faith. He then
transitions in his instruction to Titus and specifically includes and addresses the older
women by saying, “Likewise…” This indicates that the older women should manifest the
same requirements as the older men in their behavior, character, and leadership as well as
attend to the specific instruction of teaching what is good, and being influencers, models,
teachers, and mentors for the younger women. Paul attempts to communicate that
believing women should have the same personal characteristics and responsibilities
towards younger women as the male leaders have towards younger men. This mandate
surfaces the need for older women of the faith to develop relationships with younger, less

4
spiritually mature believing women, in order to mentor them, and encourage and guide
them in the process of their Christian growth and maturity.
Definition of Terms
The following terms will be used throughout this dissertation. It is important
for these terms to be clearly defined and explained in order to understand the research
presented in the Literature Review.
Mentoring
The term mentor actually comes from the world of Greek mythology. The
original Mentor appears as an old and trusted friend of Odysseus. Odysseus put his son,
Telemachus, under the tutelage and care of this wise sage named Mentor. At the time of
the Trojan War, Telemachus spent his time away fighting, so Mentor held the
responsibility to teach his young student “not only in book learning but also in the wiles
of the world.” 4
Mentor serves as a wise guide to young Telemachus in his search for
reunion with his father after the end of the War. Mentor urges the boy on his quests.
Mentor’s responsibility was to provide an education of soul and spirit, as well as mind,
and an education in wisdom and not merely in information. Mentor’s part in the story is
instructive, helping the young man achieve his manhood and confirm his identity in an
adult world while helping the father complete his life’s work. 5
Many terms across the years have been used for the concept of the mentoring
relationship. The ministry of a mentor begins with humility and trust, as the primary task
involves listening and not telling another what to do. It includes imparting wisdom and
insight into what the mentoree experiences. A mentor helps a mentoree begin to have a
4 Philip Babcock Gove, ed., Webster’s Third International Dictionary (Springfield, MA: G. &
C. Merriam, 1981), 1412.
5 Laurent A. Daloz. Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners (San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass Inc., Publishers, 1999), 20.

5
perspective of her life as a whole, as a Christian, and to recognize God’s activity
throughout all of her life experiences. Mentoring requires the gift of time … time to
listen, time to care, and time to commit to be with another person in reflective thought.
“Anyone can mentor, provided he has learned something from God and is willing to
share with others what he has learned,” 6 state Stanley and Clinton. “Mentoring is one of
the most influential ways to help us grow into intimacy with God, accept our identity as
the beloved of God and discover our unique voices for kingdom responsibility.” 7 Esther
Burroughs adds, “A mentor enhances growth in the life of another.” 8
The definition of a mentor for the purposes of this study is: One who commits
to come alongside another younger person (either by chronology of age or by number of
semesters enrolled in Dallas Seminary) in a caring relationship like a shepherd, to
encourage, exhort, reflect, and share insights about seminary, spiritual growth and
integrity, life experiences and related subjects. The mentor should also listen to the
mentoree’s personal struggles, doubts, difficulties, ways of living and relating to God and
others to help discover anything that might be hindering her walk of faith and full
commitment to God.
Spiritual Mentoring
Addressing the subjects of spirituality, spiritual friends, guides, and direction,
David Benner explains, “…spiritual direction is…often referred to by such terms as
mentoring, discipleship, or spiritual guidance (these all describing slightly different but
6 Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton. Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need
to Succeed in Life (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1992), 29.
7 Keith R. Anderson and Randy D. Reese, Spiritual Mentoring (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1999), 36-37.
1997), 60.
8 Esther Burroughs, A Garden Path to Mentoring (Birmingham, AL: New Hope Publishers,

6
closely related forms of relationship).” 9 Benner further expresses the differences he sees
saying,
The essence of Christian spirituality is following Christ on a journey
of personal transformation.…Christian spirituality involves working out
our existence within the context of the Christian faith and community.
More precisely, it is the deep relationship with God that exists when the
human spirit is grounded in God’s Spirit. Spirituality is not Christian if it
is not centered in the Spirit.…Spiritual friends nurture the development of
each other’s soul…desiring that the other become all that he or she was
intended to be….It is the gift of themselves and their companionship on
the transformational journey of Christian spirituality.…Christian direction
is the second form of soul friendship.…Spiritual direction is a one-on-one
relationship organized around prayer and conversation directed toward
deepening intimacy with God. 10
Spiritual mentoring means encouraging others in their spiritual journey and
maturity. The mentor and mentoree share honestly about the untidiness and chaos of the
real world, discuss how it impacts the challenges of life, and discover encouragement and
hope through their personal relationship with Christ. Keith Anderson and Randy Reese
describe this concept as, “holy listening by wholly listening.” 11 Spiritual mentoring
encourages another through carefully listening and helping others “to listen to the story
line in their own lives, ask their own questions, and connect their own stories to The
Story, Jesus’ story.” 12 In addition, Anderson and Reese explain, “…There is a story that
is being written in our lives, a composition that gets written down or painted on the
canvas of our biographies. To see its image clearly, we must learn to pay attention.
Spiritual mentoring is a relationship that helps us pay attention to our stories and to
2002), 17.
9 David G. Benner. Sacred Companions (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,
10 Ibid., 15
11 Anderson and Reese, Spiritual Mentoring 90.
12 Ibid., 95.

7
recognize there the already present action of God.” 13 Spiritual mentoring requires
humility, and a mature and well-developed ability to listen and have discernment.
Another way to define mentoring is to say, “To mentor is to hold up a mirror
for reflection. What is reflected is what inhabits the life of the mentoree, not the brilliance
of the mentor.” 14 Since students attend Dallas Seminary to further their Christian
education and perhaps also pursue a Christian vocation, the spiritual aspect, or spiritual
mentoring, stands as an integral part of the mentoring relationship for the purposes of this
research and study.
When defining spiritual mentoring, the synonymous term spiritual direction is
often used. Chaplain (LTC) Michael W. Dugal states that his definition is derived from a
biblical and Christian perspective saying: “Spiritual direction is a continual formative
process in which a Christian believer receives guidance enabling them to faithfully
respond to the Holy Spirit’s constant work of grace toward the attainment of
Christlikeness. (Gal 6:1; Eph 4:11-13; 2 Tim 1:6-9, 13-14; 2:1, 15, 22-26; 3:14-17; 4:2-5;
Titus 2:1-8).” 15 The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation contains an
entry for spiritual direction. It defines spiritual direction as “the practice of aiding another
to mature and be formed in the Christian life.” 16 Spiritual direction represents a
foundational aspect of any mentoring relationship.
Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton add this insight to the Spiritual Guidementor
concept saying, “Spiritual Guide-mentoring is reflective intensive. A Spiritual
13 Ibid., 40.
14 Ibid., 56.
15 Chaplain (LTC) Michael W. Dugal. “Spiritual Direction: A Deliberate Response for Taking
Spiritual Leadership to the Next Level,” The Army Chaplaincy Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry
Team, (Chaplain (COL) David A. Kenehan, Editor-in-Chief, Winter-Spring, 2006), 12.
16 Keith Beasley-Topliffe, ed., The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation
(Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2003), 81.

8
Guide will move you on to interdependence, which implies a healthy independence with
mutual dependence for greater growth and ministry as a part of the Body of Christ.” 17 In
their book Connecting, the authors describe the functions of a Spiritual Guide-mentor,
emphasizing the following aspects in the mentoring relationship: “…help believers assess
their own development; point out areas of strength and weakness in spirituality; help
believers identify needs and take initiative for change and growth; provide perspectives
on how to develop growth and depth; and provide accountability for spiritual maturity.” 18
The presence of Christ is to be manifested, evidenced and experienced in the presence of
a believer. This is a valuable gift, as well as a great privilege which Christians can offer
to one another through the mentoring relationship.
Susan Hunt coined the term spiritual mothering 19 to describe the mentoring
relationship between Christians. Hunt states, “My working definition for the spiritual
mothering relationship is this: When a woman possessing faith and spiritual maturity
enters into a nurturing relationship with a younger woman in order to encourage and
equip her to live for God’s glory.” 20 Hunt also makes the important clarification to this
concept saying, “Please note that giving birth biologically or being of a certain
chronological age are not prerequisites for spiritual mothering.” 21 Sharon W. Betters
contributes to the concept of Christian women nurturing women, or spiritual mentoring
by saying, “Biblical encouragement is soul work.…God uses us – His children – to do
17 Stanley and Clinton. Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in
Life. (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1992), 66.
18 Ibid., 67.
19 Susan Hunt, Spiritual Mothering (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1992), 12.
20 Ibid., 12.
21 Ibid., 12.

9
soul work…by giving to others the treasure of His encouragement, thus becoming God’s
promise keepers.” 22
Discipleship
Discipleship should be interwoven into any Christian relationship. “The Greek
word for disciple – mathetes – means learner, pupil, someone who learns by following.
The word implies an intellectual process that directly affects the lifestyle of a person. It is
used in the New Testament primarily of the Twelve. Whatever making a disciple means,
Jesus himself did it. Whatever a disciple is, that’s what the Twelve were.” 23 Discipleship
can be a specific relationship or it can be a program or ministry devoted to the single
purpose of discipling or teaching another the principles and concepts of the Christian
faith. Win Arn and Charles Arn, authors of The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples,
answer the question, “What is a Disciple?” by saying, “A disciple is a believer. A disciple
is a follower. A disciple is a learner. A disciple is a witness. A disciple is baptized. A
disciple is a reproducer.” 24 Arn and Arn go on to define discipleship as, “…disciplemaking:
an intentional strategy and priority of the church that initiates disciple-making,
trains members in disciple-making, uses resources of the body, creates support resources,
and incorporates new believers into the church.” 25 Stanley and Clinton in their book
Connecting, add this insight to a distinction of discipleship saying, “Discipling is training
intensive.” 26
22 Sharon W. Betters, Treasures of Encouragement (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing
Company, 1996), 9-11.
23 Bill Hull, Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004), 24.
24 Win Arn and Charles Arn, The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 1998), 27.
25 Ibid., 122.
26 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 66.

10
A. B. Bruce, author of the classic book The Training of the Twelve, describes
disciples and discipling, saying of Jesus, “…the great Founder of the faith desired not
only to have disciples, but to have about Him men whom He might train to make
disciples of others: to cast the net of divine truth into the sea of the world, and to land on
the shores of the divine kingdom a great multitude of believing souls.” 27 Robert E.
Coleman emphasizes the importance of discipleship and discipling when he clearly states,
“Discipling men and women is the priority around which our lives should be oriented.” 28
Quoting the biblical account by Matthew, Coleman explains,
Matthew’s account sums it up: ‘Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you…’
(Matt 28:19, 20, ASV). Significantly, in the original text, ‘go,’ ‘baptizing,’ and
‘teaching’ are participles. This means that these responsibilities derive their
direction from the leading verb, ‘make disciples,’ or as it might be translated,
‘make learners of Christ.’ 29
The word disciple designates a learner or follower, as in the sense of an
apprentice, and in The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, it is further
explained that the word disciple, “…always implies the existence of a personal
attachment which shapes the whole of life of the one described. 30 Stanley and Clinton
summarize the relationship of discipling and mentoring by saying, “As a follower of
Christ, you can mentor others. Whatever God has given you that has enabled you to grow
and deepen your relationship with Him, you can pass on to others. Introducing young
followers of Christ to the basics of spiritual growth is part of the process of discipling,
13.
27 A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1988),
Revell, 1998), 9.
28 Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H.
29 Ibid., 9.
30 Gerhard Kettel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, trans. and ed. Geoffrey
W. Bromiley, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 1967), 441.

11
which is the first and most basic mentoring type.” 31 Though a disciple, discipleship,
disciple-making, or discipling can be structured in the specific ways described above, the
purpose of this study is a focus on mentoring, and discipleship remains only one informal
dimension of the mentoring relationship.
Shepherding
Shepherding speaks of pastoral care modeled for every believer by the Master
Shepherd, Jesus. Addressing women specifically, as women are instructed in Titus 2, Bev
Hislop has coined a definition for women shepherding women which reflects the focus of
this study. She explains, “The greatest distinction of a shepherd is that she is a woman
who intentionally provides the comfort and understanding that fosters healing and
growth.” 32 Phillip Keller states,
‘Sheep do not just take care of themselves’ as some might suppose. They
require more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous
care. It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep
and human beings is similar in many ways… Our mass mind (or mob instincts),
our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all
parallels of profound importance. 33
The imagery of shepherding is found throughout the Scriptures as is the concept of the
“Good Shepherd,” (Psalm 23 and John 16) for Jesus is the perfect model of a shepherd
shepherding His sheep.
Pastoral Care & Pastoral Ministry
In light of Titus 2, pastoral care can be defined as responding to another in
their life situation with compassion, care, and wisdom. The need for intimacy and to
31 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 29.
31.
32 Beverly White Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003),
33 Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at The Twenty-Third Psalm (Grand Rapids, MI:Zondervan
Publishing House, 1970), 20 – 21.

12
know and be known remains as one of the fundamental desires of the human heart. We
long to be deeply connected to others. As revealed in this study, the needs and issues of
women necessitate the pastoral care of women by women. Even though women attend
seminary, they are not exempt from the emotional pains from their past nor from the
emotional pains that have come with societal and educational privileges. The mandate in
Titus 2 implies a type of pastoral care women need from other women to address issues
of life and the challenges of the seminary experience.
Pastoral ministry does not refer to the role of the minister of a church. Since as
believers, we all belong to “the priesthood of believers,” (1 Peter 2: 4-­‐5 NASB) believers
have responsibility to care for the needs of other believers. As the Apostle Paul states,
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 (NASB).
Pastoral care and pastoral ministry are closely related to mentoring another believer.
Counseling
Webster defines counseling as: “professional guidance of the individual by
utilizing psychological methods, especially in collecting case history data, using various
techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes.”(Galatians 6:2
(NASB). Professional counseling is essential and necessary for certain situations.
Individuals, where the issues are more complex and the needs beyond the understanding
of the lay person, are referred to professionals. Referrals need to be expediently and
carefully made.
For the purposes of this study, counseling will not refer to trained licensed
professional counselors or professional counseling. As stated in the Dallas Seminary
Handbook,
Counseling is available through the dean of students, student services staff
(Advisor for Women Students, Advisor for African-American Students, Advisor
for International Students, and the Seminary Chaplain), and the faculty at no cost
to the student. However, there are times when more specialized help is needed. In

13
that event, the Counseling Services department offers professional, biblical
counseling assistance to Seminary students, staff, faculty, and their immediate
families. Counseling is provided to the Seminary family by the director of
counseling Services and contract therapists for a fee per session. If necessary,
financial hardship cases are considered on an individual basis. Occasionally,
situations may require networking with other mental health professionals in the
Dallas community. The Counseling Services department works with the client to
find the best care possible if referrals are needed. 34
However, in any relationship where sharing of life experiences, struggles, challenges, and
emotional burdens are expressed, a certain degree of reaching out to the other using
scriptural truth and spiritual encouragement is a certain type of lay counseling. The
sharing of wisdom, scriptural truth, experience, spiritual encouragement and compassion
is the definition of the “counseling” used in a mentoring situation for this study.
Women As Mentors
The New Testament teaches that God calls all Christians to minister to one
another. Believers are to serve using their gifts and talents to edify, encourage, equip, and
build up the Body of Christ in unity (Eph 4:11-14). God created the man and the woman
equally in His image (Gen 1:26-27). Titus 2 makes some distinctions between men and
women in the area of mentoring. Beverly Hislop makes an important observation about
women and their God-given nature and their nurturing abilities by asking:
Does bearing children solely define a woman? What about single women or
married women without children? Is child-bearing simply a physical, biological
difference between men and women? Or had God so created woman so that every
fiber of her being is made to nurture others? Would it not be consistent with
God’s character to create a human being with the ability to gestate with all the
emotional, mental, and spiritual capabilities that are needed to take care of that
life and to prepare that little one for interdependent living? Life experiences can
damage or hinder the full development of this nurturing capacity, but the Creator
designed women with nurturing abilities as standard equipment. Married or single
– women who bear biological children and women who don’t – are all created
with a nurturing heart 35
34 Dallas Theological Seminary Student Handbook (Dallas, TX: Dallas Theological
Seminary), 41.
35 Beverly Hislop, Shepherding A Woman’s Heart, 43.

14
Women are created in the image of God to be nurturers of others. Hislop
emphasizes this nurturing and mentoring by women with women when she states, “The
nurturing nature the Creator gave women fits beautifully with the spirit and body,
enabling women to encourage others, to bring health and beauty to relationships on
earth.” 36
Research Question and Anticipated Results
This study asked and answered the question, “What are the personal needs and
issues of the Dallas Theological Seminary 21 st Century female students?” The following
hypotheses were formed prior to the research process:
1. Needs and issues will differ for Dallas Theological Seminary female
students based on the demographic factors of younger and older students,
single and married students, international and non-international students,
and Th.M. and M.A. students.
2. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will reveal
that their greatest personal issues will be in the area of depression,
loneliness, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism.
3. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will reveal a
struggle with the issues of self-image, self-acceptance, and self-confidence.
4. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will indicate
a strong desire and need for mentoring relationships with older, more
spiritually mature women.
5. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will reveal
one of their greatest needs is for close meaningful relationships with men
and women.
36 Ibid., 44.

15
Research Design of the Study
A descriptive survey, designed to discover the personal needs and issues of
the Dallas Theological Seminary female students, served as the research instrument for
this study. The first draft became a pilot survey sent out to twelve female students in
December 2007. These women represented different ages, degree plans, number of years
at Dallas Seminary, ethnicities, and marital status. The pilot survey asked for their input
on the amount of time it took to take the survey, evaluation of the effectiveness and
thoroughness of the questions, and personal recommendations. All twelve women
returned their surveys within one week. Based on the feedback, a few questions were
eliminated, a few were added, and a few were reworded for clarity.
In January 2008, the official survey was mailed to the 600 current Dallas
Seminary female students. These included women students taking courses on the Dallas
campus, at all five of the Dallas Seminary extension sites, and all on-line women
students. Two hundred and ninety-eight (298) surveys (49.6%) were received back from
the women students by the March 2008 deadline. The survey was designed to collect
demographic information, to assess current personal issues and needs of the female
students, to discover the relevant topics to use in programming events and speakers, and
to gain any specific recommendations from the women students. This dissertation
includes a summary of the data collected from the survey to help strengthen the training
of women students at Dallas Seminary. The results of this project were sent to Dr. Mark
Bailey, President of Dallas Seminary, Dr. Robert Garippa, Vice-President and Dean of
Students, and Rose Henness, the 2008-2009 Women Students’ Fellowship Leadership
Team Leader and Intern for developing the Hesed Sister Ministry.

16
Limitations
The Dallas Seminary Registrar’s Department supplied the list of addresses
used to mail the survey to the women students. Thirty-three surveys were returned to
sender and never received by the addressee. Two students returned their survey without
giving responses to the questions. The first student stated that she had graduated and she
did not think that she qualified for the survey and chose not to fill it out. The second
student criticized the survey and chose not to fill it out. Two students returned their
surveys with responses but had overlooked answering a page of questions. These two
surveys are included in the count of valid surveys since the respondents answered the
majority of the questions. The final number of surveys used for this study totaled 565. Of
these mailed, women students returned 296 valid surveys, which produced a response rate
of 52.4% for the study.
Preview of Remaining Chapters
Chapter Two presents previous research and a literature review. It includes
the biblical-theological basis of the study from the primary New Testament passage Titus
2:3-5, and from the Old Testament passage, Gen 1:26-28, along with other selected Old
and New Testament passages. The Literature Review addresses two specific issues:
(1) the need for mentoring and training from older or more spiritually mature women to
younger women, and (2) an overview of the needs and issues of today’s twenty-first
century woman, and most specifically, females in higher education and seminary.
Chapter Three describes the procedure and research method. Details of the
process of designing the descriptive survey and the execution of the instrument,
description of the female population at Dallas Seminary, correlation of hypotheses and
survey questions and the procedures for collecting and analyzing the data are reported.
Chapter Four details the results of the study. The responses to the survey
questions are presented according to the following categories: (1) demographics,

17
(2) personal issues, (3) personal needs, and (4) topics for seminars, speakers, and
programming. The data reflects the findings of the research and correlations relate to each
of the hypotheses.
Chapter Five summarizes the results of the study, draws conclusions, and
makes recommendations. Suggestions are given for future additional research and the
implications of this study.

CHAPTER 2
PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND LITERATURE OVERVIEW
Biblical -Theological Basis of the Study
This study sought to identify the needs and issues of women seminarians and
the need for mentoring of women by women, and specifically the women students of
Dallas Seminary. The research associated with this study addresses two related topics:
(1) the need for women mentoring women, and (2) the specific personal and emotional
needs and issues of women seminarians. Titus 2:3-5 provides the fundamental and
foundational scripture for the biblical-theological basis of this project.
The Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to Titus, the young man commissioned by
Paul to establish the church at Crete. Paul calls Titus “my true son,” indicating perhaps
that Paul was the one responsible for Titus’ conversion. Or the description, “my true son”
may indicate a mentor-protégé relationship, or it may refer to both meanings. Paul
probably wrote Titus after he wrote 1 Timothy (see Titus 3:12; 1 Tim. 3:14) and before
he wrote 2 Timothy, his last inspired epistle. 37 Paul’s epistle to Titus stands as one of the
triad of New Testament epistles known as the pastoral epistles. This title was first given
to 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus by P. Anton in 1726. 38 In this letter to Titus, Paul
37 Mark Bailey and Tom Constable, “Titus,” in Nelson’s New Testament Survey, eds. Charles
R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1999), 489-495.
& T. Clark, 1924), xiii.
2 Walter Lock, The Pastoral Epistles in The International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T.
18

19
reiterates his previous instructions to Titus whom he had left behind on the island of
Crete to provide leadership for the fledgling Cretan church. The brevity of Paul’s visit to
Crete necessitated this letter since the organization of the Cretan church was unfinished. 39
Paul was familiar with the Cretan churches and knew the Cretans believers faced
different challenges from other first century workers. Titus needed to receive specific
instructions to apply to the unique situation of the Cretan churches. Crete had once been
the center of Western civilization. R.W. Hutchinson offers this information:
The long mountainous island of Crete forms a natural stepping stone between
Europe and Africa, and between Europe and Asia, but whereas there are many
stepping stones for the latter interval, Crete is the only convenient link between
Europe and Egypt. It was no accident therefore, that this island became the
medium for the transmission of cultural influences for, the older civilizations of
the Near and Middle East to barbarian Europe, and that the first civilization that
we can term European was that of Crete. 40
Scholars, Mark Bailey and Thomas Constable, in their commentary on Titus, state:
The Cretans had a reputation for being idle and corrupt (1:12), and the
churches there were unorganized. These traits apparently characterized some of
the believers as well as the false teachers. Part of Titus’ task consisted of
motivating them to change….and dealing with false teachers (1:10-11).” 41
Commentator and biblical historian, Edward P. Blair, states this about Paul’s letter to
Titus:
This brief letter is full of charm and help for effective Christian living. An old
Apostle (Paul) is writing to a son in the gospel to assist him in carrying out his
mission in a tough spot (Crete). The son (Titus) was living among people who
were notorious as ‘liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ The nature of the counsel
offered him indicates that the church members there were undisciplined in
personal habits, quarrelsome, insubordinate, and indolent in their Christian
service. Their way of life was not markedly different from that of their heathen
neighbors. And false teachers were destroying whatever foundations of Christian
39 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds., “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary,
Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 761-62.
40 R. W. Hutchinson, Prehistoric Crete. (Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1962), 31.
41 Bailey and Constable, “Titus,” in Nelson’s New Testament Survey, 489-90.

20
understanding and living that had been laid down when they had first been
evangelized. 42
Under the legendary leadership of King Minos, who had ruled all of Europe, the
civilization of Crete was at its lowest point during the days of the Roman Empire when
Titus labored there. Hutchinson also explains:
The island of Crete was prosperous certainly in a humdrum way under the
Roman Empire, but its inhabitants lived in a backwater, playing no great part in
the more stirring events of the time…[It] reached its final period of degradation
just before the Roman occupation, when it became the headquarters of the pirates
in the Mediterranean. 43
This epistle deals particularly with the order of the local church, and the
dominant theme is exemplary Christian behavior for the sake of outsiders. 44 Paul wanted
to present clear principles to follow in order to properly establish the church in Crete. His
instructions to Titus intended to equip and direct Titus to deal with a decadent society
which was prone toward disorganization, disunity and deceitfulness. 45 In his thesis on
Titus, Albert W. Mitchell adds, “The overriding task given to Titus was to set in order the
things lacking in Crete. It is evident from the emphasis on good works in this epistle that
Titus was not engaged in evangelism or in church planting but in the structural
organization of the Cretan churches. The churches were apparently divided into factions
and were unable to present a united front against the false teachers.” 46 Paul therefore
instructs the Cretan Christians about what Christian behavior and relationships should
42 Edward P. Blair, “Titus,” The Illustrated Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press,
1987), 325-26.
43 R. W. Hutchinson, Prehistoric Crete, 31.
44 Bailey and Constable, “Titus,” in Nelson’s New Testament Survey, 490.
45 A. E. Humphreys, The Epistles to Timothy and Titus (Cambridge: The University Press,
1895), 213-14.
46 Albert W. Mitchell, “An Exposition of Paul’s Specific Pastoral Instruction to Titus” (Th.M.
thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1970), 20.

21
look like according to sound doctrine. And, he gives a specific instruction to women in
Titus 2:1-5:
But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older
men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in
perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not
malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they
may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to
be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that
the word of God may not be dishonored (Titus 2:3-5 (NASB).
In Titus 2:1, Paul instructs Titus to encourage and teach that which reflects
sound doctrine (or “healthy teaching”). 47 The most outstanding result of sound doctrine is
to produce a quality of reverence in behavior. The Cretan Christians were to behave
consistently with what they professed to believe. Paul addresses five specific people
groups of believers: (1) older men, (2) older women, (3) younger women, (4) younger
men, and (5) slaves (Titus 2:2-10 (NASB). Paul instructs Titus to teach all of these
groups except the younger women. Paul directs the older women to take responsibility for
teaching and training the younger women (vv. 4-5). Cary M. Purdue brings a valuable
insight into Paul’s usage of the term “older” in verse 2 when saying,
In a patriarchal-matriarchal society it was natural that older persons should be
instructed first. The older men (presbutas) are not aged men who hold
ecclesiastical positions (see 1 Tim 5:17), but are men old in years (see also 1 Tim
5:1).…The greybeards should have three characteristics which befit all old men
and three which are specifically Christian. The first triad consists of soberness,
dignity, and self-control…has specific reference to a moderate use of wine, but
more generally to moderation in all tastes and habits. Healthy doctrine must have
healthy practice, so a second triad of virtues is enjoined which is especially
related to the Christian life. These are faith, love, and patience…
In verse 3…The adverb likewise points out the close connection with what
precedes, so that the older women are compared to the older men. Both must
demonstrate practical virtues and shun evil vices. Age is a relative matter and
there is no way of knowing how old old is or how young young is (see vs. 4, 6).
The word behavior has wide connotations, referring to the attitudes and actions
47 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, 764.

22
which reflect one’s conduct in all respects and on all occasions. The demeanor of
old women should be reverent. 48
Paul states that these “older women” (gynaikas) had to avoid malicious gossip
(or “not to be slanderers,” diabolous, from diaballo “to slander”; from this verb comes
the noun “devil,” the chief slanderer) of others. These older women (gynaikas) were to be
“worthy of respect” or “reverent in their behavior” (semnous, “serious-minded,” i.e., not
clowns). 49 This quality speaks of women who display a reverence in their daily life
equivalent to the bearing of a temple priestess engaged in sacred duties. 50 They were not
to have a dependence on enslaving substances such as wine (or, “temporate,” nephalious,
“well-balanced”). 51 Walvoord and Zuck comment about this Greek word usage saying,
“Paul used some form of the word here translated ‘self-control’ with each of the four
groups of people (vv.2, 4-6). Various forms of the word are prominent in the Pastorals,
indicating for all Christians the importance of moderation, sensibleness, and selfrestraint.”
52 Cary Purdue also states that Paul gives “…two prohibitions, the first of
which is a besetting sin of elderly women in general, and the second the besetting sin of
the Cretans in particular. They were not to be slanderers or malicious gossipers.” 53 In his
commentary, Purdue goes on to explain:
The usage of the perfect douloo (enslaved) points out the plight of addiction
and bondage that possessed many Cretan women. There seems to be a connection
between gossip and addiction, for in a society where wine was the only beverage,
it would be a natural outcome of wine parties for the character of others to be
maligned. But there is something better to do, for instead of tearing down
84-85.
764.
48 Cary M. Purdue, 2 Timothy and Titus Explained (Paco, Manila: O.M.F. Publishers, 1975),
49 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, 738,
50 Lock, The Pastoral Epistles in The International Critical Commentary, 140.
51 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, 738.
52 Ibid. 764.
53 Purdue, 2 Timothy and Titus Explained, 85.

23
character they can build up character. Accordingly, these older women are to be
teachers of noble virtues...both by life and by lip. The context seems to indicate
that their teaching was primarily to be by example, a service which has been
invaluable to the cause of Christ throughout many centuries. 54
In addition, the older women should teach what is good (agathas) 55 by deed as
well as by word. “Personal advice and encouragement, not formal teaching, is in view
here [EBC, E1,GNC, Hn, HNTC, SSA, TC, TNTC, WC]; it is teaching by words and by
example [EGT, IB, NCB, GNC, HNTC, WC], perhaps by example only [MNTC,NCBC],
or more by speech and teaching than by example [Lg, My, SSA]. The good things they
are to teach are specified in the following verses [Bg, SSA, TG].” 56 They were to
encourage the younger women to fulfill their responsibilities.
Author and pastor Robert Lewis describes the relationship that Paul advocates
in Titus 2 in his book The New Eve. Lewis explains,
In Titus 2 the apostle Paul encouraged older, more experienced women to step
forward and help the younger, less mature women learn how to ‘be sensible’
(Titus 2:5). Even first-century women had trouble with priorities and saying no.
So Paul exhorted mature women to build for these younger women a wise
decision-making grid that includes loving their husbands (being a helper), loving
their children (nurturing a healthy, godly next generation), being sensible (about
what you can and should not do), and making a good home ‘so that the word of
God will not be dishonored’ (Titus 2:5). 57
The younger women needed role models to help them see how to live out
Christian values and beliefs. By requiring the older women to have certain honorable
characteristics, they became the role models, teachers, and mentors for the younger
women so that the younger women could learn how to live in a manner distinct from the
54 Ibid.,85-86.
55 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, 764.
56 J. Harold Greenlee, An Exegetical Summary of Titus and Philemon, Th.M. thesis, (Dallas,
TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc., 1989), 53.
57 Robert Lewis, The New Eve (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), 82.

24
culture around them. Paul emphasizes to Titus the critical influence women play in
reflecting God’s Truth. Lenski states,
Paul has more to say regarding the young women than regarding any other
class of members. Why this is the case is indicated by the purpose clause which,
however, extends back also to the old women because they are to be qualified for
producing all this sober-mindedness in the young women. If the women fail in
what Paul here asks, he fears, ‘lest the word of God be blasphemed,’ ‘lest the
whole gospel be vilified.’ So much depends on the women, in great part on the
young women, of the church. The world will to a great extent judge the churches
by the character which the gospel produces in the women. 58
In her book Mixed Ministry, Dr. Sue Edwards also discusses why Paul gave
the advice to Titus for the older women to teach the younger women. Edwards comments,
“We believe Paul understood that older women make better teachers, trainers, mentors,
and models for younger women because, as women, they have so much in common. And
Paul wanted his sisters to get the best possible care and instruction.” 59 Older Christian
women also have a lifetime of experiences, both positive and negative, to bring to
relationships with younger women. Spiritually mature women can impart wisdom to help
other women grow to honor God in all they say and do.
God’s Word admonishes believers to imitate other believers: “Remember your
leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and
imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7 (NASB). The older women were to teach by their
behavior as well as their words what was good according to sound doctrine. Walvoord
and Zuck give this explanation of “sound doctrine”:
Titus was to teach in the congregation what is in accord with sound doctrine,
or more literally, ‘healthy teaching.’ The notion of healthy teaching is common in
the Pastorals (cf. 1Tim1:10; 6:3; 2 Tim1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:2). So also is the
58 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the
Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House,
1937), 912-13.
59 Sue Edwards, Kelley Mathews, and Henry Rogers, Mixed Ministry: Working Together as
Brothers and Sisters in an Oversexed Society (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2008), 59.

25
idea that certain behavior befits sound doctrine, and other behavior does not (cf., 1
Tim1:10; 6:3) 60
The biblical mandate in Titus 2:3-5 clearly promotes the woman-to-woman
relationship for the purpose of learning a way of living that will glorify God. From the
beginning in Genesis, the Triune God has nurtured His people through His relationship
with them and through His Word. He is our model for relationships with one another.
Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, throughout his time with his disciples, modeled
the mentoring relationship as he taught and shared with his disciples. He listened to their
personal concerns, dialogued about life and belief, and helped them understand how to
live in a manner that would bring glory to God as they related to others. Paul reflects this
same model of mentoring in the Titus 2 mandate to women.
Examples of mentors fill the pages of Scripture. Mentoring relationships in the
Old Testament include Eli and Samuel (1 Samuel 3), Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 19:19ff, 2
Kings 2-­‐6), Moses and Joshua (Exodus 24:13, 33:11; Numbers 11:28; Joshua 1:1, 5:24, 24:29),
and Naomi and Ruth, (The Book of Ruth). In the New Testament, mentoring is exemplified
by Jesus and His disciples (Matthew 4:18ff; 8:19-­‐22; 16; 28:18-­‐20; Mark 1:16ff; 14:18-­‐42;
16:14-­‐20; Luke 5:10; 6:12ff; 24:49; John 1:37ff; 12:25-­‐26; 13:3-­‐20; 14-­‐16;17:18), Barnabas
and Paul (Acts 9:26-­‐27; 11:22-­‐30; 12:25; 13:1-­‐52; 14; 15:1-­‐41; Gal 2:1, 7-­‐10), Paul, Timothy
and Titus (2 Corinthians 7 & 8; 1 & 2 Timothy; Titus), and Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-­‐
56). It can be said that mentoring is as old as the creation of man and woman. These
biblical examples demonstrate how the relationships and the relational process provided the
experience and transfer of values from one generation to the next. 61
In the Old Testament book of Ruth, Naomi and Ruth epitomize an older
woman mentoring a younger woman. Likewise, in the New Testament book of Luke
to Succeed in Life, 17.
60 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament,764.
61 Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton, Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need

26
1:39-56, Elizabeth and Mary model a mentoring relationship of an older woman with a
younger woman. Both of these examples serve as a commentary on the Titus 2 mandate
for women. The mentoring relationships of Mary and Elizabeth and of Ruth and Naomi
are classic biblical examples of the value of women being with and learning from other
women about faith, the issues they deal with in daily life, and their personal female
needs.
Elizabeth affirmed and encouraged Mary, nurturing her faith as she blessed
Mary with these words:
Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And
how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For
behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my
womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment
of what had been spoken to her by the Lord (Luke 1:42-­‐45).
Elizabeth’s blessing not only affirmed Mary’s faith and trust in God, but also offered
encouragement and acceptance without judgment. God used this relationship with
Elizabeth to increase Mary’s faith through observing Elizabeth’s own pregnancy,
receiving her prophecy over Mary, praying together, and seeing Elizabeth’s own personal
life example. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and was given the opportunity
to learn about marriage, pregnancy, and child-bearing as Elizabeth mentored Mary both
in word and actions. Likely, Mary also questioned and watched Elizabeth and learned
how to be a godly wife, a life that Mary was yet to experience personally with her
betrothed, Joseph. Mary and Elizabeth shared a deep type of friendship, a mentorship
between two women in different stages of life.
Naomi also represents a classic example in the Old Testament of an older
woman in a mentoring relationship with a younger woman, her own daughter-in-law,
Ruth. As the story unfolds, God providentially meets the needs of these two women,
Naomi and Ruth, through the women’s mentoring relationship. In an act of commitment,
love, loyalty and friendship, Ruth knitted her future to that of Naomi and to the God of

27
Israel. Not only had Ruth lived with Naomi and witnessed her character, marriage, and
faith in the years prior to this commitment, but evidently Naomi taught Ruth the customs
and traditions of the Hebrew faith and introduced her to the God of Israel, Yahweh. She
and Naomi had developed a relationship of trust and respect. For, indeed, Ruth willingly
committed herself to Naomi and left all that she knew behind to accompany her motherin-law
into an uncertain future (Ruth 1:1-­‐19). Commentators Walvoord and Zuck state the
following about the women’s relationship: “Older women (gynaikas) could help the
younger women in at least seven areas, a list that no doubt represents the apostle’s
understanding of a young wife and mother’s proper priorities. This list, in the original,
emphasizes first what young wives and mothers are to be, and then only secondarily what
they are to do.” 62
Nurturing, mentoring, encouraging, affirming, and exhorting necessitate the
context of a relationship. Genesis 2:18 makes it clear that humans, male and female, are
created for relationship. Most women thrive in and naturally desire relationships.
Elizabeth and Mary and Naomi and Ruth represent ideal models of biblical women as
nurturers and mentors. Women bring deeper understanding to other women regarding the
physical, psychological, emotional, relational, sexual, hormonal, and experiential
commonalities and can most effectively relate to one another on these various levels. As
life bearers, designed to give birth, God created women with the unique capacities to care
for others.
Beverly Hislop states, “The book of Titus declares that ‘women shepherding
women’ plays a key role in profoundly impacting a decadent culture for God.” 63 An
eighteenth century poet and historian said, “If ever the world sees a time when women
764.
62 Walvoord and Zuck, “Titus 1:5,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament,738,
63 Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, 54.

28
shall come together purely and simply for the benefit and good of mankind, it will be a
power such as the world has never seen.” 64 Brian Williams, in his book Potter’s Rib,
makes the important statement that the practice of mentoring also finds its mandate in
Paul’s explanation of his own ministry. In Col 1:28-29, Paul says, “We proclaim Him,
admonishing and reaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully
works in me.” 65 God has given this power to men and women to minister to one another
through mentoring relationships to help one another mature in order to serve God and
others for His glory.
Peer mentoring is also addressed in this study. Two examples of peer
mentoring in Scripture would be Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 18-­‐23:18), and Barnabas
and Paul (Acts 9:26-­‐27; 11:22-­‐30; 12:25; 13:1-­‐52; 14; 15:1-­‐41; Gal 2:1, 7-­‐10). The story of
Jonathan and David’s friendship reveals the many times Jonathan counseled David as
well as encouraged and exhorted him. This peer relationship represents a friendship
between two individuals about the same age who shared common experiences and a
natural ability to relate. This relationship reflects what authors Stanley and Clinton call
“co-mentoring." They observe the following about Jonathan and David as co-mentors:
It was an unlikely mix, but a powerful one. Jonathan was the heir to the throne
of his father, King Saul. He was also a proven warrior and turned the tide of a
battle with an individual heroic act (1 Samuel 14:6-23). He was a leader. David,
on the other hand, came from a shepherd’s family, but like Jonathan was a warrior
and hero. He became extremely popular after killing Goliath and then going on to
lead Israel in one military success after another.…[David] He, too, was a leader.
Jonathan and David were about the same age, young leaders with great
futures. Under normal circumstances, one would expect that they would be
competitors and resent one another, but the opposite was true. Unlike Jesus’
disciples, who seemed to always vie for the best place and elbow one another in
64 Dee Jepsen, Women Beyond Equal Rights (Waco, TX: Word Publishing, 1984), 227.
72.
65 Brian Willams, Potter’s Rib, (Vancouver, BC, Canada: Regent College Publishing, 2005),

29
the process, David and Jonathan constantly sought each other’s best (1 Samuel
20) even at the risk of their own lives. 66
A friendship or peer relationship like David and Jonathan had represents one worth
praying for and pursuing. Stanley and Clinton call this type of peer relationship the “close
buddy.” 67 They believe Jonathan and David’s relationship epitomizes the close buddy
type of relationship.
This [close buddy] relationship is characterized by unrestricted openness,
trust, commitment, and a high sense of mutual accountability or sense of
responsibility for one another….What moves people from friends to close buddies
is a mutual commitment to the pursuit of a deeply meaningful goal. Out of this
will grow a sense of responsibility for one another that will lift each buddy to new
levels that would not be reached alone. It also provides accountability for integrity
and inner-life growth, which is vital for those who desire to finish well. 68
Barnabas and Paul represent a second example of peer relationships. Stanley
and Clinton describe this first century relationship by stating:
Barnabas was a people influencer. He saw potential in Saul (later the Apostle
Paul) when others kept their distance. Saul’s conversion turned this brilliant zealot
of orthodox Judaism to a fearless Christian evangelist and apologist. Jews and the
disciples alike feared him and were afraid to let him join them. ‘But Barnabas
took him [Saul] and brought him to the apostles’(Acts 9:27). Barnabas was not
intimidated by this brash convert, but drew him in and vouched for him.
Undoubtedly, he encouraged and taught Saul during those early days and patiently
stayed with him, knowing that time and experience would soon temper and
mature this gifted young leader….Barnabas (the mentor) knew the kind of
developmental environment and challenge that Saul needed in order to grow, and
drew him into it. 69
Barnabas illustrates a number of specific ways that mentors help mentorees. The study
done by Stanley and Clinton identifies several important ones:
1. Mentors give to mentorees:
• timely advice;
66 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 170-71.
67 Ibid., 180.
68 Ibid., 180-181.
69 Ibid., 38-39.

30
• letters, articles, books, or other literary information that offers
perspective;
• finances;
• freedom to emerge as a leader even beyond the level of the mentor.
2. Mentors risk their own reputation in order to sponsor a mentoree.
3. Mentors model various aspects of leadership functions so as to challenge
mentorees to move toward them.
4. Mentors direct mentorees to needed resources that will further develop
them.
5. Mentors co-minister with mentorees in order to increase their confidence,
status, and credibility. 70
Scripture describes Barnabas as the Encourager, and Romans 12:8 mentions
the gift of encouragement in regards to Barnabas. Gary R. Collins makes this term
‘encourager’ clearer by explaining, “The Greek word from which this is translated means
more than slapping someone on the back and saying, ‘hang in there!’ The term implies
activities such as admonishing, exhorting, urging others to make worthwhile changes,
supporting, comforting, and encouraging people to face the future.” 71 By using his gift of
encouragement, Barnabas exemplifies a key characteristic of a mentor.
In a related passage in First Timothy 3:1-10, Paul gives the qualifications for
the leaders in the church who serve as overseers and deacons. He also provides a specific
list of character qualities for women. “Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious
gossips, but temperate, trustworthy in all things” (1Timothy 3:11). This reflects the same
list of qualifications that Paul gave in Titus 2:3-5 for the godly older women who mentor
and teach the younger women. As Beverly Hislop states, “An older woman who is able to
teach what is good will teach by her life and words, soundness in faith, love, and
endurance.” 72 The word older that Paul uses in his letter to Titus does not necessarily
70 Ibid., 39-40.
71 Gary R. Collins, Ph.D., The Biblical Basis of Christian Counseling for People Helpers
(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1993), 164.
72 Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, 51.

31
mean older in chronological years. It means “advanced in the process,” 73 and the term
younger women, means “early in the process.” 74 Sometimes younger women in terms of
chronological years show more spiritual maturity than some older women. The converse
can be true as well for sometimes there will be women who are older in chronological
years, yet less spiritually mature than someone younger. Even so, it stands true that the
longer people live, the more life experience they gain which they can pass along to
others. It remains important to make sure that women learn from other women who are
well experienced in life, mature, and trustworthy. These qualities represent the criteria for
a meaningful mentoring and shepherding relationship.
In addition, in the Book of Philippians, Paul writes to the community of faith
in Philippi. The Philippians were not to look to their own interests (as in oikeiosis) but
rather to the needs of others (Phil.2:4). James M. Houston adds that “…the whole
purpose of the epistle is an illustration of the social character of Christian mentoring as
beneficial socially…” 75
Conclusion
As women come to Dallas Seminary to study and train to become godly
servant leaders, their desire remains to glorify God and serve the body of Christ
worldwide. During their seminary career, mentoring relationships can enhance their
preparation and help integrate what they study into their personal lives. The instruction
Paul gives in Titus 2: 3-5 continues to be as valid for twenty-first century female
seminarians as was true in the first century.
NJ: Revell, 1966), I:43.
73 W. E. Vine, “aged,” in An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan,
74 Ibid., “new,” 3:110.
NavPress, 2002), 51.
75
James M. Houston, The Mentored Life: From Individualism to Personhood (Colorado Springs, CO:

32
Literature Overview
Over the years, needs and issues of women may change, but the basic need
for Christian women to mentor, disciple, teach and train other women in the Christian life
never changes. The importance of women mentoring women is not only mandated in
Scripture, but the women in today’s culture are also asking for mentors. The data from
the survey used in this D.Min. project reflects the women seminarians’ desire for
mentoring while at Dallas Seminary.
This literature review sought to focus on two specific areas: mentoring and the
personal issues of female seminarians. Dallas Seminary seeks to equip people with the
necessary skills and training which will prepare men and women for a variety of
ministries and enable them to minister in different Christian contexts around the world.
The whole person must be considered when preparing to serve others. The areas in which
a student struggles, whether academic or emotional, need to be addressed while in
preparation for ministry so that each student grows more mature, more whole and healed,
and thus better able to serve after completing her academic requirements.
The Need for Mentoring
Those who have had mentors state that they remain grateful for the experience.
Those individuals who have not had a mentoring relationship express the desire and need
for a mentor. Christian mentoring has the potential to help women re-direct their focus and
dependence to God. Female mentors can have a positive effect on other women by truly
loving them unconditionally and desiring their best by encouraging their relationship with
Jesus Christ. A successful mentoring relationship can build a woman’s confidence in and
commitment to God, and help develop healthy connections with others. When relational
connectedness occurs, a woman can lead a life that is no longer dependent on attention,
performance, success, possessions, or beauty, but rather truly live a life glorifying to God
while serving others.

33
Stanley and Clinton report that “two out of ten males seem to have a
meaningful, open, and safe relationship where both parties share a trust and commitment to
mutual responsibility for one another. Six out of ten women have this. Yet every man and
woman needs at least one peer relationship (other than a spouse) like this where there is
continuity and proximity in relating to one another.” 76 Author Dr. James M. Houston states
this about mentoring:
…the fact that mentors are now being prominently sought reflects first upon
the alienation of our age. It also reveals an indifference to history and past
traditions, for we forget today the long tradition of apprenticeship that was the
basis of craftsmanship and of the role played by elders in many
societies.…Wisdom, personified in a mentor, is thus the way of excellence
(aretê). It is a friend who – not what – helps me to live life more fully and not to
feel cheated personally in the process. 77
As author Carol Brazo states, “We all want a mentor. We want someone to show us how
to live and how to love. We want to know everything, from how to bake bread to how to
love a difficult child. We were created to live in community, and it is in community that
we frequently learn our most valuable lessons.” 78 I would suggest in light of her
statement, that we were created for community and it is in Christian community that we
learn how to live in a manner pleasing to God.
Definitions of Mentoring
Dallas Seminary trains men and women for Christian leadership and service
worldwide. Bobb Biehl states, “The linchpin of Christian leadership development is the
mentoring process.” 79 However, mentoring, it seems, reflects as many definitions as people
76 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 167.
77 Houston, The Mentored Life, 16.
31-32.
78 Carol Brazo, Divine Secrets of Mentoring (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004),
79 Bobb Biehl, Mentoring: Confidence in Finding a Mentor and Becoming One (Nashville:
Broadman & Homan Publishers, 1996), 144.

34
who use the term. Brian Williams states the confusion over the word “mentoring” when he
says,
Mentoring is a concept and a practice whose coinage has been rather devalued
in recent days. Economists tell us that one way to devalue a currency is to flood
the market with counterfeit currency – cheap imitations that lack the gold
necessary to give it substance. The contemporary ‘mentoring’ scene is like a
cultural deluge, in fact, that threatens to carry us into the tributaries of stoic selfmastery,
therapeutic self-actualization, or heroic self-accomplishment. [Williams
says to] (see James Houston, The Mentored Life for a full characterization of these
classical and modern options). 80
Max De Pree also gives insight to the term by saying, “Mentoring is above all a
work of love, which at its best is a two-way exchange.” 81 W. C. Wright further expands this
idea by explaining the relationship this way: “At its best, mentoring is a covenental
approach to life and leadership.…Mentoring is a process of becoming, not an unimpeded
march to perfection.” 82 Mentoring means being a servant, an encourager, a teacher, a guide,
a listener, a prayer warrior, an exhortor, a friend, and a poured out offering to the Lord
while coming alongside another on their life journey and spiritual growth. “The Talmud
says that every person must acquire two things in this world: a teacher and a friend. When
we find a mentor, when we agree to mentor another, we have found just that – a teacher and
a friend. Mentoring relationships are not one-way streets. Mentors teach and learn. They
love and are loved. They listen and are listened to. It is a wonderful dance, a rich, eternal
relationship.” 83
A mentoring relationship combines friendship, discipling skills, shepherding,
prayer, spiritual insight and guidance, lay counseling, and pastoral care. Again, Brian
80 Williams, Potter’s Rib, 66.
81 Max De Pree, Forward to Mentoring: The Promise of Relational Leadership, by W. C.
Wright, (Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster Press, 2006), viii.
82 Ibid., ix, xvi.
83 Brazo, Divine Secrets of Mentoring, 160.

35
Williams’ insights on mentoring help to understand mentoring for pastoral formation
versus the cultural mentoring programs for personal gain and/or power. He states,
… mentoring for pastoral formation, however, looks rather different….The
fundamental difference is that mentoring for pastoral formation is not a technique,
and is not oriented to improving one’s self as usually understood. It is oriented to
neither power nor prestige, nor even ‘success,’ and it certainly cannot be practiced
hastily. Instead, it is grounded in a deepening friendship, and turned toward the
work of the Spirit, which leads us to put on Christ and die to self in preparation
for service to church and world.” 84
Mentoring revolves around a relationship between two people where there
exists a bonding of hearts and a transparency shared that promotes the spiritual growth
and maturity of each individual. Each mentoring relationship is unique yet the
characteristics and the benefits often are the same, or at the very least, similar. In the
Christian setting, discipleship and mentoring often share common aspects and inter-relate
to each other. Yet the two have differences in that discipleship involves a teacher and a
learner, or a disciple, with a call to follow a teacher or teaching. In addition, discipleship
tends to narrow its focus to the spiritual dimension. Christian mentoring also has the
spiritual focus, but spiritual mentoring is less about telling someone what to do, and more
about helping them mature in their beliefs and behaviors. Anderson and Reese have this
to say about the mentor as a friend:
In the classical world of spiritual direction, the mentor was a guide, a director,
a ruler and sometimes, a figure of authority. Often mentors were monastics,
priests or clergy scholars who were highly respected in their society. Today it is
common for mentors to be acquaintances in informal relationships: teacher and
students, coach and team, small groups of friends who meet for coffee and
spiritual talk. They gather for prayer, fellowship and spiritual formation.
Friendship and hospitality thus offer natural and comfortable settings for spiritual
mentoring. 85
84 Williams, Potter’s Rib, 69.
85 Keith Anderson and Randy D. Reese. Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking and Giving
Direction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 79.

36
Susan Hunt calls mentoring ‘spiritual mothering,’ and she says, “…My working
definition for the spiritual mothering relationship is this: When a woman of faith and
spiritual maturity enters into a nurturing relationship with a younger woman in order to
encourage and equip her to live for God’s glory.” 86 Marsha Sinetar makes this comment
about mentors and mentoring,
Even proven leaders want mentors (or at minimum friends with the mentor’s
spirit), in part because they’re reaching into the unknown for selfexpression….It’s
accepted that many leaders like to go it alone. A mentor of
leaders establishes a climate of trust in which two-way discussions can
occur….Mentors are congruent: They’re actually who they purport to be, and that
trait encourages our congruency. 87
Carolyn Duff in Learning From Other Women, offers insight into mentoring
when she says, “In most cases, your woman-to-woman mentoring relationship will be
built on knowing, being know, and caring. Your mentor will respond to the multiple
aspects of your life and guide you toward what is most appropriate and most fulfilling for
you.” 88 In As Iron Sharpens Iron, Howard Hendricks offers this definition for mentoring:
“In fact, the simplest definition I know of a mentor is a person committed to two things:
helping you grow and keeping you growing, and helping you realize your life goals.” 89
Bernard of Clairvaux was a friend and mentor to Aelred of Rivaulx and had
such an impact on Aelred that he wrote the following perspective on friendship and
mentorship:
For friendship bears fruit in this life and in the next. But what happiness, what
security, what joy to have someone to whom you dare to speak on terms of
equality as to another self; one to whom you need have no fear to confess your
failing; one to whom you can unblushingly make known what progress you have
86 Susan Hunt, Spiritual Mothering (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1992), 46.
87 Marsha Sinetar, The Mentor’s Spirit: Life Lessons on Leadership and the Art of
Encouragement (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), 39.
88 Carolyn Duff, Learning From Other Women (New York: AMACOM, 1999), 40.
89 Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks, As Iron Sharpens Iron: Building
Character in a Mentoring Relationship (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1995), 25.

37
made in the spiritual life; on to whom you can entrust all the secrets of your heart
and before whom can place all your plans! What, therefore, is more pleasant than
so to unite to oneself the spirit of another and of two to form one, that no boasting
is thereafter to be feared, no suspicion to be dreaded, no correction of one by the
other to cause pain, no praise on the part of one to bring a charge of adulation
from the other. ‘A friend,’ says the Wise Man, ‘is the medicine of life.’
Friendship, therefore, heightens the joys of prosperity and mitigates the sorrows
of adversity by dividing and sharing them. Hence, the best medicine in life is a
friend. 90
This statement speaks of the power of a deep friendship. Friendship is one aspect of a
good and successful mentoring relationship.
Gail Sheehy in Pathfinders defines a mentor as “a trusted friend and
counselor, usually from ten to twenty years older, who endorses the apprentice’s dream
and helps in a critical way to guide him or her toward realizing it.” 91 It seems that in both
the literary world and in the secular world, advising, counseling, encouraging, guiding,
sharing friendship, and supporting are all aspects of the mentoring relationship. The
subject of mentoring comes up most frequently in the worlds of business and education.
In education, the mentor is involved with the development of the person. Mentors are
guides who “have something to do with the growing up, with the development of identity
[in the protégé].” 92 In the business world, the mentor is more concerned with the
development of contacts and guiding the protégé toward the achievement of skills and
career goals. Scheele defines this type of mentor as “a manager to coach and champion” 93
the mentoree or protégé. And, yet another insight is given to the mentoring definition
when Murray and Owen say, “Mentoring is a deliberate paring of a more skilled or
Cistercian, 1977), 71, 72.
90 Aelred of Rivaulx, Spiritual Friendship, trans. Mary Eugenia Laker (Kalamazoo, MI:
91 Gail Sheehy, Pathfinders (New York: NY: Bantam Books, 1981), 231.
92 Laurent A. Daloz, Effective Teaching and Mentoring: Realizing the Transformational
Power of Adult Learning and Experiences (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1986), 19.
93 A. Scheele, “Second Stage Mentoring,” (Working Women 17 Oct., 1992), 32-35.

38
experienced person with a lesser skilled or experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of
having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific competencies.” 94
Paul Stanley and Robert Clinton, in their book Connecting, have their own
definition for mentoring: “Mentoring is a relational process in which a mentor, who
knows or has experienced something, transfers that something (resources of wisdom,
information, experience, confidence, insight, relationships, status, etc.) to a mentoree, at
an appropriate time and manner, so that it facilitates development or empowerment. 95 A
good example of this comes from Muriel L. Cook, author of Kitchen Table Counseling.
She is not a professional counselor but was considered the “Counselor-at-Large at
Multnomah Bible College.” 96 After years of being sought by students and women from
around the world for the God-given wisdom she had to share, Cook concludes, “In time, I
came to call this God-given ministry to women ‘kitchen table counseling.’… Although I
am not a professional counselor, I reach out to hurting women sitting across my kitchen
table, using scriptural truth and spiritual encouragement.” 97 Janet Schaller offers these
thoughts on the relationship between mentoring and counseling:
Mentoring is not the same as counseling although some of the behaviors may
apply to both situations. The relationship is different, and the intent of the mentor
and counselor is not the same. As with counseling, successful mentoring involves
a change in the person being mentored. A transformation occurs….The word
‘transformation’ itself indicates a move from one ‘form’ to another. When one
changes patterns of thinking and preconceived notions, one’s behavior also is
altered and one gains a new understanding of self. Women’s growth as person is
tied more to making connections than to severing relationships, even with
themselves. Whether it is separation or connection that is transformative in
94 M. Murray and M. Owen, Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring (San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass, 1991), xiv.
95 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 40.
96 Muriel L. Cook and Shelley Cook Volkhardt, Kitchen Table Counseling (Colorado
Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006), 8.
97 Ibid., 15.

39
mentoring, it is with the context of this one-to-one relationship that transformation
takes place. 98
Lastly, David G. Benner in Care of Souls introduces the term “spiritual guides”
in the context of mentoring and explains the history of spiritual guides.
While the earliest spiritual guides tended to be clergy and often were monks,
over time more and more of those filling this office in the pre-Reformation church
of the West were laity. In the Celtic church in Great Britain, several of the most
famous spiritual guides were women. Similarly, in the thirteenth century the
Dominicans involved nuns in the task of spiritual guidance. The qualifications
remained the same; guides were to be persons of insight and discernment who had
made progress in their own spiritual pilgrimage and who could lovingly lead
others toward spiritual growth. 99
It is quite evident that there exist many ways to define the concept of mentoring. But in
all cases, mentoring always involves one person modeling or passing on something
needed in the life of another person to help the receiver grow in knowledge and skills and
increase in maturity.
General Mentoring Overview
Through the years many books have been written on the subject of mentoring,
and most have been written by men for men. A few books on mentoring have been written
by men about mentoring in general. These books have many practical principles and
information that can apply to mentoring either gender. Bobb Biehl gives a comprehensive
overview of mentoring in his book Mentoring: Confidence in Finding a Mentor and
Becoming One. He identifies a trend in academia related to the subject of mentoring, which
is documented by Stephen E. Olsen in his Biola University doctoral dissertation on the
subject of mentoring. Olsen states the following:
Prior to the 1970’s, literature on mentoring was virtually nonexistent. Between
1890 and 1980, Dissertation Abstracts International lists only four dissertations on
98 Janet Schaller, “Mentoring of Women: Transformation in Adult Religious Education”
(Religious Education, Vol. 91, No. 2, Spring 1996), 163- 64.
99 David G. Benner, Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 30.

40
the subject; whereas between 1980 and 1984, over 100 dissertations on mentoring
are cited in the field of education alone. Gray (1986) notes that over 400 articles
and research studies focused on mentoring in the years between the mid 1970s
and 1986. This literature production has continued unabated. In the 4 years
between 1988 and 1992, the Dissertation Abstracts computer database lists 372
dissertations that use the word mentor as a key word; and between January 1993
and June 1994 alone, there are an additional 143 dissertations on mentoring. 100
Biehl believes mentoring is critical for this present generation. He explains, “Mentoring
is the bridge that will connect, strengthen, and stabilize future generations of Christians in
an increasingly complex and threatening world.” 101 It has often been said that Christianity
is only one generation away from extinction. Therefore, any development one can
achieve towards making mentoring a priority in programming, training, and in the life
experience of one’s circle of influence as a Christian merits the time, study, and attention.
Biehl also makes an important point by saying, “It may not be popular to say so these
days, but another advantage of same gender mentoring is that men understand men and
women understand women.” 102
Drs. Les, III, and Leslie Parrott, authors of The Marriage Manual, emphasize
the importance of passing on information from one generation to the next by saying,
“Down through the centuries, young people have learned most through careful
observation of those who are more experienced….Throughout human history, mentoring
has been the primary means of passing on knowledge and skills in every field and in
every culture.” 103 Dr. Charles Swindoll underlines the value of supportive relationships.
He makes this observation: “Many in God’s vineyard are ‘dying on the vine’ for lack of
encouragement from other believers….The idea is this: An encouraging comment gives
100 Bobb Biehl, Mentoring, 57, 11.
101 Ibid., 15.
102 Ibid., 65.
103 Drs. Les III, and Leslie Parrott, The Marriage Manual (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1995), 7, 12.

41
us emotional strength, lightens our heart, and firms up our resolve. One kind word can
make a bad day much more bearable.” 104 In an article for Christian Education Journal,
James M. Houston adds,
What the therapist is for secular society, the mentor/spiritual director is
becoming for the church…caring, sensitive, approachable friends who help us
negotiate through the labyrinth of life, and who warn us of the moral pitfalls along
the way, are of inestimable value. Open, honest feedback is hard to obtain in
impersonal structures, bureaucracies, and competitive rivals. There we are afraid
to ask, to be vulnerable, and to live openly. 105
J. Robert Clinton introduced a way to look at the differing roles a mentor
serves. He suggests nine types of mentoring relationships in his work entitled The Mentor
Handbook: 106
Table 1. A variety of types and functions in mentoring relationships
TYPE
Discipler
Spiritual Guide
Coach
Counselor
Teacher
Sponsor
Contemporary
Model
Historical Model
Divine Contact
CENTRAL THRUST OF EMPOWERMENT
Enabler for the basics of following Christ
Provides accountability for spirituality and spiritual disciplines,
growth and maturity, direction and insight for decision making
Provides skills, application, motivation to use, needed to meet a
task
Offers timely advice; correct perspective on viewing self, others,
circumstances and ministry
Provides knowledge; motivation toward learning, knowledge
and understanding of a particular subject
Provides career guidance, protection and development within or
as the leader moves upward an organization
A living, personal model for life or ministry who exemplifies
and inspires emulation and is a means for acquiring values and
skills by vicarious learning
Teaches dynamic principles and values for life and ministry;
examples of those who “finished well”
Timely guidance or discernment perceived as divine intervention
104 Charles Swindoll, “Does Your Figure of Speech Look Fat?” in Kindred Spirit (Dallas, TX:
Dallas Theological Seminary Publishers, Summer, 2008, Vol. 32, No. 2), 19.
1991), 2-23.
105 Houston, The Mentored Life, 81, 82.
106 J. Robert Clinton and Richard W. Clinton. The Mentor Handbook (Altadena, CA: Barnabas,

42
Clinton draws attention to the fact that mentoring can be manifested in many different
ways. It often depends on what the mentor has to offer and what the mentoree needs. Each
mentoring relationship has its own unique characteristics.
Brian A. Williams, author of Potter’s Rib, approaches mentoring from the
standpoint of its results. He offers these thoughts:
…Mentoring is not self-mastery for the sake of self-sufficiency, that it does
not provide us with rational techniques for the sake of speedy progress, and that it
does not lead us toward a fashionable lifestyle promising self-fulfillment. Instead,
we described mentoring for pastoral formation as a) grounded in deepening
friendship, b) turned toward the work of Christ and the Spirit, and c) taken up
with dying to self, putting on Christ, and preparing to serve the church and the
world. 107
Keith Anderson concurs with Williams. In his book Spiritual Mentoring, Anderson
describes mentoring as “having a trajectory, an aim, a target and a purpose.” 108 He says
that “mentoring is not mindless or soulless meandering but a journey that recognizes
itself as pilgrimage, a journey with a spiritual or devotional purpose, and that it is the task
of the mentor to help us sink deep enough into our lives to discover that purpose.” 109
Henri Nouwen adds this insight about the value of a selfless mentor:
In our society plagued by fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and a sense of
being lost, we keep looking for guides. We so much hope that someone – a guru,
spiritual director, or soul friend – can help us make sense out of our confusion and
can show us a way to inner wholeness, freedom, and peace. We look mostly for
men and women with a reputation, with wisdom, psychological insight, spiritual
sensitivity, and solid life experience. 110
As Iron Sharpens Iron by Howard and William Hendricks, specifically targets
mentoring to men. Like Brian Williams, the Hendricks also emphasize the goal of
mentoring when stating,
107 Williams, Potter’s Rib, 249.
108 Anderson and Reese, Spiritual Mentoring, 48.
109 Ibid., 48.
110 Henri J. Nouwen, Adam, God’s Beloved (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1997), 86-87.

43
At their best, mentors nurture our souls. They shape our character. They call
us to become complete men, whole men, and by the grace of God, holy men. The
Bible puts it this way: ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’
(Proverbs 27:17). 111
Even though the Hendricks focus their book primarily towards men mentoring men, they
strongly emphasize that it includes many helpful insights, principles, and information on
mentoring in general. They include this statement:
Of course, mentoring is a process that can benefit women as well as men, so
by targeting this discussion toward men we do not mean to exclude women. All of
the concepts and principles described here probably apply equally to women as
well as men, and except for a few obvious cases, female readers can probably
substitute the words ‘woman’ or ‘women’ for the words ‘man’ or ‘men,’ without
changing the substance of what we have to say. 112
Their acknowledgement of mentoring as being necessary and valuable in anyone’s life is
reflected in the five benefits identified: “A mentor (1) promotes genuine growth, (2) is a
model to follow, (3) helps you efficiently reach your goals, (4) plays a key role in God’s
pattern for your growth, and (5) benefits other people in your life.” 113
It remains true that broad principles related to mentoring can be applied to
both men and women, but specific needs of men and women are best passed on in the
context of relationships between the same gender. Men often relate differently than
women and books specific to women will most adequately address the unique needs of
women.
Women Mentoring Women
This study addresses the need for women to develop deep and meaningful
friendships with their female peers and with older, more mature Christian women.
Although there exists a great deal of good information on the subject of mentoring, much
111 Ibid., 18.
112 Hendricks and Hendricks, As Iron Sharpens Iron, 10.
113 Ibid., 25.

44
of it focuses on men mentoring men. There remains limited and less specific material
addressing women mentoring women. However, considering the many ways that God
created males and females differently from one another, it would follow that mentoring
for women would be even more helpful when provided by a woman.
Vickie Kraft states in Women Mentoring Women, “Many young women today
come to Christ who have not been reared in godly homes….These young women don’t
know what a godly woman, wife, or mother is like, and they need to have that modeled
before them. And no one can model a godly Christian woman except…a godly Christian
woman.” 114 Kraft also has this to say about women needing other women: “There is
almost no limit to what women can do today. They can evangelize, teach, serve on church
staffs and committees, and be administrators. They can be involved in educations at every
level, from preschool to graduate school; in children’s and youth ministries; in music, art,
and drama. They can help the poor and needy in practical ways. Most of all, women can
encourage women in this complex and confused society.” 115
Throughout history, women have learned from other women. Carolyn Duff
observes this about women, “We have learned by watching and being guided by our
mothers, our grandmothers, our aunts, teachers, coaches, counselors, professors, sisters,
and friends. We have studied in the kitchens and gardens of women with degrees in
living. Through stories and example, by answering our questions and nudging us with
their own, women have passed on to other women lessons in how to live. More
specifically, women have taught us how to recognize, understand, and respect ourselves
as rich, complex female beings.” 116
114 Vickie Kraft, Women Mentoring Women (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 27.
115 Ibid., 21.
116 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 37.

45
In an article in Higher Education Research and Development, researchers
from Flinders University, Australia, report on mentoring among women and they make
the observation that historically mentoring has been an informal process. This process
happens when a mentor and mentoree meet spontaneously, form a relationship, and meet
for the purposes of assisting the mentoree in development of her career relevant skills.
More recently, these researchers have observed that a trend towards formal or assigned
mentoring relationships has developed in organizations. Mentoring relationships have
been reported to have overwhelmingly positive learning experiences for both the mentor
and the mentoree. Those who have been engaged in mentoring relationships mention
many beneficial outcomes for the mentoree, such as encouragement, networking,
empathy, contact, and increased self-confidence. 117
Carolyn S. Duff, in Learning From Other Women, states, “At work, women
have been mentored by men, in the male tradition, producing results that reflect and
perpetuate the existing system.” 118 This is not to say that men can’t be wonderful career
and spiritual mentors, because they can. Women need men to provide information,
coaching, opportunity, and support for their professional development. However,
according to research done by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhan, “More than a man, a woman will
be regularly hit by unresolved emotional issues or hurts from a conversation or concern
from last night, last month, or ten years ago.…If this is the way a woman is wired, it
would be irrational for her not to address something that has circled back around.” 119
Also, Carolyn Duff further explains, “Women need women as mentors because only
117 Maria Gardiner, Marika Tiggemann, Hugh Kearns and Kelly Marshall, “Show Me the
Money! An Empirical Analysis of Mentoring Outcomes for Women in Academia,” Higher Education
Research and Development Vol. 26, No. 4, December 2007, pp. 425-442.
118 Duff, Learning From Other Women, xiii.
119
Shaunti Feldhan and Jeff Feldhan, For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner
Lives of Women (Atlanta, GA: Multnomah Publisher, Inc, 2006), 58-59.

46
women can truly empathize with the experience of being a woman.” 120 In the British
Journal of Theological Education it was noted that an “ethic of care” exists as a needed
element in mentoring, especially among women:
Mentoring also has the potential to model what Carol Gilligan (In a Different
Voice, 1982) called an ethic of care. The ethic of care is crucial for the
development of a strong, supportive community that nurtures faculty staff and
students and embraces difference. This ethic of care is of crucial support,
especially for the women in theological education who seem to face special
challenges. It embodies both relatedness and responsiveness. 121
The nature of woman-to-woman mentoring allows women the opportunity to
share their frustrations, emotions, worries and experiences with other women who can
relate to being female. Women mentors can provide objective and encouraging feedback
and insights, as well as help to strengthen another woman’s personal relationships and her
relationship with the Lord. Woman-to-woman mentoring also benefits ministry decisions,
family decisions, or specific life challenges as a woman. “Woman-to-woman mentoring
allows for uncertainty as a fertile condition from which decision and action grow….The
process in woman-to-woman mentoring is one of discovery.” 122
Many of the researchers on women’s needs and issues agree that women
minister to each other most effectively. As Duff states, “The nature of woman-to-woman
mentoring is that it invites and allows us to share our frustrations and worries with a
person who can relate to our lives.” 123 To be an effective mentor to another, one must
learn how to listen, identify with another’s situation, and bring to the relationship mature
wisdom and experience that will challenge the other to grow relationally, mentally, and
spiritually.
120 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 4.
121
Leona M. English and Lorna Bowman, “Working With Experience: The Mentor, the
Context, the Possibility,” British Journal of Theological Education 12, no. 1 ( August 2001): 40-56.
122 Ibid., 43.
123 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 111.

47
Deborah Tannen in her extensive research on the differences between the way
men and women communicate offers these insights:
…To him, talk is for information….But to her, talk is for interaction. Telling
things is a way to show involvement, and listening is a way to show interest and
caring.…In our culture, most people, but especially women look to their closest
relationships as havens in a hostile world….For grown women…the essence of
friendship is talk, telling each other what they’re thinking and feeling and what
happened that day….When asked who their best friends are, most women name
other women they talk to regularly. 124
Women communicate as part of their relational style and to get and keep connected.
Tannen goes on to say that many women approach the world “as an individual in a
network of connections…. Conversations are negotiations for closeness in which people
try to seek and give confirmation and support, and to reach consensus. They try to protect
themselves from others’ attempts to push them away. Life, then, is a community, a
struggle to preserve intimacy and avoid isolation.” 125 Schaller agrees with Tannen and
adds this insight regarding women mentoring women,
…A one-to-one relationship with someone who has experienced a journey of
transformation makes it safe, if not always easy, to talk about one’s own
experiences and to share one’s questions, secret fears, past hurts, and hope. For
too long women have been taught to claim the male experience of discontinuity
and separation as the norm, yet women’s experience is more likely to be one of
continuity and connection. A mentoring relationship could encourage a woman to
claim her emerging, nascent self, a self more truly reflecting the image of God in
which she was created. 126
Mentoring can be a formal or informal relationship. English and Bowman in
the British Journal of Theological Education assert the following about the mentoring
relationship:
124 Deborah Tannen, You Just Don’t Understand (New York: Harper Collins Publishers,
2007), 80-81.
125 Ibid., 25.
126 Schaller, Religious Education, 167.

48
…The quintessential mentoring relationship [is one] in which one mentor is
paired with one mentee. This can be a serendipitous combination of two people
for the purpose of sponsoring or promoting the other's development. The type of
mentoring being promoted here is more informal than the organised (sic), planned
and monitored mentoring that can also help mentees and mentors benefit from the
exchange of mentorship. 127
For the purposes of this study the focus will stay primarily on mentoring as an arranged,
informal relationship in which the older or more experienced student is trained formally
to informally to relate to and offer their eyes, ears, voice, and experience, to a younger or
less experienced student. The mentor holds a shared desire to grow in maturity in Christ.
When a woman seeks to be mentored by another woman, she seeks to benefit from and
be enhanced by the other woman’s wisdom and her experience. 128 As Brian Williams
describes in Potter’s Rib, “…to help them explore the overlapping contours of who they
are in Christ and what they are called to do for Christ. This is the overlap of their being
and their thinking under the indigenous pressures, responsibilities, and tasks of doing
pastoral ministry…” 129
Many intelligent women know that they would benefit from learning
connections with other women, but they hesitate to initiate the relationship. 130 Initiating
the mentoring relationship can be hard for some younger women since they sometimes
feel a personal rejection of themselves as a person if the older woman does not respond.
In these cases it would be more helpful if the more mature woman would approach the
younger woman and initiate the conversation and introduce the possibility of starting a
mentoring relationship. Older women should show sensitivity regarding the reluctance of
some younger women who appear more shy and reserved and respond more
127
English and Bowman, British Journal of Theological Education 12, 40-56.
128 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 113.
129 Williams, Potter’s Rib, 55.
130 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 14.

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enthusiastically to those younger women who tend to be more direct and outgoing. Duff
offers these observations about the protégés or the mentorees:
Protégés, however, must be willing and able to hear and accept critical
feedback from their female mentors. Constructive honest criticism and positive
encouragement are vital elements in a powerful mentoring relationship. The value
of a mentor is stated well by Duff saying,…often the greatest gift a woman
mentor can offer is her ability to recognize and encourage your talents and
powers. A good mentor will mentor you, not recreate herself. She will coach,
guide, and encourage you to become the best of yourself. 131
Marsha Sinetar also indicates that there are signs of productive mentors that one should
look for:
• They affirm life and further its potential.
• They enter into authentic dialogue because, at heart, they are genuine and
emotionally available.
• They set clear boundaries for self-and-other.
• They embody values and virtues others merely extol (“walk the talk”).
• They stabilize people in a continuity of effort because they themselves are
grounded. 132
Bev Hislop encapsulates the concept of women as mentors by saying, “What
is the essential nature of a woman? She is at the core a life-bearer and a nurturer. She is a
companion, one who comes alongside to enhance another. She was designed for lifegiving
relationships.” 133 Since God created the female to give birth, she is a “life-giver.”
Mentoring another woman through her experiences becomes a life-giving relationship. A
“life-giving relationship” would be one in which through encouragement and nurture,
spiritual and emotional growth occurs, thus contributing to the enrichment of another’s
life.
Since God created women as life-bearers and nurtures, relationships play a
key role for women. “Women are particularly good at reading the character of people, of
131 Ibid., 71, 89.
132 Sinetar, The Mentor’s Spirit, 146.
133 Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, 47.

50
leading relationally, and of functioning from an ethic of care,” 134 observes Hislop.
Participation in the roles of pastoral care, shepherding, and mentoring gives a woman the
opportunity to minister to other women in a way that only a woman can do. Hislop makes
an important point when stating, “Today women have to be intentional about finding
ways to enter community, to connect with one another. The need for input, care, and
shepherding from other women is heightened even further because these kinds of
relationships are not readily available. They are not built into the everyday life of most
women.” 135 Sandy Sheehy has also discovered the importance of relationships in a
woman’s life. She states in Connecting,
Today…an increasing number of psychologists and sociologists on the cutting
edge of women’s development contend that female friendship is indeed a primary
bond. Their research reveals that over the course of our lives, the ability to form
and maintain solid, rewarding friendships with other women is essential both to
our personal growth and fulfillment and to the health of our sexual and family
relationship.…Women today sense that we need female friendship more than
ever. Our lives are moving so quickly, and everything from technology to the
concept of what constitutes a family is changing so fast that we must look to our
women friends to provide both stability and a reality check… 136
These relationships involve mutual acceptance, caring, and sharing. Dr. Deborah
Newman posits, “I think women grow, heal, and change in the context of supportive
relationships.” 137 And as with any relationship, it requires priority, respect, and attention
if they intend to succeed and survive.
134 Ibid., 72.
135 Ibid., 79.
136 Sandy Sheehy, Connecting: The Enduring Power of Female Friendship (New York, NY:
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2000), xvi.
165.
137 Deborah Newman, Passion on Purpose (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003),

51
Women in the twenty-first century have many roles, responsibilities, and goals
which they fill, and which intertwine with each other. Coomes and DeBard report that
Millennial students have different experiences and expectations regarding gender and
sexism. They observe the following about the young women:
This generation holds attitudes about appropriate roles for women that are
much more egalitarian than in earlier generations. This is a generation that has
seen a rise in women as leaders in peer culture, government (Hillary Clinton,
Madeline Albright, and Condoleezza Rice), business, and many other areas.
Millennial students have decreasing expectations that women’s place is restricted
to the home, with only 21.5 percent of students agreeing that ‘the activities of
women are best restricted to home and family’ (Sax and others, 2001, 32). 138
This younger generation looks at life and understands the roles of women differently
from previous conservative evangelical generations. Bridging that gap through mentoring
will benefit all generations and help them learn from and understand one another better.
Howe and Strauss add this important observation about the Millennials and
their relationships: “Part of the ritual of going to college in the past was a separation from
former relationships, including friends and parents. However, new technology ‘is making
it harder for Millennials to “let go” of their old high school worlds, to replace old friends
with new ones.’” 139 C.A. Barnard is concerned that steady use of cell phones makes the
task of building community on campus more difficult as face-to-face discussions have
been replaced with chatting on the phone. 140 With the rise and popularity of technology
students regularly use instant messaging (IM), Facebook, and email to keep in touch with
others rather than meeting face-to-face. Although technology offers students the
138 Ellen M. Broido, “Understanding Diversity in Millennial Students,” Serving the Millennial
Generation, New Directions for Student Services, No. 106, Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass, Summer 2004), 78.
Associates, 2007), 93.
139 Neil Howe and William Strauss, Millennials Go to College, 2 nd Ed., (USA: LifeCourse
140 C. A. Barnard, “The Impact of Cell Phone Use on Building Community.” Student Affairs
Online, 2003, 4, from http://studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Fall_2003/CellPhones.html. Retrieved Nov. 4, 2003.

52
opportunity to remain in close contact with previous friends and family, it can become an
obstacle to students developing friendships and community where they live. E-ties need
to “…supplement not supplant face-to-face connections.” 141
Research by Jean Twenge shows that this new ‘Gen Me’ generation (born
1982-2000-something) does not just question authority, they disrespect authority entirely.
“Gen Me trusts no one, suggesting a culture growing ever more toward disconnection and
away from close communities. Trusting no one and relying on your self is a self-fulfilling
prophecy in an individualistic world where the prevailing sentiment is ‘Do unto others
before they do it to you.’” 142 Relationship stands at the heart of mentoring. If authority
fails to be even respected, often mentoring can bridge that gap by building trust and
confidence so that learning can be passed on without coming across as “an authority.”
Through the mentoring process the needs and issues that women encounter or deal with
come to the light and can be faced, addressed, and hopefully healed. Otherwise, the need
for professional counseling can be determined and recommended.
Many women have gained knowledge, experience, and insights from their life
experiences. They need to share what they have learned with those who come after them
to enhance the future of the next generation. In Donna Otto’s book on mentoring, she
explains,
A heart for God, a teachable spirit, the Lord’s perspective on time, a solid
knowledge of their faith, the ability and boldness to share their beliefs, a
commitment to people, a warm hospitality for all who come their way, a loving
availability, and an accepting, affirming spirit – these are the traits of the woman
of God, the Titus woman, the older woman who can make a difference for God’s
kingdom by passing on His truth and His values to the next generation. 143
141 Broido, Serving the Millennial Generation, 91.
142 Jean M. Twenge, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident,
Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before, (New York, NY: Free Press, 2006), 28, 36.
2001), 120-121.
143 Donna Otto, Finding a Mentor, Being A Mentor (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers,

53
A mentor needs to address every area of a mentoree’s life, for women need
help in a variety of areas, whether it be relational, spiritual, emotional, or even physical.
The Apostle Paul exhorts believers when he says, “And concerning you my brethren, I
myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all
knowledge and able also to admonish [counsel/ mentor] one another” (Romans 15:14).
Whether mentoring is formal or informal, the relationships still involve trust,
commitment, communication, and time to know and be known by another person.
Mentoring means connecting with other women who will be a resource and
encouragement for one’s career, faith, relationships, and life development. Duff
emphasizes the importance of women connecting when she says, “When women come
together for the purpose of connecting as women and sharing who they are with one
another, we create an opportunity to discover ourselves and who we can become.” 144
Robert Lewis adds his insight about mentoring and women today:
…to correct the course many women are on today…What is needed is a
multitude of wise mentors. Some women are already doing this, but we need
more. I believe younger women would love for older, life-smart woman to step
forward and courageously speak into the confusion and empty rhetoric of much of
today’s modern femininity and offer rock-solid ways to build a life. They yearn
for the life coaches…women who can point them to a life that is not only sensible
and satisfying (Titus 2:5) but one that can go the distance without pulling up
somewhere lame with regret. 145
As a woman grows in her knowledge of God and His Word in an
intergenerational mentoring relationship, a good older mentor will impart skills and
wisdom acquired through experience while nurturing the younger mentoree’s innate gifts
and abilities. It is said of Teresa of Avila in her mentoring relationship with Jeronimo
Gratian that, “…likely at that stage in her life she also needed to share what she had
learned with someone younger and less experienced. Both individuals benefited from the
144 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 139.
145 Lewis, The New Eve, 13.

54
interchange that occurred.” 146 Leona English adds from her research on Teresa of Avila
some desired characteristics of a mentor:
In general, the person is more experienced, willing to take on the role of
mentor, and considered to be a model person for assisting others….The mentor
chosen by the protégé/[mentoree] had a common vision with the
protégé/[mentoree] and was capable of assisting him or her in fulfilling a
dream….Perfection is also not a qualification, but experience and willingness to
give time and assistance are. 147
As Leona English studied the life of Teresa of Avila, she examined the
mentoring relationships that occurred between Teresa and such individuals as Peter of
Alcantara, St. John of the Cross, and Jeronimo Gratian. Peter of Alcantara is described as
being an elderly Franciscan, “an old man of about sixty” says Teresa in her book Life
(XXVII, 16-17). Teresa was fifty-two years of age and St. John of the Cross was twentyfive,
while Jeronimo Gratian was thirty, and she was sixty by the time they met. 148 These
relationships demonstrate the value of intergenerational mentoring.
Robert Lewis uses Barbara Bush as an example to emphasize the powerful
influence older women can have on the lives of younger women when he relates this
story:
Years ago Barbara Bush, first lady of [former] President George Bush, was
invited to give the commencement address at the all-female Wellesley
College….Her acceptance unfortunately stirred up a furor. The modern Wellesley
girls could not imagine what Mrs. Bush could offer them. She was clearly too old,
too traditional, and too yesterday to have anything relevant to say to them. The
first lady didn’t flinch. Drawing on experience, proven wisdom, and a big-picture
perspective of life, she spoke to the students about making wise choices. Here’s
part of what she had to say: ‘The…choice that must not be missed [as a woman] is
to cherish your human connections; your relationships with family and
friends.…At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one
more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will
146 Leona English. “The Tradition of Teresa of Avila and Its Implications for Mentoring of
Religious Educators,” Religious Education 91: (1996), 99.
147 Ibid., 98.
148 English, Religious Education 91, 91, 92, 94.

55
regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.’ Real
womanhood is about choosing wisely. 149
This is an example of an older, more life-experienced woman mentoring a younger
generation of women albeit in a large non-intimate setting.
Author Jeanne Hendricks, in A Woman for All Seasons, comments on the lack
of value society places on the older generation when saying,
Our society has brainwashed us with the falsehood that old women are
useless. So often, when they can no longer work the eight-to-five shift, or at least
run the vacuum cleaner, we set them in a rocking chair in front of the television
set. There their minds become removed from reality, duped, and deteriorated. We
feed them tranquilizers, waiting for some vital organ to lapse, hoping they will
slip away ‘without suffering.’ What a waste of wisdom and vitality! 150
This could remain the sad state of affairs of the twenty-first century if value is not placed
on intergenerational opportunities. For the first time in history there exists seven
generations living at the same time. The younger generations need to take advantage of
the opportunity and rare privilege to learn, glean, and benefit from the life experiences
and wisdom of those from generations who have gone before them. And the older
generations still have the opportunity to use their gifts and experience to impact, nurture,
and encourage a younger generation.
Donna Otto makes this relevant statement from a conversation with Elisabeth
Elliot Gren who said, “‘The retirement years present us with serious temptations – to
idleness, to self-indulgence, to pampering. This is a colossal waste of God-given gifts.
God has given wisdom, strength, experience – and He is giving us the gift of old age.’
Hearing Elisabeth’s comment, I couldn’t help wondering why older women aren’t
seeking out younger women more today.” 151 The older woman can encourage the
149 Barbara Bush’s commencement address is available from the Wellesley Website,
http://www.wellesley,edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/1990/bush.html Robert Lewis. The New Eve.
(Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), 83.
150 Jeanne Hendricks, A Woman for All Seasons (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1977), 92.
151 Otto, Finding a Mentor, Being A Mentor, 136.

56
younger woman and help her to see that she can survive the struggles that life presents.
Through sharing conversation, life experiences, and faith, the older woman can help the
younger woman learn how to live a life that honors God. By the very fact that the older
woman has lived through many of the challenges that the younger woman now faces she
can give the younger woman hope and encouragement that she, too, can endure and
survive.
If we seek to address the needs and issues of women through mentoring while
they attend seminary, possibly we can have the opportunity to change the societal trends
of not valuing older generations. Tapping into the wisdom and experiences of older
people can contribute towards developing healthier and stronger workers for God’s
Kingdom. Being a spiritual and trusted mentor for a woman seminarian provides the
opportunity to instill Christ-confidence so that when she leaves seminary she can face the
world more effectively, efficiently, and eagerly for the Lord. Mentoring offers an
excellent way to invest in a female student’s life and contribute to the building up of
God’s Kingdom. Donna Otto summarizes with this statement, “Having our heavenly
Father’s perspective on time also means realizing that we are to invest in the next
generation of His people.” 152
Peer Mentoring
Unlike the older woman mentor as described in Titus 2, peer mentors are often
the same age, or close to the same age and are in similar life circumstances. Therefore,
peer mentors can share needed information, encouragement, and insights into their
common experiences. Peer mentors tend to be close friends as those who share age and
stages of life, family and circumstances. Peer mentors can help one another get into the
152 Ibid.,117.

57
swing of an environment by sharing what they observe and what they learn from their
colleagues’ experiences. 153
David G. Benner, in his book Sacred Companions, emphasizes that “deep
knowing of self and God requires deep knowing of and by others. Intimate relationships
with others prepare us for intimacy with God.” 154 The Christian doctrine of the Trinity
places connected otherness at the very heart of the nature of God. Bev Hislop, in
Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, recommends that “it is time to consider the directive of
Titus in light of the increased emotional and spiritual needs of women.” 155 She makes the
following suggestions:
…Given today’s societal and historical changes, what women face today
necessitates care specific to the needs of women along with relevant biblical
input….To be effective in shepherding women we must be responsive to a
woman’s gender-specific characteristics, behaviors, and needs. To do that, we
must understand what those characteristics are and how they are unique to
women, and that includes looking at the physiological, psychological aspects of a
woman’s life as well as identifying the characteristics of a woman’s cognition and
communication. Women bring deeper understanding to women with the
physiological issues that define womanhood. Who can understand the pain of
childbirth but someone who has also pushed, cried, screamed, and rejoiced?...
Menopause symptoms do not sound reasonable to someone who has not
repeatedly wakened in the middle of the night soaked – and startled resulting in
serious sleep deprivation. 156
Gail Sheehy’s work New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time, provides
a comprehensive model of understanding the life cycles for men and women individually.
Sheehy makes the point that throughout each decade of life, women process differently
than men, although that difference will vary across the life map. Women’s pastoral care
153 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 124.
154 David G. Benner, Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 41.
155 Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, 85.
156 Ibid., 85, 58, 61.

58
and nurture needs to be responsible to pay attention to being able to provide that care in a
truly effective and specific way. 157
Beverly Hislop states that relationships are a primary concern for women. This
difference between pastoral care to women and pastoral care to men has been observed in
counseling settings and Hislop has determined the following list of those differences:
1. Women, single and married, struggle more with relational issues than
men.
2. Women usually want support and understanding.
3. Women feel excessively responsible for others.
4. Women put feelings before thoughts.
5. Women manage stress with a relational response. 158
In A Woman’s Search for Worth, Dr. Deborah Newman explored the
definition of womanhood. She asked women the question, “What do you enjoy most
about being a woman?” She found that most women responded “by saying they like the
depth and warmth, the connectedness, of their relationships. They like that they know
what is going on in the lives of their spouses, children, friends, mothers, and others. By in
large, women cocoon themselves in an intricately woven fabric of relationships…. Most
of us define womanhood by our relationships.” 159 Goodman and O’Brien add,
“Friendship matters to women; it matters a lot; women today – with lives often in
transition – depend on friends more than ever. Many who once believed family was the
center of life, with every myth and movie and fairy tale having the same married-happilyever-after
ending, now know that friends may be the difference between a lonely life and
157 Gail Sheehy, New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time (New York: Ballantine,
1995), 11-13.
158 Hislop, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart, 67-72.
159 Deborah Newman, A Woman’s Search for Worth. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House
Publishers, 2002), 19-20.

59
a lively one.” 160 This expressed the essence of friendship and should also be said of and
experienced in the mentoring relationships between women.
Stanley and Clinton reserve a whole chapter in their book Connecting, to peermentoring.
Their description of peer mentors is: “…We see peers as mentors of one
another….They are the same age and share more common experiences…” 161 They go on
to say that peer mentors are “…more relaxed, relevant, and open with one
another….These qualities in the relationship…enable peers to stimulate, interact, and
hold one another accountable at a more personal level.” 162 Stanley and Clinton
summarize by recommending a “circle of accountability”…and note that the “loneranger”
approach leads to spiritual ill-health. They state that “we need a balance of three
types of mentoring relationships: 1.) Upward mentors…who have gone before and can
show the way; 2.) Downward mentors…who shake our complacency, renew our
convictions, refreshingly keep us on our toes, and multiply our ministry for His
Kingdom; and 3.) Peer co-mentors…who know us, identify with us and provide mutual
stimulation and personal accountability.” 163
In the corporate and business world researchers have found that peer
mentoring adapts well to today’s work climate. Normally these peer mentors are close to
the same age. They embrace peer mentoring because they prefer to see each other as a
team. For many women today, peer mentoring helps women keep going from day to day
and enable them to fit into a system women didn’t create. 164 In the seminary setting peer
mentors have the opportunity to share with other students from their mutual seminary
160 Ellen Goodman and Patricia O’Brien, I Know Just What You Mean (New York: Simon and
Schuster, 2000), 12.
161 Stanley and Clinton, Connecting, 166-67.
162 Ibid., 166.
163 Ibid., 167.
164 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 124, 127.

60
experiences and offer encouragement and help as they adjust into the unique
circumstances and challenges of seminary life. Peer mentors can be confidants,
counselors, and coaches for one another. As the peer relationships evolve and become
more personal and committed, the peers can offer one another affirmation,
encouragement, confirmation, emotional support, personal feedback and friendship.
Multi-Cultural Mentoring
According to Christian values and beliefs, mentoring is appropriate for any
culture or ethnicity. Though the methodology of mentoring might have to be adapted for
different cultures, the goal or desired results remain the same for anyone of any culture.
The common goal of mentoring is for growth, transformation, and healing through
gaining insights, knowledge, and relationship with another Christian. In The Negro
Educational Review, from an article entitled “Race Still Matters: Considerations for
Mentoring Black Women in Academe,” the researchers concluded that “whether the
mentor is Black or White, male or female is unimportant. What is more important is that
the mentor is genuine and seeks to assist the protégé in having a successful academic
career.” 165 At the same time, research indicates that female needs may sometimes differ
related to ethnicity. Two of the largest ethnic groups attending DTS are the black
international students and African Americans and the Asian international students. In
African American Pastoral Care, author Edward P. Wimberly states that “children born
after 1960 feel less parented than those of previous generations. Within the African
American community, the foundations of the black extended family are crumbling,
single-parent families are on the increase, and even in a two-parent home, both must
165 Sharon L. Holmes, Lynette Danley Land, and Veronica D Hinton-Hudson, “Race Still
Matters: Considerations for Mentoring,” The Negro Education Review, Vol. 58, nos.1-2 (Spring/Summer,
2007): 121.

61
work if the family is to survive economically which contributes to the feeling of not
being adequately parented.” 166 The major tasks of young adulthood, now, more than ever
before, require making important life choices without having had good role models or
stable family conditions. These choices include deciding how to survive economically,
decisions regarding marriage (or not), whether or not to establish a family, and making
choices regarding what role faith and religion will play in life.
When giving pastoral care to the African American, Wimberly makes the
important point that one should take narrative (telling personal stories) seriously, with the
specific task of narrative pastoral care with these young adults. He holds the view that
pastoral care to this ethnic group needs to include establishing an atmosphere in which
young adults feel free to share their stories. This type of pastoral care that includes
narrative helps to enable the young adult to share what it is like to face the outside world
and enables them to discern God’s presence and story working in his or her life. “Stories
function in the caring setting to bring healing and wholeness to the lives of persons and
families within the black pastoral-care context.” 167 The major concern for the future is to
maintain the indigenous, spontaneous form of caring through stories that exist in the
African American tradition. 168 Henry Mitchell and Nicholas Lewter call these types of
stories soul theology, which is the core belief-system that gives shape to the world, and
shows how African American people have come to grips with the world in a meaningful
way. 169 Female African American students and the black international female students
57-58.
166 Edward P. Wimberly, African American Pastoral Care (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991),
167 Ibid., 11.
168 Ibid., 104, 105.
11.
169 Henry Mitchell and Nicholas Lewter, Soul Theology (New York: Harper & Row, 1986),

62
struggle with many issues and need to have the specific care, nurture, and mentoring that
includes narrative to help them through this crucial stage in their lives.
Women of different cultures or ethnic groups will need to assess their
connection with their mentor and be sure there exists understanding and a perceptive
attitude concerning cultural or ethnic differences. Carolyn Duff makes these observations
about intercultural mentoring relationships:
Women of color need one another, not only to advance one another’s careers,
but for emotional and relationship support as well. A woman named Nicole, an
African American woman and experienced management consultant…explained:
‘African American women are bicultural. The members of this group are
American by nature and African American by nurture. We come together as a
group to acknowledge and protect the “inner me,” the self voice inside that tells
me what I need to be about.’
Women of particular races or ethnicities...give women of non-Eurocentric
backgrounds places to come together and learn from one another how to succeed
in their bicultural lives and careers. 170
When working with, counseling or mentoring an individual from another
cultural background, one must take into consideration what has normative relevance for
that culture. Wimberly, believes that the Bible can be especially effective when used to
facilitate growth in the lives of African American Christians who grew up in a Christian
environment where Bible stories were normative for making sense out of life. He
concludes, “The major concern for the future is to maintain the indigenous, spontaneous
form of caring through stories that exist in the African American tradition. However, we
can learn to preserve and enhance this tradition through studying the emerging literature
on storytelling. We need to take pride that the academic and professional world of
counseling is rediscovering what already was a full-blown tradition in African American
culture. 171 170 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 147, 148
Press, 1994), 15, 104-105.
171 Edward P. Wimberly, Using Scripture in Pastoral Counseling, (Nashville: Abingdon

63
Dipa Hart, a DTS alum, in her chapter in Preparing for Ministry: A Practical
Guide to Theological Field Education, comments on the need for intercultural training
and conversation in master’s level schools. She observes, “In America, few masters-level
schools in general (not just seminaries) offer formal classes to dialogue about race or
cultural issues or challenge students during their educational activities to develop
emotionally mature responses that reflect God and not just guilt for the sins of their
forefathers.” 172 Hart goes on to say,
Unbalanced student development will produce leaders who are unable to
biblically analyze their experiences or to engage in meaningful conversation; as
these leaders minister, they may cause newer believers to flee from their families
and cultures and replicate again a great tragic fact of missions history….Balanced
development should maintain a continuous dialogue between experiences and
relationships on the one hand and Scripture and theology on the other. 173
Any mentoring program needs to take into consideration cultural and ethnic differences.
Even though it may be true that most women face similar personal issues, cultural
backgrounds often play into how those issues are manifested and how they need to be
addressed. A seminary should be sensitive to the differences in their female students and
know how to best meet the needs of each individual student.
Mentoring in Academia
The development of mentoring programs has become an important goal in
many academic institutions. Mirka Koro-Ljungberg and Sharon Hayes reported in the
journal Mentoring and Tutoring, that in some university documents, mentoring is defined
as a “relationship [that] has both informal and formal components. Mentoring may be
best carried out through a series of casual office visits, lunch discussions about the
172 Dipa Hart, “Field Education and Cultural Awareness,” in Preparing for Ministry: A
Practical Guide to Theological Field Education, ed. George Hillman, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel
Publications, 2008), 80.
173 Ibid., 86.

64
challenges and opportunities presented by academic life.” 174 They offer these insights
from their research:
Lipschutz (1993) argues that mentoring graduate students goes beyond merely
advising them. In the context of a graduate school, mentorship assumes a respect
for students as sources of ideas and insights (e.g. coauthoring papers) and means
of offering students timely and constructive responses to their work, modeling the
values of the discipline, and demonstrating a concern for their professional
welfare. For Lipschutz (1993), mentoring is a valuing, transforming relationship
in which the mentor is actively invested and aware of the responsibilities he or she
assumes for shaping the mentee’s knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors. 175
Whether it is an individual one-to-one mentoring relationship or an affinity
group, women in academia seek other women for connection to gain wisdom from those
who have gone before them. These connections help to develop relationships in which
women benefit from each other. Carolyn Duff reports that women across the country,
from Florida to Oregon, come together in a variety of places to form giving and learning
communities. She says that women form groups around age and stage, single-parent
issues, advocacy for older parents, lifestyle values, spiritual searches, and career shifts.
Duff makes this statement, “We learn from one another and we give to one another. We
approach life as a whole, knowing the interconnectedness of all our decisions. We seek
one another’s wisdom as we continue composing our lives.” 176
Formal training begins in seminaries for anyone who feels called to Christian
service or wants to expand his or her biblical and theological knowledge and
understanding. Whether a pastor, a Bible study teacher, a youth director, a missionary, a
male or female, everyone needs the input of the older or more experienced to help them
in the on-going formation, preparation, and education for a life of ministry. In Christian
174 Mirka Koro-Ljungberg and Sharon Hayes, “The Relational Selves of Female Graduate
Students During Academic Mentoring: From Dialogue to Transformation,” Mentoring and Tutoring.
University of Florida Press 14, no. 4 (November 2006): 390.
175 Ibid., 390.
176 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 153.

65
communities, Brian Williams has this to say about the value of mentoring in preparation
for Christian ministry:
Mentoring for pastoral formation…can refer to the diverse array of formal
relationships and informal friendships in which older or more experience pastors,
priests, or ministers offer their eyes, ears, voice, and hands to younger or less
experienced pastors in order to help them explore the overlapping contours of
who they are in Christ and what they are called to do for Christ. This is the
overlap of their being and their thinking under the indigenous pressures,
responsibilities, and tasks of doing pastoral ministry – when they intentionally
participate in the ongoing formation, preparation, and education of fellow pastors
at uniquely critical moments in their lives, when they are learning how to do and
to be and to think… Careful support of new ministers both in seminary and
immediately following is crucial to continue this process of formation and
maturation for ministry… 177
Students who have mentors and peer mentors while in seminary can begin the
process of developing their interpersonal skills and insights beyond just academic
knowledge. Williams wisely says, “No one asks for a thesis or essay – even though we
may give it to them sometimes. They ask for words that speak God’s grace and God’s
grandeur, words that open up space for them to repent and pray, worship and act. Words
and actions that form the unformed and fill the unfilled, that speak and enact creation into
chaos.” 178 Leona English and Lorna Bowman add:
In theological education today it is recognised (sic) that students in seminaries
and schools of theology have special needs that can best be met by a mentor. One
of the biggest issues they face is that they come there 'in order to leave' (Sheldrake
1998: 3), meaning that such schools are transitional spaces, not lifetime homes.
The transitional question is 'where am I' and the identity question is 'who am I and
where should I be' (p. 3). Engaging these questions requires a certain amount of
support that a mentor may indeed be able to provide. Since many theology
students are older, they come with many life experiences. For them there are large
questions of transition and identity. Sheldrake says there is also the struggle to
'come to terms with the ordinary' (p. 5) or the fact that you, your colleagues and
your professors are just regular people. Another issue is with leaving and moving
on to other places, placements and jobs.…Mentors in the guise of spiritual
177 Williams, The Potter’s Rib, 55, 56.
178 Ibid., 57.

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directors, faculty advisors, theological education field supervisors and others are
often in a unique position to help students negotiate these issues. 179
Mentors come alongside and offer grace and acceptance to students in the
midst of their formal training. This allows students the safety and space to experience the
very things that they will need to offer others after their seminary training ends. Williams
notes, “We take with us into ministry all that we are, all the patterns of thinking and
being that we have developed over the course of our lives.” 180 In addition, Williams
continues,
The need for this has not gone entirely unnoticed by the theological academy.
Mentoring for pastoral formation still occurs, or is at least attempted, in the
current structure of our seminaries. Many seminaries and Bible colleges, in at
least the last thirty years or so, have developed required programs of ‘supervised
ministry internships,’ which attempt to make formal provision for the kind of
mentoring for pastoral formation we are considering here. These internships
usually take place near the end of a student’s course of academic study, when a
student is invited to participate in the ongoing life of a particular ministering and
worshipping community. 181
This type of mentoring remains essential for the development and training of seminarians
who prepare to go into Christian ministry regardless of what type of ministry context it
might be.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is known for his love, concern, and attention to the need
for the nurture and care of his seminarians. In his book Spiritual Care, Bonhoeffer insists
that in the church people must offer one another the kind of support and encouragement
they each need. Williams notes this about Bonhoeffer, “In Bonhoeffer they initially met
an intelligent man with an acute theological mind, yet they [students at Finkenwald] soon
experienced relationship with a humble man, ever willing it seemed to explore the
complexity of calling or discuss the meaning of Sacrament, a man prepared to journey
179 English and Bowman, British Journal of Theological Education 12, 40-56.
180 Williams, The Potter’s Rib, 59.
181 Ibid., 59.

67
with them in faith at a time when maintaining faithful witness was a difficult and
dangerous cross to bear.” 182 And Bonhoeffer said of himself and his ministry to others,
“God does not want me to mold others into the image that seems good to me, that is, into
my own image. Instead, in their freedom from me, God made other people in God’s
image. I can never know in advance how God’s image should appear in others. That
image always takes on a completely new and unique form.” 183 Bonhoeffer clearly
articulates the definition of a mentor and the goals of a mentor.
English and Bowman recognize the importance “to examine the value of
mentoring relationships for the purposes of teaching and ministerial formation in schools
of theology and seminaries for both women and men, faculty and students.” 184 They have
observed the following:
Many religious traditions find that they have an increasing number of female
students, often in excess of 50 per cent of the student body whether or not the
denomination ordains women. Yet the majority of faculty members continue to be
men (Bowman 1999). It seems simple enough to expect that candidates for
ministry, or those who teach them, experience a caring and supportive
environment that nurtures both their spiritual and intellectual life.….Informal
mentoring may or may not occur, suggesting the need for more formalized (sic)
mentoring to provide support, teaching, counseling (sic), nurturing, and role
modeling (sic) to occur (see English 1996)…. Mentorship is a particular need for
women in theological education. Women are in particular need of support and
nurturing both to increase their registration in, and completion of, graduate study
in theology and religion. 185
Dr. Joye Baker, a professor of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary,
concurs with English and Bowman. In her chapter in Preparing for Ministry, she
182 Williams, The Potter’s Rib, 249.
183 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1954), 95.
184 English and Bowman, British Journal of Theological Education 12, 49-56.
185 Ibid., 49-56.

68
emphasizes the importance of female mentors for women students. Through her research
and experience working with women during their internships, Baker offers specific ways
for mentors to best address the needs of female students. 186
One-on-mentoring serves a unique role in the student’s development during the
entire time that a student is in his or her academic training. The amount of time that a
seminarian attends Dallas Seminary varies from two years to four or more depending on
the degree plan and the rate at which a student takes the required courses. At Dallas
Seminary, the time limit for completion of the Master of Arts (M.A.) program is seven
years and eight years for the Master of Theology (Th. M.) program. All coursework for
the Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) and Certificate of Graduate Study (C.G.S.)
programs must be finished within three years. 187 Given the number of years that a
seminarian is available for interaction with a mentor, the opportunity is obviously great,
and valuable learning and experience can be obtained beyond the formal academic
classroom environment. It is to this end that this research study is aimed.
Personal Issues of Seminary Women
In addition to the research on mentoring, this literature review also
investigates the specific personal needs and issues of female seminarians. Seminary
women share many common things with all Christian women, but while they attend
seminary these women have specific needs that surface due to the academic, social and
emotional foci, stress, and demands of their training for ministry. Counselor and author,
Dr. Deborah Newman, offers this observation from her many years of counseling
regarding women’s issues: “If we boiled down every problem of every women who ever
sat across from me in the counseling office, we would find one common bond: Women’s
186 Joye B. Baker, “Working With Women Students in Field Education,” in Preparing for
Ministry: A Practical Guide to Theological Field Education, ed., George Hillman, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Kregel Publications, 2008), 233-253.
187 Dallas Theological Seminary Student Handbook (Dallas Theological Seminary, 2008), 9.

69
problems are centered in their relationships as they seek to control the hurt they
experience from them.” 188
We live in a broken and sin-filled world. Therefore, though God created
people with a need for connection, intimacy and relationships, relationships often cause
hurt, havoc, and problems. This study sought to isolate some of the most common issues
that women seminarians experience. Women face a vast number of different and unique
personal issues, but two major issues seem to surface most frequently. These are: (1)
loneliness due to isolation, and (2) depression.
Loneliness and Isolation
Dianna Booher, in her book Well-Connected, makes this observation from her
research:
The last century began with unity and ended with isolation. The single most
significant change in our culture has been the way we communicate with and
relate to each other. And that change has affected our spirits and purposes. The
typical American watches twenty-eight hours of television each week. Add to that
mix computer time and you understand why we no longer have time for
relationships. Even our phone calls and personal letters have given way to e-
mail. 189
Christianity Today, in an article entitled, “Look at All the Lonely People: A Radically
Old Way to Reach Out to a Friendless Culture,” states that “our isolation has increased,
leaving us a higher risk for a host of physical, social, and psychological ailments.
Certainly, the pressure to isolate ourselves is longstanding in our increasingly fragmented
society based on the radical autonomy of the individual.” 190 This article indicates that
people desire to seek deep and meaningful friendships, but that the experience of
1997), 72.
188 Deborah Newman, Then God Created Woman (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers,
189 Dianna Booher, Well-Connected: Power Your Own Soul by Plugging Into Others
(Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000), 2.
190 “Look at All the Lonely People,” Christianity Today, November 2006, 31.

70
significant relationships is shriveling. With the shrinking experience of having deeper,
more intimate relationships, it is no wonder that: “…More and more Americans are
starving for significant relationships.” 191 Christianity Today reports, “Earlier this year,
the American Sociological Review published a disturbing study, ‘Social Isolation in
America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks Over Two Decades.’ Researchers Miller
McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Matthew E. Brashears reported a ‘remarkable drop’
in the size of people’s core network of confidants – those with whom they could talk
about important matters.” 192
So many people struggle with loneliness that Discipleship Journal focused an
entire issue on the topic. In his article, Peter Pintus wrote, “Loneliness is not a respecter
of persons. It can strike anyone, anytime, or anywhere.” 193 Author Stephen Burns reports
that, “Studies reveal that loneliness, as closely as can be defined, affects more that 75
percent of the population. Directly or indirectly, it can be responsible for suicide,
depression, insomnia, and various other maladies. If loneliness isn’t the chief disease of
North American culture, it has to be near the top of the list. And sadly, these findings are
as true for people in the church as for those who are not.” 194 Similarly, in her extensive
study of Generation Me, Jean Twenge discovered that both depression and loneliness are
very commonplace in today’s culture. Her study further revealed “…another surprising
finding: when you were born had more influence on one’s anxiety level than one’s
individual family environment.” 195 Twenge further states about her own friends in their
191 Ibid., 31.
192 Ibid.
193 Peter Pintus, “At the Heart of Loneliness” Discipleship Journal, December, 2007, 35.
44.
194 Stephen Burns, “What’s a Lonely Person to Do?” Discipleship Journal, December 2007,
195 Twenge, Generation Me, 107.

71
early thirties, “These are college-educated, successful, and usually well-adjusted people,
but loneliness, relationship breakups, and career pressures have taken their toll. 196
In addition, Gregg Easterbrook, in The Progress Paradox, reports that more
than four times as many Americans describe themselves as lonely now than in 1957. 197
Political scientist, Robert E. Lane, adds, “There is a kind of famine of warm interpersonal
relations, of easy-to-reach neighbors, of encircling inclusive memberships, and of solid
family life.” 198 Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, documents the steep decline in
all kinds of social connections. He observes: “Somehow in the last several decades of the
twentieth century all these community groups and tens of thousands like them across
America began to fade.” 199 He also notes that it is not as common for people to join clubs
and organizations, invite friends over for a meal, or visit with their neighbors. Pintus adds
these insights,
Our Western culture offers a plethora of ‘solutions’ to feeling alone. We’re
enticed to a whirl of activity that surrounds us with people. Technology is
marketed as a way to build relationships and maintain instant connection.
Websites provide new ways of finding a cyber pal. If those don’t meet your needs,
internet pornography is only a few keystrokes away. Books, magazine articles,
movies, and TV shows preach a false message that ‘as long as no one is hurt’
sexual encounters provide the answer to loneliness. In most instances, society’s
answers are not, and never will be, truly satisfying. We can also seek out older
mentors and ask them how they handled times of loneliness. Talking to mature
men or women who are further down the road in years and experience can lend
perspective and help us see what might be ahead. 200
Though our culture offers many alternative ways to fill the void that many feel
in their lives, the potential satisfaction these alternatives may provide for a while will not
196 Ibid, 107-108.
197 Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox (New York: Random House, 2003), 180.
198 Robert E. Lane, The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies (New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 2001), 9.
199 Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 16.
200 Pintus, Discipleship Journal, 38, 41.

72
last and can lead to greater problems. Therefore, in most cases the symptoms of
loneliness and depression will return. Technology, with all the positives it brings, still has
a dark side. Researcher Jean Twenge describes it this way: “It’s almost as if we are
starving for affection. To take the analogy a little further, we’re malnourished from eating
a junk-food diet of instant messages, e-mail, and phone calls, rather than the healthy food
of live, in-person interaction.” 201
Dr. James Dobson addresses the needs of women in his book Straight Talk to
Men and Their Wives. Commenting on the increase in loneliness among women, Dobson
contends that the breakdown today is not between men and women, but between women
and women:
A century ago, women cooked together, canned together, washed at the creek
together, prayed together, went through menopause together, and grew old
together. And when a baby was born, aunts and grandmothers and neighbors were
there to show the new mother how to diaper and feed and discipline. Great
emotional support was provided in this feminine contact. A woman was never
really alone. Alas, the situation is very different today. The extended family has
disappeared, depriving the wife of that source of security and fellowship. Her
mother lives in New Jersey and her sister is in Texas. Furthermore, American
families move every three or four years, preventing any long term friendships
from developing among neighbors. 202
In her book Generation Me, Dr. Jean M. Twenge, states: “The current
generation of young people, born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s is referred to as
“Generation Me,” or, “GenMe,” 203 as she calls them. This group ranges in age from
elementary school to thirty-something adults. The first Millennials were born in the year
1982 and are now in graduate schools and the numbers will continue to rise with the
largest influx being around the year 2013. With these expectations, the personal service,
201 Twenge, Generation Me, 110.
1984), 109.
202 James C. Dobson, Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives (Waco, TX: Word Publishing,
203 Twenge, Generation Me,5.

73
programs, and ministries to meet the needs of these young adults have to be planned and
developed now.
Dr. Twenge’s research reveals that this younger generation is tolerant,
confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also cynical, depressed, lonely, and anxious.
Dr. Twenge indicates that “Gen Me trusts no one, suggesting a culture growing ever more
toward disconnection and away from close communities. Trusting no one and relying on
yourself is a self-fulfilling prophecy in an individualistic world where the prevailing
sentiment is ‘Do unto others before they do it to you.’” 204 GenMe has a value system in
place that tells them the individual is the most important thing in life, and that the
individual comes first. According to Dr. Twenge, it is easy to see why political scientist
Robert Lane argues, “There is a kind of famine of warm interpersonal relationships, of
easy to reach neighbors, of encircling inclusive memberships, and of solid family life. …
Generation ME often lacks other basic human requirements: stable close relationship, a
sense of community, a feeling of safety, a simple path to adulthood and the
workplace.” 205 Many in this younger generation experience feelings of loneliness as a
result of the culture in which they have grown up.
Other researchers call this same generation that Twenge calls “Gen Me,” the
“Millennial Generation.” Howe and Strauss refer to research done with The Chartwell
2006 College Student Survey by saying:
The Chartwells 2006 College Student Survey, released by LifeCourse
Associates and Crux research, explores the new generational traits of the
Millennial collegians – what differentiates them from other generations at the
same age, what they want in a college, and how they feel about the cost of college
and student debt. The study results highlight the upcoming changes that higher
education will face as Millennials with Gen-X rather than Boomer parents fill
America’s campuses in the years ahead… Millennials with Gen-X parents feel a
greater desire to achieve, and more intense pressure in the college application
204 Twenge, Generation Me, 36.
205 Ibid, 110, 136.

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process….Millennial collegians are pressured, career-oriented, concerned about
the rising cost of college, and close with their protective parents. 206
Howe and Strauss contend that, “Millennials as a group are unlike any other youths in
living memory.” 207 These researchers highlight some of the positives of this younger
generation beginning with the entering class of the fall of 2000 saying they are: “…more
numerous, more affluent, better educated, and more ethnically diverse [than previous
generations] and they are beginning to manifest a wide array of positive social
habits…including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good
conduct.” 208 Studies on this generation show that this generation has different needs,
expectations, and pressures, than those that previous generations faced. Howe and Strauss
observe, “The best-known fact about the Millennial Generation is that it is large. Already,
America has well over ninety million Millennials … making it nearly a third bigger than
the Boomers.” 209
A study published by Nicole J. Borges et al, in ‘Comparing Millennial and
Generation X Medical Students at One Medical School’ in Academic Medicine,
discovered the following characteristics between three generational cohorts existent today
as compared to the cohorts in 1989 to 1994:
• Millennials scored higher in emotional stability, perfectionism, and rule
orientation;
• Gen Xers scored higher in risk taking, pragmatism, and self-reliance; and
• Cuspers showed some of the traits of both generational neighbors. 210
The implications for the academia are clearly stated by Howe & Strauss: “Older
professors (Boomers especially) sometimes complain that many of today’s students are
206 Howe and Strauss, Millennials Go to College, 75.
207 Ibid., 13.
208 Ibid., 14.
209 Ibid., 35.
210 Nicole J. Borges, et al., “Comparing Millennial and Generation X Medical Students at One
Medical School” in Academic Medicine 81, no. 6 ( June 2006), 571-576.

75
so accustomed to quick turnaround assignments and a multitasking work style that big
projects can overwhelm them….Millennials have developed great skill at turning rapidly
from one problem to the next with more industry than reflection.…In all fields of
graduate education, this generation will want structure, supervision, and feedback.” 211
Realizing the needs and issues of these millennial students (as well as students
of all ages) and developing the means to minister to and care for them grows increasingly
important in academic institutions. DTS and other seminaries have the responsibility and
opportunity to make a positive impact on students as the faculty and staff discovers new
ways in which students think and behave. Administrators and professors must find the
means to meet the needs of all the different generations enrolled in seminary. It could
prove to be a prime opportunity to change the dramatic statistics and trends of so many
students experiencing loneliness.
The tendency to feel lonely and isolated is magnified as the students
experience dramatic change and challenges in their lives socially, geographically,
culturally, spiritually and intellectually. In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam documents the
steep decline in all kinds of social connections. “We have been pulled apart from one
another and from our communities over the last third of the [twentieth] century.” 212 It is
Putnam’s further contention that we are less likely to belong to clubs and community
organizations, less likely to have friends over for dinner, and less likely to visit our
neighbors. And, he holds that our social contacts are slight compared to those enjoyed by
earlier generations. 213 The Western culture seems to be in a change from earlier
generations which valued neighbors and close friends in neighborhoods, inclusive social
gatherings and closely connected family life. Therefore, it makes it essential that
211 Howe and Strauss, Millennials Go to College, 158, 204.
212 Putnam, Bowling Alone, 24.
213 Ibid., 96-100,108-109,115.

76
seminaries address these issues during the female students’ time of preparation for
ministry so that these women can go forth into ministry more secure in who they are and
more equipped to minister to the needs of others.
Depression
Depression is generally defined in the dictionary as a mental/emotional
disorder marked by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a
significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection
and hopelessness and sometimes suicidal tendencies. 214 “Depression is more than feeling
low. It is a syndrome, a set of symptoms that indicates something more serious than
ordinary low mood states. Evaluation includes two key considerations – how severe is the
problem, and what is the cause?” 215 Many women face periods of depression and
seminary students are not exempt from this common emotional issue.
In today’s highly mobile and technological society, loneliness, depression,
isolation, and individualism are on the rise. Isolation and loneliness set the climate for
anxiety and depression. At seminary, students move to a new environment, often a new
culture, without friends or family near. Twenge observes, “It is often difficult for young
people to make the transitions from the more certain world of college to the working
world – or even graduate school – where ‘doing your best’ isn’t always enough, and
choices aren’t always clear.” 216 Counselor Dr. Deborah Newman emphasizes the need
for community. “The need for support is one of the major issues I emphasize when
people come to counseling for depression and anxiety. Isolation can cause depression.
1998), 311.
214 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.,
215 William A. Miller and Kathleen A. Jackson, Practical Psychology for Pastors, 2 nd Edition
(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1995), 229.
216 Twenge, Generation Me, 119.

77
Remember, God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’ (Genesis 2:18). This is
doubly true for women.” 217
Christie Cozad Neuger notes that “depression is at an epidemic level among
women, with the incidence steadily rising.” 218 Elizabeth Libert adds, “Women’s rising
optimistic perceptions about the options available to them and about the very power to
make choices concerning these options do not match the reality. Women’s rising
expectations without the means to fulfill them contribute to the frequency and severity of
depression.” 219 More and more women enter seminary and face the challenges and
priorities of being a scholar, a woman, wife, mother, remaining single, or being in fulltime
careers and/or ministry. It becomes easier to see how more women will succumb to
depression at seminary if they do not have their needs addressed and move into nurturing
relationships. Dr. Newman states, “The need for support is one of the major issues I
emphasize when people come to counseling for depression and anxiety. Isolation can
cause depression. In fact, I think women grow, heal, and change in the context of
supportive relationships.” 220 Woman-to-woman mentoring invites a woman out of
isolation and allows her to share her frustrations, questions, experiences, expectations,
and worries with another female who can relate to her life.
Research indicates that depression is on the rise in our culture and this D.Min.
study of women students reveals that depression is also an issue among Dallas Seminary
female students. Dr. Mike Lawson states in his book D is for Depression, that research
217 Deborah Newman, Passion On Purpose, 165.
218 Christie Cozad Neuger, “A Feminist Perspective on Pastoral Counseling with Women” in
Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling, Vol. 2, eds. Robert J. Wicks and Richard Parsons, (New York:
Paulist Press, 1993), 201.
219 Elizabeth Libert, “Coming Home to Themselves: Women’s Spiritual Care,” in Through the
Eyes of Women: Insights for Pastoral Care, Jeanne Stevenson Moessner, ed., (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg
Fortress, 1996), 260.
220 Deborah Newman, Passion on Purpose, 165.

78
shows that no person’s gender or age is exempt from being susceptible to depression.
However, data has indicated that depression is “most common in the 25-44 year old age
bracket, and although depression occurs as often in men as women, women are diagnosed
and treated twice as often as men.” 221 Lawson goes on to say that “…depression rises in
old age; 15 % of people over the age of sixty-five suffer depression; there is a link
between depression in older people and those living alone; and teenage and young adult
depression is also on the increase.” 222
In addition, Twenge states that “…almost half of GenMe have seen their
parents divorce, or have never known their father at all. This has a clear link to the rise of
depression, as children of divorce are more likely to be anxious and depressed.” 223 The
number of young adults and older adults alike who have experienced divorce in their
families of origin or have been divorced themselves continues to rise. Isolation and
loneliness readily lead to anxiety and depression. With a social system whose roots are
not deep enough, this generation’s support systems remain too shallow and sets them up
for alienation and the potential subsequent experiences of loneliness and then
depression. 224
Social psychologist and author, David Myers argues in his book The American
Paradox that the United States has become a place where we have more but feel worse.
Technology, affluence and material things may make life easier, but they do not make
people happier. People long for the social connections of previous generations, but live in
221 Michael Lawson, D Is for Depression (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications,
Geanies House, 2006), 127.
222 Ibid., 127.
223 Twenge, Generation Me, 111.
224 Ibid., 115.

79
a confusing world of too many choices, and are becoming depressed at younger and
younger ages. 225 Reporting on research done on depression, Twenge adds,
Being young has not always carried such a high risk of being anxious,
depressed, suicidal, or medicated. Only 1% to 2% of Americans born before 1915
experienced a major depressive episode during their lifetimes, even though they
lived through the Great Depression and two world wars. Today, the lifetime rate
of major depression is ten times higher – between 15 % and 20 %. Some studies
put the figure closer to 50 %. In one 1990s study, 21 % of teens aged 15 to 17 had
already experienced major depression….These studies use a fairly strict
definition, counting only depression severe enough to warrant medication or longterm
therapy….Depression is oddly commonplace in today’s society. 226
Depression is not going away and the numbers continue to rise at an alarming
rate. “The number of people being treated for depression more than tripled in the ten-year
period from 1987 to 1997, jumping from 1.8 million to 6.4 million. During 2002 alone,
8.5 % of Americans took an antidepressant at some time, up from 5.6 % just five years
before in 1997.” 227 It is also a paradox that today’s young people experience such high
levels of stress and anxiety. With the exception of the tragic world changing event of
9/11, the majority of today’s adults have lived for the greater part of their lives free from
traumatic historical events such as world wars, financial market collapse, and national
economic depression. Today, especially in our Western culture, we have better medical
care, technology, more education, freedoms, choices, less physical labor in employment,
and in general live rather prosperous lives. But researchers still report higher and higher
levels of stress and anxiety which remain main contributors to depression.
A 2002 Washington Post article entitled, “These Teens Are at the Top in
Everything, Including Stress,” describes students who load their schedules with every
Advanced Placement (AP) class available, have overloaded themselves with
225 David G. Myers, The American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty (New
Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2000). 135-139.
226 Twenge, Generation Me, 105,106.
227 Ibid., 106.

80
extracurricular activities and community service, all for the purpose of getting into the
right college. 228 Then, when they do get into college, stress and anxiety only increases
due to the competitiveness for grades, recommendations, internships, and job placements.
And the stress, anxiety, and competition don’t stop during the college years. “Young
college graduates who by-pass graduate school often find the job market difficult even
during boom times, particularly if they majored in liberal arts.” 229 However, Howe and
Strauss optimistically note, “Many Millennials in graduate and professional school will
want to turn away from the competitive stress they have known for so long, turning
instead toward a more balanced and community-oriented lifestyle.” 230 Women who seek
and find nurturing mentoring relationships could perhaps prevent the tendency to become
isolated, lonely, anxious and stressed, avoiding the pull into depression.
Another significant issue women face today which can lead to depression is
having an unhealthy self-esteem. In today’s world where the media constantly bombards
the public with images of perfectly formed and maintained bodies, it has become an
increasing problem for women to have a balanced and healthy self-esteem and selfimage.
Many young women today experience the debilitating conditions of anorexia,
bulimia, and unhealthy eating habits as they try to conform to the physical expectations
of a highly visual, sexual and competitive culture. Howe and Strauss report that “many
Millennials skip meals or delve into harmful food fads or worse (anorexia, bulimia, or
‘exercise bulimia’) once they are out of range of daily parental control.” 231 In her book
228 Laura Sessions Stepp, “These Teens Are at the Top in Everything, Including Stress,”
Washington Post, 5 May, 2002.
229 Twenge, Generation Me, 118.
230 Howe and Strauss, Millennials Go to College, 204.
231 Ibid., 102.

81
Fasting Girls, which covers the topic of eating disorders, Joan Jacobs Blumberg lists the
goals of young women as follows:
…to be brainy and beautiful; to have an exciting $75,000-a-year job; to
nurture two wonderful children in consort with a supportive but equally highpowered
husband. To achieve such a perfect life, young women must be
extremely demanding of themselves….The kind of personal control required to
become the new Superwoman…parallels the single-mindedness that characterizes
the anorexic.” 232
Nanci Hellmich adds these statistics to explain that many women share a
common dislike of their bodies:
Women are notorious for hating their bodies. We are getting worse about this,
too. ‘A 1995 study claims that women are even more dissatisfied with their bodies
than they were 10 years earlier. In 1985, less than a third (30 percent) of women
were dissatisfied with their appearance, while in 1995, nearly half (48 percent)
were dissatisfied.’ And this was after 20 years of excessive media attention to
diet, exercise, and general health. 233
Dr. Deborah Newman, in her book Then God Created Woman, contends that
“the complications of life and relationships can leave us bankrupt and lonely. As women,
we must first recognize how much our relationships influence our view of ourselves and
then find the sources of our negative images.” 234 Seminarian women often bring to the
academic environment the unresolved issues in their lives that need to be addressed.
Though there may be a smaller percentage of DTS women dealing with anorexia or
bulimia, some female students struggle in the area of self-esteem and self-image which
can contribute to bouts with depression.
Conclusions from Research
232 Joan Jacobs Blumberg, Fasting Girls (New York: New American Library, 1989), 267.
September 1995, D1.
233 Nanci Hellmich, “Looking Thin and Fit Weighs More on Women,” USA Today, 25
234 Deborah Newman, Then God Created Woman, 53.

82
This literature review examined mentoring and two main issues of loneliness
and depression which seminary women face. Little research has been done addressing the
emotional needs and issues of female seminary students. More has been written on the
topic of mentoring, although the majority of literature has been written by men or has
been written by secular writers. There remains a great need for literature and training in
the area of women mentoring women. The twenty-first century brings a new generation
of young adults into the academic arena who have different expectations, experiences,
relationships, and technological abilities. These younger generations are enrolling in
Dallas Seminary and other seminaries and graduate schools in greater and greater
numbers. Women enroll as students at Dallas Seminary to prepare for Christian ministry.
The seminary experience formally trains and prepares them to serve Christ through
serving others in the world. The preparation occurs not only in the classroom, but also as
the students live out their beliefs in practice in the world. Women mentoring other
women plays a crucial role in this process. As Carolyn Duff states, “Women as mentors
provide coaching, information, and opportunity. We also encourage a vision and support
another woman’s growth and worth.” 235
The fact that seven generations are alive in the twenty-first century
significantly impacts this study because most of these seven generations participate in the
life of Dallas Seminary. The professors and the students span the ages of twenty-one to
over ninety years old. Differences in needs and issues between generations will surface
and the need to understand and relate to one another becomes essential so that all people
can benefit from the experience of life and ministry together in the world.
Women, generally, are relationship-oriented and desire networking, close
friends, and wise counsel from others. In a broken and sin-filled world, people are
wounded, emotionally broken, and in need of love, acceptance, and relationships which
235 Duff, Learning From Other Women, 36.

83
will bring healing and healthy community into their lives. As women train in seminary
for Christian vocations, the issues from their past also come with them. Many of those
issues can be discovered and addressed through intentional mentoring relationships. At a
time when women are open and learning more about theology, the Bible, their faith, and
themselves, the ethos is prime to also meet their relational needs and address their
personal issues through mentoring. By supporting and encouraging one another, female
seminarians can then go out into the world and fulfill their calling into ministry and meet
the demands and expectations of that calling in a stronger, healthier condition.

CHAPTER 3
PROCEDURE AND RESEARCH METHOD
This study intended to discover the personal needs and issues of the women
students of Dallas Theological Seminary. The research focuses on identifying those needs
and issues, analyzing the frequency with which the female students experience those
particular needs and issues and then investigating the value of mentoring by an older
woman or a peer mentor to help the women students deal with their personal needs and
issues while attending Dallas Seminary.
Research Question and Hypotheses
This study asked and answered the question, “What are the personal needs and
issues of the Dallas Theological Seminary twenty-first century female students?” The
following hypotheses were formed prior to the research process:
1. Needs and issues will differ for Dallas Theological Seminary female
students based on the demographic factors of younger and older students,
single and married students, international and non-international students,
and Th.M. and M.A. students.
2. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will reveal
that their greatest personal issues will be in the area of depression,
loneliness, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism.
3. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will reveal a
struggle with the issues of self-image, self-acceptance, and self-confidence.
4. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students will indicate a
strong desire for mentoring relationships with older, more spiritually mature
women.
5. A survey of the Dallas Theological Seminary female student will reveal one
of their greatest needs is for close meaningful relationships with men and
women.
84

85
Research Method
A descriptive survey, designed to discover the personal needs and issues of
the female seminarians served as the research instrument for this study. The instrument
gathered both quantitative and qualitative responses by including both closed and open
ended questions. The recipients received paper copies of the survey by mail rather than
electronically through email in order to assure the female students of their total
anonymity with answering the questions and give them the freedom to be honest and
candid about their needs and issues without fear of retribution.
Population
The target population for this study was comprised of all enrolled women
students at Dallas Theological Seminary in the spring semester of 2008. This included all
female students on the Dallas campus, at each of the five extension sites (Houston,
Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, and Tampa, Florida), and all female online
students. The DTS Office of the Registrar provided the original list of 600 names and
mailing labels. The mailings went out through the U.S. Postal Service to those students
who did not have a DTS mailbox on campus. Those female students who have DTS
mailboxes received their copy of the survey through the DTS campus mail.
Development of the Instrument
An investigation of all doctoral dissertations over the past thirty years since
women have been students at Dallas Theological Seminary did not reveal any surveys
that focused on identifying the personal needs and issues of the female students. An
original instrument needed to be developed in order to ascertain the desired information
and input from the current female students.
A descriptive survey, designed to discover the personal needs and issues of
the Dallas Theological Seminary female students, served as the research instrument for
this study. The first draft became a pilot survey sent out to twelve female DTS students in

86
December 2007. These women represented different ages, degree plans, number of years
at Dallas Seminary, ethnicities, and marital status. A cover letter (Appendix A) was
attached to the pilot survey. The letter asked the pilot group for their input on the amount
of time it took to take the survey, evaluation of the effectiveness and thoroughness of the
questions, and personal recommendations. The women agreed to fill out the survey and
time how long it took to complete. They evaluated the survey and made suggested
changes for clarity of questions, content, lay-out, length, and thoroughness of issues and
personal needs. All ten of the women returned the pilot survey within one week. The
average time to complete the survey was ten minutes. The women identified any
questions that were unclear, too personal to maintain anonymity, and any grammatical
errors. Based on the feedback, a few questions were eliminated, a few were added, and a
few were reworded for clarity. Their suggestions greatly helped in the construction of the
final draft of the survey (Appendix B).
The review of literature served as a primary source for the development of the
instrument. From the literature review, a number of previous studies offered samples of
surveys that were used to help design the instrument for structure, content, and the
individual questions. Surveys used in doctoral work by the following people informed the
development of the instrument: Jeannette Entz Schubert and Joye B. Baker. 236 In
addition, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches by
John W. Creswell 237 , Survey Research Methods by Floyd J. Fowler, Jr. 238 , and
236 See entries in the Bibliography for complete information for each of these projects.
237 John W. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods
Approaches 2 nd Ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2003).
238 Floyd J. Fowler, Jr. Survey Research Methods 3 rd Ed. (Applied Social Research Method
Series, Vol. 1, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2002).

87
Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications by L. R. Gay and
Peter Airasian 239 were consulted throughout the research process.
The development of the instrument occurred as an independent study done
under the guidance of Dr. Joye B. Baker, Adjunct Professor of Christian Education at
DTS. Dr. Baker reviewed numerous drafts during September - December 2007 offering
her experience and insights. Consultations with Dr. Jerry Wofford, DTS Adjunct
Professor in Doctor of Ministry, and Dr. Eugene Pond, Director of Institutional Research
and Effectiveness at DTS provided expertise and guidance in the content and structure.
Drs. Wofford and Pond, along with Dr. Pond’s assistant, Mark Howell, also offered help
in the analysis of the survey drawing from their years of experience working in research.
The official survey was printed in December, 2007 (Appendix B). A cover
letter (Appendix C), written by Lynn Etta Manning, survey designer and Advisor for
Women Students of Dallas Theological Seminary, was included with the survey,
explaining the survey and giving directions regarding how to fill out and return the
survey in a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The female students who had a Dallas
campus mail box were instructed to return the survey to a designated postal slot at the
DTS Postal Center. The total cost of the survey was $504.29. This included printing,
envelopes, and postage. Detailed accounting of expenses can be found in Appendix D.
In January 2008, the official survey was mailed to 600 Dallas Seminary
female students. These included women students taking courses on the Dallas campus, at
all five of the Dallas Seminary extension sites, and all on-line women students. Two
hundred and ninety-eight (298) surveys (49.6%) were received back from the women
students by the March 2008 deadline. The survey was designed to collect demographic
information, to assess current personal issues and needs of the female students, to
239 L. R. Gay and Peter Airasian, Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and
Applications 7 th Ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 2003).

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discover the relevant topics to use in programming events and speakers, and to gain any
specific recommendations from the women students. This dissertation includes a
summary of the data collected from the survey to help strengthen the training of women
students at Dallas Seminary. The results of this project were sent to Dr. Robert Garippa,
Vice-President and Dean of Students, and Rose Henness, Chair of the Women Students’
Fellowship Leadership Team.
Description of the Instrument
The survey (Appendix B) was printed front and back on three pages for a total
of six pages in length. The survey contains seven demographic questions, sixty-five
fixed-choice questions and three open-response questions. Each of the survey’s five
sections has a title:
A. Personal History and Demographics
B. Personal Issues With Which You Currently Struggle
C. Current Personal Needs While at DTS
D. Topics for Programming, Seminars, and Speakers at DTS
E. Concluding Comments
The first section of the survey gathered demographic information. The
remaining sections sought responses to a number of different questions regarding
personal issues and needs of the women students. The questions generated information
related to each woman student’s own assessment of her personal needs and issues,
interests, and perspective or experience with mentoring or being mentored. The final
question asked for any needs or issues the student faced that were not covered on the
survey.
Each question was assigned a number or letter for identification. Section A of
the survey included general questions related to current demographics. These included
age of student by decade, marital status, and degree program enrolled in. In addition, the

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respondents were asked whether they took classes at the Dallas campus, an extension site
or online and the number of hours enrolled. Lastly, they were to indicate their
participation in a Spiritual Formation group, and whether or not they were an American
citizen.
These broad demographic category questions were followed by twenty
questions in Section B related to personal issues, personal needs and struggles, and
relationships. Seven options could be circled on a seven-point scale from “Never” to
“Always.” Six other questions of the thirty-two questions in Section B also had the option
of a “N/A - not applicable” answer. In addition, there were six questions in Section B
with the option of a “yes” or “no” answer.
Section C dealt with the current personal needs of the women students while
at DTS. Questions one through five, and question seven had an option of a “yes” or “no”
response. Questions six and eight through sixteen were to be answered on the Likert scale
from 1 to 7 with one being “never” and 7 being “always,” and there was a N/A option
available on questions fourteen and fifteen. Question sixteen had a second part to the
question where the student could write in any needs or issues they had that they felt were
not included on the survey.
Section D dealt with topics of interest or need for programming, seminars, or
speakers. Question one in this section included seven sub-statements (a through g)
pertaining to “non-academic needs.” The women indicated their response to these seven
non-academic needs with five options of answering the question on a scale from 1-5, with
1 being “No Need” to 5 being “Greatest Need.” Question two in this section gave the
student the opportunity to rate the desired subject need for speakers on nine different
topics (“a” through “i”). Statement “j” was an option given to write in a personal need or
suggestion not otherwise included in the previous list. These topics “a” through “j” were

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to be rated according to a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being “No Need” and 5 being
“Greatest Need.”
Section E offered the respondent the opportunity to write in any comments
that the student might want to include that were not otherwise covered on the survey.
Question one asked the question, “Are there any needs you have or struggles you face
that were not covered on this survey?” The respondent was given the option of a “yes” or
“no” answer. If the respondent answered “yes” to the first question in Section E, then the
student was given the opportunity to anecdotally write any comment, suggestions, needs,
or struggles that she might be encountering.
The first hypothesis assumed that the needs and issues of the Dallas
Theological Seminary female students would differ based on the demographic factors of
age, marital status, degree plan, and whether or not the student was an American citizen
or an international student. It was validated by correlating the demographic information
with the specific data assessed.
The second hypothesis stated that the Dallas Theological Seminary female
students’ greatest areas of struggles would be in the subject categories of depression,
loneliness, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. The third hypothesis speculated that the
survey would reveal a common struggle with the various issues of self-image, selfesteem,
and self-confidence. Results related to the second and third hypotheses were
computed by correlating demographic information in Section A with the list of personal
issues in Section B.
The fourth hypothesis speculated that the Dallas Theological Seminary female
students would indicate a strong desire and need for mentoring relationships with older,
more spiritually mature women. Section B and C informed this hypothesis with the
questions related to relationships, friendships, mentoring relationships, and the desire for
mentoring relationships.

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The fifth hypothesis predicted that the DTS female students would indicate
that “close meaningful relationships with men and women” is one of their greatest needs.
This hypothesis was addressed through the information gathered from questions in
Section C and D of the survey.
Procedures for Collecting the Data
The DTS Office of the Registrar provided a master list of the women students’
names and addresses along with a set of mailing labels. The labels were used for the
mailing of the surveys. The women students who had DTS campus mailboxes received
their survey through campus mail instead of going through the U. S. Postal Service. This
first mailing had a cover letter with a personal salutation and explanation of the survey
(Appendix C), the survey itself, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to return the
survey to Lynn Etta Manning, the Advisor for Women Students. The survey itself
included an explanation of the confidentiality and anonymity of the respondents’
answers. It also briefly explained the need and reason for such a survey of women
students along with a brief statement of appreciation for the student’s responses.
The instructions on the survey requested that the survey be returned to the
Advisor for Women Students by February 15, 2008. Those students receiving the survey
through the United States Postal Service were to return their survey in the self-addressed,
stamped envelope. Those campus students with a DTS campus box were instructed to
return their survey in the enclosed self-addressed envelope to the marked DTS mail slot
labeled “DTS Women Students’ Survey.” The survey ended with a brief note of thanks
and appreciation to the participant from the Advisor for Women Students.
The survey was mailed to 600 women students. The campus post office
returned thirty-three envelopes containing the survey which were undeliverable and/or
did not have a forwarding address.

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One week before the date requested for the return of the completed surveys,
an email was sent to all current women students to remind them to complete the survey
and to return it (Appendix E). The final deadline was extended for receiving the
completed surveys to March 1, 2008 to allow for a greater response. By the March date,
298 surveys had been received which reflected an initial 49.6% return rate. Since thirtythree
surveys were not deliverable, the valid surveys sent and received totaled 566
surveys. Two of the surveys received from the respondents were determined to be
unusable because the two students chose only to write critical comments rather than
answer the questions. These were not counted in the final count of surveys received. A
total of 296 valid, usable surveys (52.2%) were received and used for the data collected
for this study. Upon receipt of each completed survey, a numerical assignment was
assigned to the survey and filed until all were received by the March 1, 2008 final
deadline.
Procedures for Analyzing the Data
Each completed survey as assigned an identification number upon receipt. The
identification numbers ranged from 001 to 298. Each question on the survey was assigned
a capital letter identifying its section of the survey and a number indicating the question.
A coding was devised in order to assign quantitative answers to each of the seventy-two
fixed-choice responses (Appendix F). The responses to all the questions were entered into
an EXCEL spreadsheet. Dr. Gene Pond, Director of DTS Director of Institutional
Research and Effectiveness and his assistant, Mr. Mark Howell, ran the data using the
statistical program “SPSS 10.0” to compute the statistical data and generate tables and
figures to report the results of the study.
In addition, the researcher (Lynn Etta Manning) personally transcribed
responses to the open-ended questions from the survey. The following include the three
open-ended questions that were transcribed:

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1. Question C16b asked the respondent to be as general or specific as she felt
comfortable explaining any needs/issues related to Question 16a. Question
16a asked if there were family needs/issues that were disruptive to her
academic work and the student was to rate those needs on a Likert scale
from, 1 “never” to 7 “always.”
2. Question D2 asked the respondent to indicate any speakers desired on
specific topics listed a through i. Question D2j allowed for the respondent
to write-in any additional topics on which they would like to have a
speaker.
3. Question E2 was a follow-up question to Question E1 which asked, “Are
there any needs you have or struggles you face that were not covered on
this survey?” If the answer was YES to Question E1, Question E2 stated,
“If YES, what are those needs and/or struggles? Please list.” Space was
provided for the respondent to write in her response.
The responses to these open-ended questions generated 23 single-spaced pages of written
responses. These comments offered anecdotal information from the DTS women students
that addressed the specific survey questions as well as additional comments that will be
useful as Dallas Seminary seeks to implement new programming and resources to
minister to the personal needs and issues of the women students as they prepare for
ministry.
Conclusion
Although some of the questions on the survey did not directly relate to the
hypotheses, the extra information offered additional helpful insights to know more
specifically what the women students themselves consider the personal needs and issues
that impact their lives as they seek to pursue training for Christian ministry Dallas
Seminary. A major portion of literature reviewed for this DMin project investigated the
need for women to mentor women and to have both peer mentors and older, more
spiritually mature mentors as a part of the female seminarians’ preparation for ministry.
All of the results of this survey will help to inform the leadership of Dallas Seminary as
they seek to offer their women students the best possible preparation for a life of
Christian ministry.

CHAPTER 4
RESEARCH RESULTS
The primary purpose of this study was to discover the personal needs and
issues of the Dallas Theological Seminary female students and to surface ways that DTS
and specifically, the Advisor for Women Students, can assist in addressing or ministering
to the women students.
Five hundred and seventy-seven women students of Dallas Theological
Seminary received the survey (Appendix B) used in this D.Min. project. Of the ones
completed and returned, 296 (52.2%) were used to compute the results. A coding was
devised in order to assign quantitative values to each of the fixed-choice responses
(Appendix F). Presentation of each portion of the results includes the number of the
question from the survey that corresponds to the specific data. The research findings are
organized under the following four headings:
• Demographics
• Personal Issues
• Personal Needs
• Topics for Programming
The data gathered from the surveys were analyzed in correlation with the five
hypotheses described previously in Chapter Three. The results are reported in this
chapter.
Please note: For all tables, the sum of the percentages may not equal the stated total due
to rounding error.
94

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Current Description of Survey Respondents
Questions 1-7 of Section A of the survey provide a description of the women
students who responded to the survey according to demographics based on age, marital
status, degree program, attendance on the Dallas campus vs. extension sites, student
status, participation in Spiritual Formation, and American citizenship.
Table 1. Age of Respondents
Current Age of Respondents
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid
20-29 140 47.3 47.3 47.3
30-39 45 15.2 15.2 62.5
40-49 51 17.2 17.2 79.7
50-59 42 14.2 14.2 93.9
60-69 16 5.4 5.4 99.3
70 or above 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Age of Respondents
The 296 women who returned a survey range in age from 20 to over 70 years
of age (question A1). Note in Table 1 and Figure 1 that the majority of the respondents

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are 20 to 29 years of age (47.3%). The remaining three age groups (30 to 39, 40 to 49,
and 50 to 59 years of age) together represent almost 53% of the respondents.
The first hypothesis of this study made the distinction of “younger” and
“older” students. Due to the distribution of the ages of the respondents, any reference to
“younger” used throughout this study will refer to women who are twenty to twenty-nine
years old. References to “older” students will indicate a single cumulative group of
women respondents who are thirty to seventy years of age.
Marital Status of Respondents
Table 2 and Table 3 indicate that of the 296 women students who returned the
survey, 144 are single (49%) and 152 are married (51%). This even distribution between
single and married female students helps to strengthen the results of the study when
considering the personal needs and issues of the female students related to marital status
Table 2. Current Marital Status
Current Marital Status
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
Single 144 48.6 48.6 48.6
Married 152 51.4 51.4 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Table 3 presents a cross-tabulation of current ages of the female students and
current marital status. In the grouping of the younger students from 20 to 29,
approximately 63% of the younger students are single. Female students ranging in age
from 40 to 70 or above have a much lower percent of single status (36%).

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Table 3. Current Age * Current Marital Status Cross-tabulation
Current Age * Current Marital Status Cross-tabulation
Current Marital Status
Single Married Total
Current Age
20-29
Count 88 52 140
% within Current Age 62.9% 37.1% 100.0%
30-39
Count 27 18 45
% within Current Age 60.0% 40.0% 100.0%
40-49
Count 10 41 51
% within Current Age 19.6% 80.4% 100.0%
50-59
Count 11 31 42
% within Current Age 26.2% 73.8% 100.0%
60-69
Count 6 10 16
% within Current Age 37.5% 62.5% 100.0%
70 or
above
Count 2 0 2
% within Current Age 100.0% .0% 100.0%
Total
Count 144 152 296
% within Current Age 48.6% 51.4% 100.0%
Degree Program of Respondents
Eight Masters degree programs are offered at DTS. However, the respondents
were only asked to indicate if they were enrolled in the Master of Theology (Th.M.), one
of the Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees, or the Certificate of Graduate Studies (CGS). The

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survey revealed that 213 women (72 %) are enrolled in one of the M.A. programs and 43
women (approximately 15%) are pursuing their Th.M. (See Table 4). Fifteen of the
respondents (5%) are in the CGS program. The remaining 25 women (8%) indicated by
“Other” represent nine women in Ph.D. or D.Min. programs and sixteen women who
classify themselves as non-degree.
Table 4. DTS Degree
DTS Degree
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
ThM 43 14.5 14.5 14.5
MA 213 72.0 72.0 86.5
CGS 15 5.1 5.1 91.6
Other 25 8.4 8.4 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
When looking at the cross-tabulation of the ages of students with their specific
degree pursuit (Table5), the survey revealed an almost equal distribution of younger and
older students in the Th.M. and M.A. programs. There are 21 younger Th.M. students and
22 older women in the Th.M. program. One-hundred and twelve younger women
students and 101 older women students are in the M.A. program. There are twice as many
older women students (10) in the CGS program than there are younger students (5).

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Table 5. Current Age * DTS Degree Cross-tabulation
Current
Age
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
Current Age* DTS Degree Cross-Tabulation
DTS Degree
ThM MA CGS Other Total
Count 21 112 5 2 140
% within Current
Age
15.0% 80.0% 3.6% 1.4% 100.0%
Count 6 36 2 1 45
% within Current
Age
13.3% 80.0% 4.4% 2.2% 100.0%
Count 11 27 3 10 51
% within Current
Age
21.6% 52.9% 5.9% 19.6% 100.0%
Count 4 31 3 4 42
% within Current
Age
9.5% 73.8% 7.1% 9.5% 100.0%
Count 1 7 2 6 16
% within Current
Age
6.2% 43.8% 12.5% 37.5% 100.0%
70 or Count 0 0 0 2 2
above % within Current
.0% .0% .0% 100.0% 100.0%
Age
Total
Count 43 213 15 25 296
% within Current
Age
14.5% 72.0% 5.1% 8.4% 100.0%
Campus Location
A total of 207 respondents (70%) indicated they attend classes on the DTS
main campus in Dallas, Texas, as shown in Table 6. The remaining 89 (30%) respondents
take classes either on DTS extension campuses or online.

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Table 6. Dallas Campus Attendance
Currently taking classes on the Dallas campus
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
Yes 207 69.9 69.9 69.9
No 89 30.1 30.1 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Student Status
To be classified as full time status, a student has to be enrolled in twelve or
more hours. The survey indicated that 105 (35%) of the respondents are full time students
with the majority of respondents (184) classified as part time students (65%). Table 7
shows the distribution of the survey respondents based on their full or part-time status.
Table 7. Current Student Status
Current student status
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Full time (12+ hrs) 105 35.5 36.3 36.3
Part time (< 12 hrs) 184 62.2 63.7 100.0
Total 289 97.6 100.0
Missing 7 2.4
Total 296 100.0

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Cross-tabulation of Current Age and Current Student Status
A cross-tabulation of the survey statistics (Table 8) indicates that the majority
of the female students completing the survey in the younger category are almost equally
distributed between full time status and part time status with seventy-three (54%)
carrying twelve hours or more and sixty-three (46%) carrying less than twelve hours. In
the older student group, the part-time students have a higher number with 121 (79%)
taking twelve hours or less and only 32 (21%) of the older respondents have full-time
status.
Table 8. Current Age* Current Student Status Cross-tabulation
Current Age * Current student status Cross-tabulation
Current student status
Full time (12+
hrs)
Part time (< 12
hrs)
Total
Current Age
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70 or
above
Total
Count 73 63 136
% within Current Age 53.7% 46.3% 100.0%
Count 11 32 43
% within Current Age 25.6% 74.4% 100.0%
Count 9 42 51
% within Current Age 17.6% 82.4% 100.0%
Count 9 32 41
% within Current Age 22.0% 78.0% 100.0%
Count 2 14 16
% within Current Age 12.5% 87.5% 100.0%
Count 1 1 2
% within Current Age 50.0% 50.0% 100.0%
Count 105 184 289
% within Current Age 36.3% 63.7% 100.0%

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Participation in Spiritual Formation Groups
Most of the degree programs at DTS require participation in a Spiritual
Formation (SF) group. The only programs of study exempt from this requirement are the
Masters of Biblical Studies (MABS) and the Masters of Biblical Counseling (MABC).
According to Table 9, approximately 54% of the respondents indicated that they either
have been in a Spiritual Formation group or are currently participating in one.
Table 9. Spiritual Formation Group Participation
Valid
In or have been in a Spiritual Formation Group
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Yes 161 54.4 54.4 54.4
No 135 45.6 45.6 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
As indicated in Table 10, when the statistics are broken down into the specific
degree program, of the forty-three women in the Th.M. program, thirty-eight students
(88%) are in or have been in a Spiritual Formation group. Only 12% of the Th.M.
students have not or are not in a Spiritual Formation group. Three (20%) are from the
CGS program, and eight (32%) of the Ph.D., D.Min., or Non-degree students indicated
they are or have been in a Spiritual Formation group. Approximately 47% of the students
in the M.A. program are not or have not participated in a Spiritual Formation group. It
can be assumed that many of the women in the last group are in the MABS or MABC
programs since they are not required to join an SF group.

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Table 10. DTS Degree* In or Have Been In a Spiritual Formation Group
DTS Degree * In or have been in a Spiritual Formation Group Cross-tabulation
In or have been in a Spiritual Formation
Group
Yes No Total
DTS ThM Count 38 5 43
Degree % within DTS Degree 88.4% 11.6% 100.0%
MA Count 112 101 213
% within DTS Degree 52.6% 47.4% 100.0%
CGS Count 3 12 15
% within DTS Degree 20.0% 80.0% 100.0%
Other Count 8 17 25
% within DTS Degree 32.0% 68.0% 100.0%
Total Count 161 135 296
% within DTS Degree 54.4% 45.6% 100.0%
American Citizenship Versus International Student Population
One last question on demographics (A7) sought to discover the breakdown of
students by citizenship. Table 11 shows that 281 respondents (95%) are American
citizens and fifteen International female students (5%) responded to the survey. The DTS
enrollment records indicate that there were twenty-seven female international students
attending DTS at the time the survey was distributed.
Table 11. American Citizenship
American citizen
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
Yes 281 94.9 94.9 94.9
No 15 5.1 5.1 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0

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Issues of Personal Struggle
The second section of the survey (questions B1 – B32) asked the women
students to indicate the degree to which they struggle with various personal issues.
Questions B1 – B27 used a seven-point Likert scale of “Never” to “Always.” The issues
presented in B1 – B27 included: depression, loneliness, poor self-image, lack of
confidence, perfectionism, stress, anxiety/fear, panic attacks, comparison with other
women, balancing time, contentment or discontentment with marital status,
communication with male students, fidelity in marriage, alcohol usage, homosexual
desires, masturbation, pornography, and struggle with doubts in faith and beliefs.
Questions B28 – B32 offered “Yes” or “No” answers. The issues these five questions
covered were: having meaningful friendships and relationships, sexual activity if single,
sexual abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, and physical abuse.
The following Tables present the results from the 296 DTS women students
who returned the completed survey. These results represent 52% of the 566 women
students enrolled at DTS in the spring semester, 2008. The first section presents results
related to Hypothesis Two. The second section includes results related to Hypothesis
Three. The final section reports data from additional questions on the survey regarding
other personal issues faced by the women students.
The second hypothesis of the project stated, “A survey of the Dallas
Theological Seminary female students will reveal that their greatest personal issues will
be in the area of depression, loneliness, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism.” The following
results reveal that these issues listed in the Hypothesis Two are in fact some of the most
frequent struggles faced by the women students attending DTS.

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Issues Related to Hypothesis Two
Depression
Question B1 on the survey revealed that 104 (35%) of the respondents
reported some degree of a struggle with depression from “somewhat” to “always” an
issue. Only 9% of the women indicated a significant problem with depression (checking
the “often to always” categories). The remaining 192 respondents (65%) reported that
they never or rarely struggle with depression as a personal issue. The results reveal that
although one third of the women students experience some level of depression, only one
tenth (26 women) indicate a serious struggle with depression. Even so, in Table 12 the
data does support the need to help women students deal with the issue of depression.
Table 12. Struggle with Depression
Valid
Struggle with depression
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 50 6.9 6.9 16.9
Rarely 142 8.0 8.0 64.9
Somewhat 52 7.6 7.6 82.4
Moderately 26 .8 .8 91.2
Often 19 6.4 6.4 97.6
Usually 4 1.4 1.4 99.0
Always 3 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Loneliness
Table 13 indicates that over half of the women students on occasion struggle
with loneliness (Question B4). The survey revealed 162 women students (55%)
responded with “somewhat” to “always,” while 134 students (45%) responded with

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“never” or “rarely” regarding their having a struggle with loneliness. Of the respondents,
17% stated they “often” to “always” face loneliness.
Table 13. Struggle with Loneliness
Struggle with loneliness
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
Never 32 10.8 10.8 10.8
Rarely 102 34.5 34.5 45.3
Somewhat 77 26.0 26.0 71.3
Moderately 36 12.2 12.2 83.4
Often 34 11.5 11.5 4.9
Usually 12 4.1 4.1 99.0
Always 3 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Difficulty Handling Stress
Two hundred and two women students (68%) indicated at least “somewhat” to
“always” having difficulty with handling stress, although only 15% felt it was a problem
on a regular basis. Ninety-four women (32%) reported “never” or “rarely” having
difficulty with handling stress. Dealing with stress is one of the significant struggles for
the seminary women (see Table 14).
Table 14. Difficulty handling stress
Valid
Difficulty handling stress
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Never 8 .7 2.7 2.7
Rarely 86 9.1 29.1 31.8
Somewhat 112 7.8 37.8 69.6
Moderately 45 5.2 15.2 84.8
Often 22 .4 7.4 92.2
Usually 17 .7 5.7 98.0
Always 6 .0 2.0 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0

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Anxiety/Fear
Related to issues of anxiety and fear (Question B20), over half of the women
students (56%) reported a struggle in this area (Table 15), with 14% of the respondents
indicating “often” to “usually.” The survey showed that 44% of the women “rarely” or
“never” face problems of anxiety and fear.
Table 15. Difficulty Handling Anxiety/Fear
Valid
Difficulty Handling Anxiety/Fear
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 23 7.8 7.8 7.8
Rarely 108 36.5 36.6 44.4
Somewhat 70 23.6 23.7 68.1
Moderately 53 17.9 18.0 86.1
Often 25 8.4 8.5 94.6
Usually 12 4.1 4.1 98.6
Always 4 1.4 1.4 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Panic Attacks
Research has shown that sometimes high levels of stress can lead to panic
attacks and other stress induced illnesses (Question B21). The data in Table 16 indicates
that 255 students (89%) responded with “never” or “rarely” having panic attacks. Only
11% of the respondents (31 women) showed some level of experience with panic attacks
with just six women (3%) facing an often or usually significant problem (see Table 16).

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Table 16. Experience Panic Attacks
Valid
Have panic attacks
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 188 63.5 63.5 63.5
Rarely 77 26.0 26.0 89.5
Somewhat 21 7.1 7.1 96.6
Moderately 4 1.4 1.4 98.0
Often 4 1.4 1.4 99.3
Usually 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Perfectionism
Women struggling with perfectionism as a personal issue (Question B3)
totaled 246 (78%), while only forty-nine respondents (22%) reported “never” or “rarely”
having a struggle with perfectionism. Table 17 shows the three largest categories of
struggle were “somewhat,” with seventy-five respondents (25%), and sixty-two
respondents (21%) reported an “often” rating, and fifty students (17%) indicated
“usually” as the severity of their struggle with perfectionism. Fifteen women (5%)
indicated “never” struggling with perfectionism while the same number of women (5%)
reported “always” struggling with perfectionism. The survey revealed that the issue of
perfectionism is the greatest struggle facing the women students at DTS.

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Table 17. Struggle with Perfectionism
Struggle with perfectionism
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 15 5.1 5.1 5.1
Rarely 34 11.5 11.5 16.6
Somewhat 75 25.3 25.4 2.0
Moderately 44 14.9 14.9 56.9
Often 62 20.9 21.0 78.0
Usually 50 16.9 16.9 94.9
Always 15 5.1 5.1 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Issues Related to Hypothesis Three
The third hypothesis of this study states, “A survey of the Dallas Theological
Seminary female students will reveal a struggle with the issues of self-image, self
acceptance, and self-confidence.” The survey revealed that a significant number of
women struggle in these areas.
Unhealthy Personal Body Image
The women were asked if they had a struggle with an unhealthy personal body
image in Question B5, meaning they have a critical attitude towards their physical body.
Those respondents indicating some level of struggle with body image totaled 164 (44%),
with those indicating “never” or “rarely” having a struggle totaled 131 (56%). Only 3%
of the women indicated a serious issue related to body image. This is a common problem
for many women in today’s Western culture but Table 18 shows that issues related to an
unhealthy perspective of their physical body are a marginal problem for most DTS
women.

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Table 18. Struggle with an Unhealthy Personal Body Image
Struggle with an unhealthy personal body image
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 33 11.1 11.2 11.2
Rarely 8 33.1 33.2 44.4
Somewhat 71 24.0 24.1 68.5
Moderately 40 13.5 13.6 82.0
Often 31 10.5 10.5 92.5
Usually 14 4.7 4.7 97.3
Always 8 2.7 .7 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 96 100.0
Bulimia and Anorexia
Related to body image issues are the growing problems in our culture of
bulimia and anorexia (Question B6). When the women students were asked about these
behaviors, only thirteen respondents (4%) indicated they have some level of struggle with
an eating disorder. Most of the women (89%) indicated that they have never had an
eating disorder and 7% indicated that it was “rarely” a problem (see Table 19).

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Table 19. Struggle with Either Bulimia or Anorexia
Struggle with either bulimia or anorexia
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 262 88.5 88.8 88.8
Rarely 20 6.8 6.8 95.6
Somewhat 4 1.4 1.4 96.9
Moderately 3 1.0 1.0 98.0
Often 4 1.4 1.4 99.3
Usually 1 3 .3 99.7
Always 1 .3 .3 100.0
Total 295 9.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Low Self-esteem
In addressing the issue of “self-esteem,” 153 (52%) women students reported
some degree of struggle with low self-esteem with only 12% indicating a significant
problem in this area. These figures (Table 20) show the remaining 143 women students
(48%) reported either “never” or “rarely” having a struggle with self-esteem as a personal
issue.
Table 20. Struggle with Low Self-Esteem
Valid
Struggle with low self-esteem
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 28 9.5 9.5 9.5
Rarely 115 8.9 38.9 48.3
Somewhat 72 24.3 24.3 72.6
Moderately 44 14.9 14.9 87.5
Often 30 10.1 10.1 97.6
Usually 5 1.7 1.7 99.3
Always 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0

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Low Self-confidence
The data revealed that half of the women respondents (49%) “rarely” or
“never” struggle with low self-confidence (Question B12), with 51% indicating they
“somewhat” to “always” deal with low self-confidence. These results show that the
highest response was 125 students (42%) stating that they “rarely” have a struggle instead
of “never” having a struggle with low self-confidence, suggesting the possibility that
almost half of the women at DTS may face low self-confidence occasionally, but only
13% of the women students indicated that issues of low self-confidence are a significant
problem in their lives. Table 21 reflects the distribution of responses.
Table 21. Struggle with Low Self-Confidence
Struggle with low self-confidence
Frequency Percent
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 20 6.8 6.8 6.8
Rarely 125 42.2 42.4 49.2
Somewhat 83 28.0 28.1 77.3
Moderately 44 14.9 14.9 92.2
Often 18 6.1 6.1 98.3
Usually 2 .7 .7 99.0
Always 3 1.0 1.0 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0

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Other Issues of the DTS Female Students
Alcohol Use
DTS has a “no alcohol” policy for all of its students, faculty and staff. In
response to Question B7 on the survey, the women students reported that 57% adhere to
the total abstinence policy while 43% of the respondents indicated that they do not totally
comply with the policy. Only two respondents did not have a response to this question.
Table 22 reveals that of women who do not comply with the alcohol policy, 29% of them
“rarely” drink alcohol with 8% indicating “somewhat” and only 5% state that they drink
alcohol more regularly.
Table 22. Drink Alcoholic Beverage While Attending DTS
Drink alcoholic beverages while attending DTS
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 169 57.1 57.5 57.5
Rarely 85 28.7 28.9 86.4
Somewhat 25 8.4 8.5 94.9
Moderately 9 .0 3.1 98.0
Often 4 1.4 1.4 99.3
Usually 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 294 99.3 100.0
Missing 2 7
Total 296 100.0
Balancing Marriage, Family, and Studies
Question B8 asked the married women students about their challenges of
balancing marriage, their family, and their studies at DTS. Of the 155 married female
students who returned a survey, 124 (80%) struggle with some level of balance between
marriage, family and the requirements of DTS.

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Only thirty-one married women (20%) indicated they “never” or “rarely” struggled with
this issue, but 46% state they “often” to “always” find it a significant challenge. Table 23
also shows that 141 responses were “missing” which represents the single female
students who completed the survey who did not answer this question. However, there
were three respondents who did not respond to the question at all since the total number
of single female students who returned the survey totaled 144.
Table 23. Struggle with Balancing Marriage, Family, and Requirements of DTS as a
Married Student
As a married student, struggle with balancing marriage, family, and
requirements of DTS
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 6 2.0 3.9 3.9
Rarely 25 8.4 16.1 20.0
Somewhat 33 11.1 21.3 41.3
Moderately 20 6.8 12.9 54.2
Often 34 11.5 21.9 76.1
Usually 12 4.1 7.7 83.9
Always 25 8.4 16.1 100.0
Total 155 52.4 100.0
Missing 141 47.6
Total 296 100.0
Balancing Singleness, Family, and Studies
Of interest is the fact that a greater percent of single women (85%) than
married women (80%) struggle with balancing personal life, family, and the requirements
of DTS (Question B8). Table 24 shows that 119 of the 144 total single female
respondents have some level of problem balancing these areas of their lives and 12%
have a significant struggle in balancing the different areas of their lives. Only 15% of the
single students feel they “rarely” or “never” have difficulty balancing personal, family, or

115
seminary related responsibilities. A total of 156 students did not respond to this inquiry.
The total number of married female students returning the survey is 152. Therefore, four
of the women returning the survey did not respond to this question for another reason
other than not being single.
Table 24. Struggle with Balancing Personal Life, Family, and Requirements of DTS
as a Single Student
As a single student, struggle with balancing personal life, family, requirements of DTS
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 6 2.0 .3 4.3
Rarely 15 .1 0.7 15.0
Somewhat 31 10.5 22.1 37.1
Moderately 29 .8 20.7 57.9
Often 28 9.5 20.0 77.9
Usually 13 .4 .3 87.1
Always 18 .1 2.9 100.0
Total 140 7.3 100.0
Missing 156 52.7
Total 296 100.0
Marital Fidelity in Thought Life
Table 25 indicates the responses from the 159 married female students
regarding whether or not they have a struggle with being faithful to their husband in their
thought life. The vast majority, 145 respondents (91%), responded with a “never” or
“rarely” response. Only fourteen married women students (9%) responded with a
“somewhat” to “always” answer, and of these women, only 1% (three women) expressed
a regular problem in this area.

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Table 25. Struggle with Faithfulness to Husband in Thought Life
Struggle with being faithful to my husband in my thought life
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 78 26.4 49.1 49.1
Rarely 67 22.6 2.1 91.2
Somewhat 7 .4 .4 95.6
Moderately 4 .4 .5 98.1
Often 1 3 6 98.7
Usually 2 7 .3 100.0
Total 159 3.7 100.0
Missing 137 6.3
Total 296 100.0
Marital Fidelity in Actions
When the married students were asked whether or not they struggle with being
faithful to their husband in their actions (Question B11), 85% indicated “never” and 14%
reported “rarely.” Only one student reported having “somewhat” of a struggle with the
issue in an active way. There are 141 missing responses representing the single students
who did not answer this question (see Table 26).
Table 26. Struggle with Faithfulness to Husband with Actions
Struggle with being faithful to my husband with my actions
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 132 44.6 85.2 85.2
Rarely 22 7.4 14.2 99.4
Somewhat 1 3 6 100.0
Total 155 2.4 100.0
Missing 141 7.6
Total 296 100.0

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Discontentment in Singleness
Table 27 presents the responses to Question B13 on the survey related to
single women being discontent with their singleness. The single female students indicated
that 58% of them have at least somewhat of a struggle with being single. Only 10% stated
that they never have a problem being single and 32% feel they rarely struggle with their
marital status. The data shows that over half of the single women students experience
some level of discontentment in being single and 15% have a high degree of discontent
with their marital status.
Table 27. Discontentment in Singleness
Discontent in my singleness
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 15 5.1 10.5 10.5
Rarely 45 15.2 31.5 42.0
Somewhat 41 13.9 28.7 70.6
Moderately 20 6.8 14.0 84.6
Often 12 4.1 8.4 93.0
Usually 6 2.0 4.2 97.2
Always 4 1.4 2.8 100.0
Total 143 48.3 100.0
Missing 153 51.7
Total 296 100.0
Discontentment in Marriage
When looking at contentedness for the married women (Question B14), Table
28 indicates that 87% of the married female students are “never or rarely” discontent in
their marriage. Only 13% of the married female students express some level of discontent
with their marriage and most of them (8%) only believe this to be somewhat of a
problem.

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Just four women (1%) state that they have a high level of discontent in their marriage.
The results reveal that the vast majority of married women students are content in their
marriages.
Table 28. Discontentment in Marriage
Discontent in my marriage
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 63 21.3 40.4 40.4
Rarely 73 24.7 46.8 87.2
Somewhat 13 4.4 8.3 95.5
Moderately 3 1.0 1.9 97.4
Often 2 .7 1.3 98.7
Usually 2 .7 1.3 100.0
Total 156 52.7 100.0
Missing 140 7.3
Total 296 100.0
Homosexual Desires
In Table 29, 291 of the 296 total respondents chose to answer Question B15
on the survey regarding struggles with homosexual desires. Of those responding, 93% of
the women have never struggled in this sexual area and another 6% indicated “rarely.”
Only two students reported they face issues related to homosexual desires. Homosexuality
is not a prevalent struggle for the women students at DTS.

119
Table 29. Struggle with Having Homosexual Desires
Struggle with having homosexual desires
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 270 91.2 92.8 92.8
Rarely 19 6.4 6.5 99.3
Somewhat 1 .3 .3 99.7
Always 1 .3 .3 100.0
Total 291 8.3 100.0
Missing 5 .7
Total 296 100.0
Masturbation
The data in Table 30 indicates that 199 women students (68%) never have a
struggle with sexual needs that they resolve with masturbation (Question B16). However
the data shows that ninety-two students (32%) express practicing masturbation although
half of these women (16%) state this is rarely an issue for them, leaving 16% who do
struggle to some degree with sexual needs that they resolve with masturbation.
Table 30. Struggle with Sexual Needs Resolved with Masturbation
Struggle with sexual needs I resolve with masturbation
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 199 7.2 68.4 68.4
Rarely 46 5.5 15.8 84.2
Somewhat 21 .1 7.2 91.4
Moderately 14 .7 4.8 96.2
Often 10 .4 3.4 99.7
Usually 1 .3 .3 100.0
Total 291 8.3 100.0
Missing 5 1.7
Total 296 100.0

120
Doubts About Personal Faith and Beliefs
Regarding having a struggle with doubts about personal faith and beliefs
(Question B18), Table 31 shows that 236 students (80%) reported either “never” or
“rarely” is this a struggle for them. Half of the women (148) reported “rarely,” indicating
that on occasion doubts related to faith and beliefs do surface, but only 8% of the women
students state they have much of a struggle related to their faith and beliefs. Hopefully
their time spent at seminary will help them clarify and address some of their questions.
Table 31. Struggle with Doubts About Faith and Beliefs
Struggle with doubts about my faith and beliefs
Valid
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 88 29.7 29.7 29.7
Rarely 148 50.0 50.0 79.7
Somewhat 36 12.2 12.2 91.9
Moderately 13 4.4 4.4 96.3
Often 9 3.0 3.0 99.3
Usually 1 3 3 99.7
Always 1 3 3 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Insecurity
Table 32 indicates that over one half (54%) of the survey respondents struggle
with some level of insecurity (Question (B22), although only 15% reported a high degree
of struggle with feelings of insecurity. Only 29 students (10%) reported “never” having a
struggle with feelings of insecurity. And another 36% respondents (107) women state this
is rarely a problem for them.

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Table 32. Struggle with Feelings of Insecurity
Struggle with feelings of insecurity
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 29 9.8 9.8 9.8
Rarely 107 36.1 36.3 46.1
Somewhat 83 28.0 28.1 74.2
Moderately 38 12.8 12.9 87.1
Often 22 7.4 7.5 94.6
Usually 14 4.7 4.7 99.3
Always 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Comparison with Other Women
When the students were asked about the issue of comparing themselves to
other women (Question B23), 219 of them (74%) indicated from “somewhat” to
“always.” Table 33 shows the distribution with only 26% of the respondents (76 women)
saying that comparison with other women is rarely or never a problem. These results
show that comparison with other women is one of the most significant problems the
seminary women face.

122
Table 33. Struggle with Comparison to Other Women
Struggle with comparison to other women
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 15 5.1 5.1 5.1
Rarely 61 20.6 20.7 25.8
Somewhat 82 27.7 27.8 53.6
Moderately 59 19.9 20.0 73.6
Often 49 16.6 16.6 90.2
Usually 18 6.1 6.1 96.3
Always 11 3.7 3.7 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Communicating Intentions Appropriately with Men
Dallas Seminary has an enrollment of approximately 2000 students at the five
campuses and online, with about 25% of that total being female students. Question B24
asked the women whether or not they struggle with knowing how to communicate
intentions with men appropriately. One hundred and ninety-five (65%) of the women
students indicated they never or rarely have a struggle with knowing how to
communicate their intentions appropriately with men. Seventy women (24%) reported
having somewhat or moderate challenges in this area with Table 34 revealing that only
10% (29 women) face this issue on a frequent basis.

123
Table 34. Communicating Intentions Appropriately with Men
Struggle with knowing how to communicate intentions appropriately with men
Valid
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 76 25.7 25.9 25.9
Rarely 119 40.2 40.5 66.3
Somewhat 45 15.2 15.3 81.6
Moderately 25 8.4 8.5 90.1
Often 21 7.1 7.1 97.3
Usually 6 2.0 2.0 99.3
Always 2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 294 99.3 100.0
Missing 2 .7
Total 296 100.0
Developing Friendships with Men
Table 35 addresses Question B25 on the survey. The women were asked to
evaluate how much difficulty they have developing meaningful friendships with DTS
male students. Three distinct groups emerged from the 285 women who chose to answer
this question. One third of the women (34%) rarely or never struggle with male
relationships, a third (34%) indicate some struggle in this area, with the remaining third
(32%) having significant problems developing meaningful relationships with DTS male
students. These findings reveal that 66% of the women students find developing
meaningful friendships with male students challenging to some degree.

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Table 35. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with DTS Male Students
Difficult to develop meaningful friendships with DTS male students
Valid
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 26 8.8 9.1 9.1
Rarely 72 24.3 25.3 34.4
Somewhat 57 19.3 20.0 54.4
Moderately 40 13.5 14.0 68.4
Often 37 12.5 13.0 81.4
Usually 33 11.1 11.6 93.0
Always 20 6.8 7.0 100.0
Total 285 96.3 100.0
Missing 11 3.7
Total 296 100.0
Developing Friendships with Married Women
Many women (44%) think they rarely or never have difficulty developing
meaningful friendships with married DTS women students (Question B26), although just
over half (56%) do think they have some degree of challenge connecting with married
women students. Table 36 gives the specific distribution of responses and shows that only
11% of the respondents have a high degree of problem making friends with the married
women students.

125
Table 36. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with Married Women
Students
Difficult to develop meaningful friendships with married women students
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Never 32 10.8 11.1 11.1
Rarely 95 32.1 32.9 43.9
Somewhat 69 23.3 23.9 67.8
Moderately 29 9.8 10.0 77.9
Often 31 10.5 10.7 88.6
Usually 21 7.1 7.3 95.8
Always 12 4.1 4.2 100.0
Total 289 97.6 100.0
Missing 7 2.4
Total 296 100.0
Developing Friendships with Single Women
Data gathered from both the single and married women students regarding the
difficulty to develop meaningful friendships with the single women DTS students
(Question B27) is reflected in Table 37. One hundred and twenty-six women (43%) feel
they have some level of struggle establishing meaningful relationships with single
students. Over half of the women (57%) state they have little or no difficulty developing
relationships with single women students. The results suggest that all women students
have more difficulty developing friendships with married students versus single students
(43% versus 56%).

126
Table 37. Difficulty Developing Meaningful Friendships with Single Women
Students
Difficult to develop meaningful friendships with single women students
Valid
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Never 46 15.5 15.9 15.9
Rarely 118 39.9 40.7 56.6
Somewhat 57 19.3 19.7 76.2
Moderately 30 10.1 10.3 86.6
Often 18 6.1 6.2 92.8
Usually 16 5.4 5.5 98.3
Always 5 1.7 1.7 100.0
Total 290 98.0 100.0
Missing 6 2.0
Total 296 100.0
The last five questions in part B of the survey were to be answered with a
“yes” or a “no” response. These questions cover the issues of friendship, pornography,
and sexual, verbal, emotional, and physical abuse.
Satisfaction with Friendship/Support Network
Question B28 asked the general question of whether or not the women
students were currently satisfied with their support/friendship network at DTS. The data
in Table 37 shows that 223 of the respondents (75%) feel satisfied with their personal
relationships at DTS and 73 women (25%) feel they are not satisfied (see Table 38).

127
Table 38. Current Satisfaction with Support/Friendship Network
Currently satisfied with support/friendship network
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Yes 223 75.3 75.3 75.3
No 73 24.7 24.7 100.0
Total 296 100.0 100.0
Pornography
The survey revealed that out of 295 students responding to Question B17,
only seven (2%) reported “using, viewing, or reading” pornography. The other 288
respondents (98%) indicated that they did not “use, view, or read” pornography. Only one
student did not answer this question. Table 39 shows that using pornography is not an
issue for the women students at Dallas Seminary.
Table 39. Use, View, or Read Pornography
Use, view, or read pornography
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 7 2.4 2.4 2.4
No 288 97.3 97.6 100.0
Total 295 99.7 100.0
Missing 1 .3
Total 296 100.0
Sexual Activity
Regarding the single women students’ current sexual activity (Question B29),
it was very encouraging to discover that 100% of the 144 respondents of single status
reported that they were not sexually active.

128
Sexual Abuse
Table 40 indicates that approximately 19% of the 290 women responding
have experienced sexual abuse (Question B30). Although the greater majority of women
students (81%) have not been sexually abused, it is of concern to know that one fifth of
the women students carry with them the emotional scars of being taken advantage of
sexually. Table 40 reveals that six women chose not to answer this question.
Table 40. Sexual Abuse
Been sexually abused
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 54 18.2 18.6 18.6
No 236 79.7 81.4 100.0
Total 290 98.0 100.0
Missing 6 2.0
Total 296 100.0
Verbal and/or Emotional Abuse
In response to Question B31 regarding whether or not the respondents had
been verbally and/or emotionally abused, Table 41 indicates a much higher percentage of
women students (44%) who answered the question with a “yes” response. These figures
reveal a fairly close distribution of those who have been verbally and/or emotionally
abused with those who have not experienced this type of abuse. It is significant to
discover that almost half of the women students have experienced verbal and/or
emotional abuse.

129
Table 41. Verbal and/or Emotional Abuse
Been verbally and/or emotionally abused
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 129 43.6 44.2 44.2
No 163 55.1 55.8 100.0
Total 292 98.6 100.0
Missing 4 1.4
Total 296 100.0
Physical Abuse
When asked to respond to Question B32 related to physical abuse, 11% of the
respondents indicated this to be part of their history (Table 42). Even though the vast
majority (89%) of the female students have not experienced physical abuse, it is still of
concern that 33 women who responded to the survey have suffered physical abuse.
Table 42. Physical Abuse
Been physically abused
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 33 11.1 11.3 11.3
No 258 87.2 88.7 100.0
Total 291 98.3 100.0
Missing 5 1.7
Total 296 100.0
This concludes the results from the thirty-two questions in section B of the DTS
women student survey which sought to discover the personal struggles of the female
students. The next section on the survey (Section C) asked for information about the
personal needs of the women while attending DTS.

130
Current Personal Needs While At DTS
The third section of the survey (Section C) related to Hypothesis Four and
Hypothesis Five and addressed the personal needs of the women students while they
attend DTS. These questions focused on following topics: desire for mentoring
relationships, meaningful friendships, financial need, abortion, accountability, dating and
boundaries, marriage thought life, and family needs. The first five questions (C1 – C5)
gave the option to answer “Yes” or “No” related to the need for female mentors.
Need for Female Mentors and Christian Friends
Past Female Mentor
The first question (C1) in this third section asked, “In the past, I have had an
older Christian woman to talk with regularly.” Table 43 indicates that 71% of the female
respondents have, in the past, had an older Christian woman to talk with on a regular
basis and 29% of the female students who responded have never had an older Christian
woman to talk with regularly. These results reveal that nearly one third of the women
students have not had a woman in their life whom they would consider a mentor.
Table 43. Experience with an Older Christian Woman Regularly
In past, had an older Christian woman to talk with regularly
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 207 69.9 70.9 70.9
No 85 28.7 29.1 100.0
Total 292 98.6 100.0
Missing 4 1.4
Total 296 100.0

131
Current Female Mentor
The second question (C2) followed up by asking, “Currently I have an older
Christian woman to talk with regularly.” Table 44 shows the distribution of responses to
Question C2. Of the 292 women who answered the question, 142 of them (49%) checked
“Yes.” Half of the DTS women have an older Christian woman they meet and talk with
regularly.
For those respondents who checked, “No,” they were directed to answer
Question C3, “Would you like to have an older Christian woman to talk with on a regular
basis?” Of the 150 women who indicated they did not currently have a female mentor,
122 (81%) said they desire to have a woman with whom to meet and talk. Only twentysix
women (17%) said they were not interested in having a female mentor. Two
respondents did not answer the follow up question. It is evident that a significant majority
of the women students who do not have a female mentor would like to have one.
Table 44. Current Experience with a Female Mentor and/or Desire for a Mentor
Currently have an older Christian woman to talk with regularly; if not: Would
you like to have an older Christian woman to talk with on a regular basis?
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 142 48.0 48.6 48.6
No, but I would like 122 41.2 41.8 90.4
one
No, and I would not 26 8.8 8.9 99.3
like one
No (and answer
missing to followup
question)
2 .7 .7 100.0
Total 292 98.6 100.0
Missing 4 1.4
Total 296 100.0

132
Peer Spiritual Mentor
Question C4 addressed the topic of Christian friends. It asked a response to
the following statement: “I have a peer who is a spiritual mentor with whom I spend time
regularly.” Of the 290 women who responded to the statement, 134 women (46%) said
that they did have a peer as a spiritual mentor. Over one-half of the respondents (54%)
indicated they did not have a peer as a spiritual mentor with whom they meet with on a
regular basis (see Table 45).
Table 45. Current Experience with a Peer Spiritual Mentor
Have a peer as a spiritual mentor and meeting on a regular basis
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 134 45.3 46.2 46.2
No 156 52.7 53.8 100.0
Total 290 98.0 100.0
Missing 6 2.0
Total 296 100.0
Desire for a Peer Spiritual Mentor
The final question (C5) related to female mentors, asked the women to
indicate if they “would like to have a peer who would be a spiritual mentor for me with
whom I could spend time on a regular basis.” Table 46 shows that out of the 225 women
students who responded to this question, 147 (65%) said that they would like to have a
peer as a mentor to meet with on a regular basis. The remaining respondents (35%) said
that they were not interested in having a peer mentor. Seventy-one respondents (24%)
elected not to answer this question.

133
Table 46. Desire to Have a Peer as a Mentor
Would like to have a peer as a mentor to meet on a regular basis
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 147 49.7 65.3 65.3
No 78 26.4 34.7 100.0
Total 225 76.0 100.0
Missing 71 24.0
Total 296 100.0
When the data from Question C4 which asked, “Would you like to have a peer
as a mentor to meet with on a regular basis?” was cross-tabulated with Question C5, “I
have a peer as a spiritual mentor and am meeting with her on a regular basis,” Table 47
shows that of 225 respondents who answered both questions, 147 women already have a
peer mentor. Of this group, forty-two (29%) would like an additional peer mentor and
one hundred and two do not need an additional mentor who is a peer. Another seventyeight
women students stated that they do not have a peer mentor and thirty-four of them
(44%) stated they would like to have a peer mentor. Overall, about a third of the women
students at DTS would be interested in having a peer mentor.
Table 47. Cross-tabulation of *Desire for a Peer Mentor and Have a Peer Mentor
Would like to have a peer as a mentor to meet on a regular basis * Have a peer as
a spiritual mentor and meeting on a regular basis – cross-tabulation
Count
Have a peer as a spiritual mentor and meeting on
a regular basis
Yes No Total
Would like to have a peer Yes 42 105 147
as a mentor to meet on a No 34 44 78
regular basis Total 76 149 225

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Close Friendship(s)
Question C9 addressed the need women students have for close Christian
friends. It stated, “I have a close friend(s) to spend time with on a regular basis.” Of the
289 women who chose to answer this question, 236 (82%) said they have one or more
close friends. Of concern was the fact that 53 of the respondents (18%) answered that
they do not have a close friend (see Table 48).
Table 48. Close Friend(s) Relationship
Have a close friend(s) to spend time with regularly
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 236 79.7 81.7 81.7
No 53 17.9 18.3 100.0
Total 289 97.6 100.0
Missing 7 2.4
Total 296 100.0
Abortion
Table 49 reveals that seven female students who have had an abortion in the
past still have painful emotions and thoughts in which they need help to address. Over
half of the respondents (58%) chose not to respond to this question about abortion. It does
not necessarily mean that none of these 172 women have had an abortion, but rather that
none of them need help in dealing with negative emotions related to abortion. The survey
did not ask how many women may have had an abortion.

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Table 49. Experienced an Abortion
Had past abortion and still have painful emotions/thoughts I need help to work through
Frequency Percent Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 7 2.4 5.6 5.6
No 117 39.5 94.4 100.0
Total 124 41.9 100.0
Missing 172 58.1
Additional Personal Needs
Section C of the questionnaire also sought to discover other current personal
needs of the women students while they attend DTS. Nine questions offered a sevenpoint
Likert scale from “never” to “always” related to some possible personal needs the
women students might have. Table 50 lists some of the individual needs and the
distribution of the respondents’ answers. Figure 1 ranks these needs according to greatest
need based on the mean score.
Table 50. Reponses to Survey Questions C6, C8, and C10 – C16 on Needs
Questions C6, C8, C10-C16
In the order presented in the
survey Resps Mean
Std
dev
1
Never
2
Rarel
y
3
Some
what
4
Mode
rately
5
Often
6
Usual
ly
7
Alwa
ys
C6. Have overwhelming
financial needs 289 3.18 1.67 40 90 53 34 40 21 11
C8. Difficult to meet other
women DTS students 289 2.70 1.44 55 103 65 26 24 11 5
C10. Difficult to meet and form
friendships with wives of DTS
male students 276 4.34 1.86 18 36 54 32 35 64 37
C11. Need more personal and
relational connection with
female DTS students 285 3.12 1.55 38 83 66 35 38 19 6
C12. As new student, needed
someone to connect with 270 3.51 2.07 48 74 31 27 24 32 34
C13. Need someone to be
accountable to for attitudes and
actions 288 3.96 1.79 19 50 64 45 48 25 37
C14. Need help with do's and
don'ts of dating and healthy
boundaries 149 2.81 1.65 35 45 27 17 12 7 6
C15. Desire to get married
consumes thought-life 141 2.86 1.60 27 48 25 16 13 8 4
C16. Have family needs/issues
that are disruptive to academic
work 293 2.71 1.40 43 128 54 26 27 11 4

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Figure 1. Degree of Need
Relationships Between Female Students and Student Wives
Figure 4 ranks these women students’ needs in order of highest to lowest level
of need based on the women students’ responses. The greatest difficulty that the women
students have is to meet and form friendships with the wives of DTS male students
(Question C10). Eighty percent of the women indicated at least some level of difficulty
developing relationships with seminary wives. This response is predictable since the DTS
wives have little contact with the women students and the wives are either working or
raising children whereas the women students are busy with studies, work, family, etc. So
there is little time for these two groups of women to connect.

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Accountability for Behavior and Actions
The second highest need in this part of the survey related to the women
wanting personal accountability (Question C13). A large number of the women (76%)
reported that they need someone to be accountable to for their attitudes and actions. Half
of the women (38%) indicated a somewhat or moderate need, whereas the other 38% felt
a great need in this area.
New Student Connection
Related to the issue of female relationships (Question C12), the women
students were asked to respond to the statement, “As a new student, I needed someone to
connect with me as a friend on campus so I would not have felt so alone, nervous, or
disconnected.” Of the 270 women who responded to this question, 148 (55%) indicated
they thought it important for new students to have a returning student reach out to them
when they are new to the DTS campus.
Financial Needs
When asked about financial issues (Question C6), 55% of the respondents
(159 women) ranged from “somewhat” to “always” regarding feeling overwhelmed with
financial needs. Among this group, seventy-two women (25%) stated they often to
always feel overwhelmed with financial needs.
Desire for Personal and Relational Connection with Other Female Students
Although the survey revealed that the women students don’t have a significant
degree of difficulty meeting one another, 57% of the survey respondents expressed a
desire for a more personal connection with other female students (Question C11). For
35%, they have a somewhat/moderate need, but for 22% of the women, they indicated a
much greater need for closer friendships with other women students.

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Desire for Marriage
Of the 141 single women who responded to the statement, “Desire to get
married consumes my thought-life” (Question C15), 47% (66 women) indicated some
level of mental distraction related to wanting to get married. Of this group, 25 of the
women (18%) expressed that a very high amount of their thinking is consumed with
wanting to be married.
Dating and Healthy Boundaries
Forty-seven percent of the single women respondents indicated that they
would like some help in understanding the “do’s and don’ts” of dating and establishing
healthy boundaries in their relationships with men (Question C14). Of this group of
women, 17% of them felt they have a high degree of need in this area.
Relationships Among Female Students
Contrary to the difficulty of women students connecting relationally with
wives of the male students, the women students indicated that meeting other DTS women
students was much less difficult (Question C8). Only 14% of the women students
revealed a great a significant degree of difficulty developing relationships with other
women students. They share classes together, often eat lunch together, work on
assignments together, live on campus together, attend Women Students’ Fellowship
activities and programs, etc. The women students have more in common with one another
so they more easily are able to form friendships with one another.
Family Needs
The final question in Section C asked the women students to indicate if they
face family needs and issues that are disruptive to their academic work at DTS (Question
C16a). If so, they were given space to write specifically what those needs or issues were
(Question 16b). Of the 296 survey respondents, 129 of the women (44%) listed one or
more family issues that they deal with as they continue their seminary training. The

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following are the most frequently mentioned issues with the number of women who cited
each:
Needs and relationship with parents – 29
Husband’s needs and issues - 27
Illness/aging of family members – 21
Children’s needs – 20
Time management and balance- 11
Finances - 11
Parenting teenagers – 10
Working a job and time demands – 7
Divorce of parents – 7
Sibling Problems – 6
Tiredness - 6
Adults children needs – 5
Emotionally unhealthy family members – 5
Grandchildren – 4
Time with family – 4
Depression - 3
Distance from family – 3
Health issues – 3
Eating Disorder – 2
Issues that were mentioned only one time include Busyness, Car problems, Childcare,
Domestic responsibilities, Doubt, Expecting a baby, Faith in the workplace, Friends
faraway, Guilt/shame, Loneliness, Medical needs, Opposition, Personal health issues,
Privacy issues to study, Roommate issues, and Single parenting.
Topics for Programming, Seminars, and Speakers at DTS
The fourth section of the survey sought to discover what types of extracurricular
seminars, speakers, and other opportunities to enrich the women’s academic
education would be most helpful to the female students. The options for responses ranged
from “no need” to “greatest need”. Table 51 lists the options by question and presents all
the responses in each category (Question D1). This is followed by Figure 5 which ranks
them in order of importance to the women based on the mean score.
When ranking the responses according to the percentage of women indicating
some level of need in each area (some need to greatest need), the results were:

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Close friend (89%)
A meaningful relationship with faculty or staff (82%)
An older Christian woman as a mentor (77%)
Opportunity to get to know wives of male students (72%)
Training in dating and social skills (58%)
Seminars addressing common personal struggles (53%)
Extra-curricular social activities on campus (26%)
When combining just the responses of the women who indicated often to greatest
need, the order remained the same even though the percentages were less. These were:
Close friend (60%)
A meaningful relationship with faculty or staff (58%)
An older Christian woman as a mentor (56%)
Opportunity to get to know wives of male students (36%)
Training in dating and social skills (25%)
Seminars addressing common personal struggles (17%)
Extra-curricular social activities on campus (8%)

141
Table 51. Non-Academic Needs as a DTS Student
Since becoming a student at DTS, my non-academic needs have been to
have:
Questions D1-a through D1-g
In the order presented in the survey Resps Mean
an older Christian woman as a mentor 289 2.94 1.43 66 62 30 86 45
meaningful relationship with faculty
or staff 288 3.00 1.36 51 70 38 86 43
close friend 288 2.96 1.17 32 82 64 85 25
seminars addressing common
personal struggles 288 1.91 1.06 134 81 41 28 4
extra-curricular social activities on
campus 287 1.39 0.77 211 54 12 7 3
opportunity to get to know wives of
male students 286 2.33 1.16 79 105 43 48 11
training in dating and social skills 287 1.82 0.90 121 118 28 18 2
Std
dev
1 No need
2 Some need
3 Often needed
4 Significantly needed
5 Greatest need
The following bar graph (Figure 2) indicates the responses of Table 51. The
need for an older Christian woman as a mentor (3.00), the need for meaningful
relationship with faculty or staff (2.96), and the need for a close friend (2.94) are the top
three needs indicated by the women students.

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Figure 2. Size of Non-academic Needs
Table 52 and Figure 3 indicate the topics that the female students would like
to have speakers address at special events (Question D2). The results revealed that topics
of greatest interest from highest to lowest were: time management, marriage, healthy
body image, depression, grief, divorce, eating disorders, homosexuality, and abortion.

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Table 52. Desired Speaker Topics
I would like to have speakers on any of the following subjects:
Questions D2-a through D2-i
In the order presented in the survey Resps Mean
Abortion 272 1.46 0.87 195 48 9 20 0
Depression 277 2.51 1.30 77 82 39 57 22
Divorce 274 1.85 1.16 154 53 24 39 4
eating disorders 271 1.85 1.14 149 55 32 28 7
Homosexuality 274 1.50 0.92 192 49 13 17 3
Marriage 279 2.97 1.35 55 56 48 83 37
Grief 273 2.42 1.28 81 82 47 41 22
Time management 280 3.14 1.38 44 60 47 72 57
Healthy body image 277 2.73 1.32 59 82 42 64 30
Std
dev
1 No need
2 Some need
3 Often needed
4Significantly needed
5 Greatest need
The bar graph (Figure 3) indicates the data from Table 52 above.
Figure 3. Speaker Topics Desired According to Need

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Recommended Program or Speaker Topics
The students were also given the opportunity to write in any additional
suggestions of topics they would like to have addressed that were not on the above chart.
The following list includes recommendations of ninety women who filled in Question
D2j on their survey with the number of times a suggestion was cited:
Singleness – 14
Women in ministry – 13
Stress management – 6
Anxiety/fear – 6
Finances – 6
Ministry opportunities - 6
Time management and balance – 6
Boundaries – 4
Computer and writing papers skills - 4
Male/Female relationships on campus (students and faculty) - 4
Trusting God – 3
Celibacy/sexual purity – 3
Communication skills – 3
Conflict resolution/management – 3
Pornography and differences for men and women – 3
The following topics were mentioned by two students each:
Abuse, Alcohol or drug abuse, Burnout and discouragement, Expectation in
ministry, Infertility, Mission opportunities and issues for women, Relating and
ministering to unbelievers, Sexuality, Spiritual life, Working with male
leadership, and no more speakers.
In addition, the following topics were mentioned by just one student:
Aging parents, Balancing truth and grace/love, Church issues in America,
Connection with other pastors’ wives, Control issues, Counseling singles,
Counseling services at DTS, Defensive skills, Discussion rather than lecture
format, Discussions with women from other seminaries, Dry spells in
ministry, Family restoration, God’s calling versus men and marriage, Health
and wellness, Ill spouse, Insecurity, Intramurals, Living out faith practically,
loneliness, Loving other Christians, Marriage/courtship preparation,
Masturbation, Mentoring others, Nutrition, Parenting, Perfectionism, Purpose,
Relationships with male faculty, Service opportunities, Shame and healing
from past sins, Single over 40, Single parenting, and Success God’s way.

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Survey Correlations
The first hypothesis of this study states, “Needs and issues will differ for
Dallas Theological Seminary female students based on the demographic factors of
younger and older students, of single and married students, and of Th.M. and M.A.
students.” Hypotheses Two and Hypotheses Three predicted that some of the highest
personal issues for the DTS women students would include depression, loneliness, selfimage,
self-acceptance, and self-confidence, and the need for meaningful relationships
with men and women. The following figures and tables represent the breakdown
according to marital status, age, and degree program for each of these highest personal
issues. Most of the tabulations for percentages will be inclusive for the ratings of
“somewhat to always” since this study seeks to discover the issues in which the women
students struggle. The degree to which they struggle with an issue can be seen separately
in each category in the Tables and Figures.
Depression
According to the results of the survey, a significantly greater number of single
students (44%) face some level (“somewhat” to “always”) of depression versus 28% of
married women. When comparing age groups, younger women have slightly more
problems (38%) than older women (33%) with depression. (See pages 97-98 to define the
meaning of “younger” or “older” students.) Regarding degree programs, there was
minimal difference concerning depression among the Th.M., M.A., and “other students.”
(See page 99 to define the meaning of “other students.”) All degree programs showed
about a third of their women students face some level of struggle with depression,
although there were twice as many respondents who checked “somewhat” (19%)
compared to 10% who checked “moderately.” See Figure 4 for comparisons related to
depression according to marital status and Figure 5 for comparisons according
to age.

146
Figure 4. Struggle with Depression by Marital Status
Figure 5. Struggle with Depression by Age

147
Loneliness
The survey revealed that a significantly greater number of single women
students (72%) struggle with personal the issue of loneliness from “somewhat to always"
versus the married women students (38%). The comparison of the age groups revealed
that of the younger women, 68% also have a greater difficulty with the issue of loneliness
than 43% of the older female respondents (see Figures 6 and 7). When comparing the
degree programs, there was almost no difference concerning the issue of loneliness
between the Th.M., M.A., CGS degrees, and other students. All of the degree progams
showed that about half of their women students have some level of stuggle with
loneliness (Table 53).
Figure 6. Struggle with Loneliness by Marital Status

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Figure 7. Struggle with Loneliness by Age
Table 53. DTS Degree and Loneliness Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with loneliness cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 4 15 13 4 5 2 0 43
MA 24 68 56 30 24 8 3 213
CGS 1 6 5 0 1 2 0 15
Other 3 13 3 2 4 0 0 25
Total 32 102 77 36 34 12 3 296

149
Low Self-Esteem
The issue of low self-esteem is reflected in Figure 8 showing the range of
struggle within the two age categories. The female students in the 20-29 years of age
category show that 61% have a struggle with low self-esteem. Comparatively, the 30+
years of age students show 44% who struggle with low self-esteem. These results reveal
that younger women students have a significantly greater struggle with low self-esteem
than older women students.
Figure 8. Struggle with Low Self-Esteem by Age
Figure 9 reveals a similar distribution based on marital status of the female
respondents related to low self-esteem with the singles indicating 61% who have
difficulty and the married respondents having a 43% rate of struggle with low selfesteem.

150
Figure 9. Struggle with Low Self-Esteem by Marital Status
Perfectionism
The data from the survey reveals that there is little difference among single
and married students related to the struggle with perfectionism. The 143 single women
respondents indicated (Figure 10) that 84% have a somewhat to always struggle with
perfectionism, and interestingly, 83% of the married female respondents (152) have
almost exactly the same degree of struggle with the issue.

151
Figure 10. Struggle with Perfectionism by Marital Status
Whereas there is not much difference based on marital status in regards to the
issue of perfectionism, there is a small gap based on age. Of the respondents in the 20-29
age group, 88% of the women have somewhat to always struggle with the issue. A
slightly smaller number (79%) of older women (ages 30+) face issues with perfectionism
(see Figure 11).

152
Figure 11. Struggle with Perfectionism by Age
The cross-tabulation of the struggle with perfectionism between the different
degree programs are indicated in Table 54. In the M.A. programs, 86% of the women
feel they deal with some level of struggle with perfectionism versus 77% of Th.M.
women students indicate somewhat to always a problem with perfectionism.
Table 54. DTS Degree and Perfectionism Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with perfectionism cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 1 9 14 8 5 3 3 43
MA 12 18 54 31 50 37 11 213
CGS 2 3 1 3 1 4 1 15
Other 0 4 6 2 6 6 0 24
Total 15 34 75 44 62 50 15 295

153
Personal Body Image
Figure 12 indicates the degree to which the respondents struggle with their
personal body image based on marital status. It can be noted that there is little difference
between the single respondents (59%) as compared to the married respondents (52%) in
the total responses of “somewhat to always” having a struggle with personal body image.
Figure 12. Struggle with Personal Body Image by Marital Status
The cross-tabulation between the two age categories (Figure 13) indicates that
there is a slight difference between those in the younger age group (60%) than those in
the older age group of respondents (51%) regarding issues of body image.This reveals
that at least half of the women in both age groups struggle with personal body image.

154
Figure 13. Struggle with Personal Body Image by Age
When comparing women in different degree plans (Table 55) related to body
image, the results showed a wider range of differences. Within the M.A. group of
women, 59% struggle with body image, whereas 42% of Th.M. women have the same
problem.
Table 55. DTS Degree and Unhealthy Body Image Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with an unhealthy personal body image
cross-tabulation
DTS
Degree
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always Total
ThM 5 20 12 3 3 0 0 43
MA 23 63 53 35 22 10 6 212
CGS 3 2 3 2 2 1 2 15
Other 2 13 3 0 4 3 0 25
Total 33 98 71 40 31 14 8 295

155
Self-Confidence
Regarding having a struggle with self-confidence (or the lack of confidence),
the results of the study (Figure 14) show that there is no difference between the single
and married respondents on this issue. Of the single respondents, 51% indicated a
struggle from “somewhat to always” with self-confidence and of the married respondents,
the same percentage, 51%, indicated issues related to self-confidence.
Figure 14. Struggle with Self-Confidence by Marital Status
The cross-tabulation between the two age categories reflected in Figure 15
indicates that there is a fairly significant difference between those in the younger age
group (55%) than those in the older age group of respondents (45%) regarding the issue
of self-confidence. These findings reveal that younger women students have a greater
struggle with self-confidence than do the older women.

156
Figure 15. Struggle with Self-Confidence by Age
According to the different degree programs, the Th.M. students (30%) had a
significantly less difficult time with the issue self-confidence than the M.A. students
(49%). The CGS students showed an even higher response with 57% of them struggling
with self-confidence whereas a lower number of women (46%) in the “other”
classification of students face this issue (see Table 56).
Table 56. DTS Degree and Low Self-Confidence Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with low self-confidence cross-tabulation
Count
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately
Ofte
n Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 4 24 8 4 2 0 1 43
MA 12 86 61 35 15 2 1 212
CGS 2 4 5 3 0 0 1 15
Other 2 11 9 2 1 0 0 25
Total 20 125 83 44 18 2 3 295

157
Insecurity
The gap is wider based on marital status related to issues of insecurity when
compared to self-confidence. With the single women students, 61% of them experience
different levels of insecurity versus 42% of married women. Figure 16 shows the
percentage at each of the level of responses.
Figure 16 . Struggle with Insecurity According to Marital Status

158
Figure 17. Struggle with Insecurity by Age
The difference of struggle with feelings of insecurity when cross-tabulated
between the different degree programs is minimal. The Th.M. respondents (41%), M.A.
respondents (46%), CGS respondents (47%), and other program respondents (52%) were
very close in the degree to which they struggle with feelings of insecurity (Table 57).
Table 57. DTS Degree and Insescurity Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with feelings of insecurity cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately
Ofte
n Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 4 19 12 4 2 2 0 43
MA 19 75 62 28 18 9 1 212
CGS 3 5 3 0 1 2 1 15
Other 3 8 6 6 1 1 0 25
Total 29 107 83 38 22 14 2 295

159
Discontentment with Singleness
The single female students were asked to indicate whether or not they were
discontent in their single marital status. The respondents, according to age categories in
Figure 18, revealed that the younger students (62%) had only a little higher incidence
with this struggle with discontentment of being single than the older students (52%).
Figure 18.Discontentment with Singleness by Age
Table 58 shows the correlation between the different degree programs based
on those who struggle with discontentment in their single marital status. Slightly more
M.A. women students (61%) find their marital status challenging than the Th.M. women
students (54%).

160
Table 58. DTS Degree and Discontentment with Singleness Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Discontent in my singleness cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately
Ofte
n Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 5 6 6 5 1 1 0 24
MA 8 33 32 13 11 5 4 106
CGS 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3
Other 2 4 2 2 0 0 0 10
Total 15 45 41 20 12 6 4 143
Difficulty Handling Stress
The difficulty handling stress by the students according to marital status is
revealed in Figure 19. Again, a close percentage is indicated with there being 66% in the
single status and 70% in the married status saying they have difficulty handling stress
while attending and studying at DTS.
Figure 19. Difficulty Handling Stress by Marital Status

161
Figure 20 indicates the respondents by age and the difficulty they have
handling stress. As in marital status, there is little difference in difficulty handling stress
based on age. Those respondents in the younger age group totaled 70% while those in
the older student group ranked with a close total of 67%. The totals were fairly close
between degree programs also. M.A. women students indicated a 70% total and the
Th.M. students totaled 63% (see Table 59).
Figure 20. Difficulty Handling Stress by Age
Table 59. DTS Degree and Difficulty Handling Stress Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Difficulty handling stress cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 0 16 16 7 3 1 0 43
MA 8 56 80 32 18 14 5 213
CGS 0 3 6 3 0 2 1 15
Other 0 11 10 3 1 0 0 25

Total 8 86 112 45 22 17 6 296
162

163
Struggle with Comparing Self to Other Women
The married respondents (79%) indicated a somewhat greater degree of
struggle with comparing themselves to other women or peers. A slightly smaller
percentage of the single women (69%) have a significant struggle with comparison
shown in Figure 21.
Figure 21. Struggle with Comparing Self to Other Women by Marital Status
Struggle with Comparison to Other Women
Single and Married Respondents
The cross-tabulation of ages (Figure 22) based on a struggle with comparison
with other women found a much higher percentage (83%) of the single women deal with
this problems than older female students (67%).

164
Figure 22. Struggle with Comparing Self to Women by Age
Struggle with Comparison to Other Women
Respondents by Age Categories
When cross-tabulating the struggle with comparison to other women between
degree programs (Table 60), the data revealed that M.A. students have a signficantly
greater problem with this issue of comparison (78%) versus Th.M. students (53%).
Table 60. DTS Degree and Struggle with Comparison to Other Women Cross- tabulation
DTS Degree * Struggle with comparison to other women cross-tabulation
Total
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
DTS
Degree
ThM 4 15 9 7 6 1 1 43
MA 8 38 61 48 34 15 8 212
CGS 1 3 3 2 3 1 2 15
Other 2 5 9 2 6 1 0 25
Total 15 61 82 59 49 18 11 295

165
Relationships with Male Students
DTS has been a co-ed campus for over thirty years. The cross-tabulation
shown in Figure 23 indicates the number of female students, single (77%) and married
(55%), who have difficulty with developing healthy, meaningful relationships with the
male students at DTS. The data shows that over half of both single and married students
find relationships with male students challenging, though a much larger percentage of
single women struggle with relationships with their male peers. This is a predictable
result since it stands to reason that singles would find relationships with the opposite sex
more complex and difficult since married women do not face the same relational needs.
Figure 23. Difficulty with Relationships with Male Students by Marital Status
Difficulty with Male Student Relationships
Single and Married Respondents
Figure 24 correlates the breakdown of the respondents by age groups
regarding difficulty with male students relationships. The younger female respondents
(72%) have the greater difficulty than the older students (59%). Interestingly, the
breakdown by age (Fig. 24) and the breakdown by marital status (Fig. 23) indicated

166
approximately the same percentages in each category when comparing younger
unmarrieds with older married female students.
Figure 24. Difficulty with Relationships with Male Students by Age
According to the different degree plans in Table 61, there is almost even
distribution of difficulty with developing meaningful relationships with DTS male
students: Th.M. (48%), M.A. (51%), CGS (50%). Those students in “other” degree plans
(33%) have a significantly less difficulty with this issue.
Table 61. DTS Degree and Relationships with Male Students Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Difficult to develop meaningful relationships with DTS male students
cross-tabulation
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately
Ofte
n Usually Always
DTS
Degree ThM 5 11 6 9 5 7 0 43
MA 19 49 43 30 28 21 17 207
CGS 1 3 4 0 2 1 1 12
Other 1 9 4 1 2 4 2 23

167
Total 26 72 57 40 37 33 20 285
Relationship with an Older Christian Woman
As illustrated in Figure 25, there is almost even distribution of those younger
female respondents (47%) who have an older Christian woman to talk with compared to
the older female respondents (50%) who also have this type of relationship.
Figure 25. Current Relationship with an Older Christian Woman by Age
Have Older Christian Woman to Talk With
Respondents by Age Categories
However, when looking at the distribution of married students as compared to
the single respondents (Figure 26), the single population of female students have a far
higher (77%) experience with having an older Christian woman with whom they can talk
on a regular basis than the married women (55%). In the cross-tabulation between degree
plans (Table 62), there is an even distribution (50%) between those female students in the
Th.M. and M.A. degree plans who have an older Christian woman to talk with regularly.

168
Figure 26. Current Relationship with Older Christian Woman by Marital Status
Have Older Christian Woman to Talk With
Single and Married Respondents
Table 62. DTS Degree and Relationship with an Older Woman Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * Currently have an older Christian woman to talk with
regularly cross-tabulation
Total
Yes No
DTS
Degree ThM 23 20 43
MA 101 109 210
CGS 9 6 15
Other 9 15 24
Total 142 150 292
Desire for a Female Mentor
Figure 27 indicates the response to the question, “If you do not have an older
Christian woman with whom to talk on a regular basis, would you like to have one?” A
total of 92% of the single female respondents who answered “no” to this question
indicated they would like to have such a relationship. Of the married female students,

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73% also responded positively to the question and would like to have an older Christian
woman with whom to have conversation on a regular basis.
Figure 27. Desire for a Female Mentor by Marital Status
The cross-tabulation by age groups of those students who do not currently
have an older Christian woman with whom to interact reveals the same percentages as
those based on marial status. Of the younger female respondents, 93% compared to the
73% of the older female respondents would like to have an older Christian woman with
whom to communicate with on a regular basis.
Though the younger student response is significantly higher (92%) than the
older student response (73%), at least three-fourths in both groups indicate a very strong
desire to have a committed relationship with an older Christian woman (see Figure 28).

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Figure 28. Desire for a Female Mentor by Age
Table 63 reveals the desire of the students in the different degree plans to have
a relationship with an older Christian woman. The distribution was 73% of Th.M., 85%
of M.A., 100% of CGS, and 64% of the students in “other” degree plans.
Table 63. DTS Degree and Desire for a Female Mentor Cross-tabulation
DTS Degree * If answered No to C.2., would you like to have an older
Christian woman to talk with on a regular basis cross-tabulation
Total
Yes No
DTS
Degree ThM 14 5 19
MA 93 16 109
CGS 6 0 6
Other 9 5 14
Total 122 26 148

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Concluding Comments from Survey
In the final section of the survey the students were given the option to answer
“Yes” or “No” to the following question: “Are there any needs you have or struggles you
face which were not covered on this survey?” (Question E1). If they checked “Yes,” then
Question E2 stated, “If YES, what are those needs and/or struggles?” There were ninetyeight
women who checked “Yes” on their survey and then wrote in responses to Question
E2. The top additional personal issues follow with the number of women who made
mention of each of the struggles they face:
Finances/budgeting – 8
Time management and balance - 6
Past sins/guilt/shame – 5
Role of women in ministry and home issues – 5
Working with male leadership – 4
Disconnect/support from DTS for extension students - 4
Transition after DTS – 4
Women over 40 issues – 4
Parenting – 4
Fellowship times with other women students – 3
Identity and worth – 3
Racial issues/reconciliation/understanding of differences – 3
Spiritual gifts and giftedness – 3
Spiritual life health - 3
African American students’ needs – 3
Church involvement - 2
Co-dependency – 2
Divorced women – 2
Family heritage issues - 2
Gender bias at DTS – 2
Gender and biblical femininity – 2
International students’ needs – 2
Mentor with ministry experience – 2
Sexism at DTS – 2
ThM biases towards men and male pastors – 2
Additional suggestions each mentioned by only one student include: Aging parents
(care), Behavior of single DTS students, Blended families, Connection with distant
friends, Counseling services, Counseling skills, Dating, Employment, Exercise and
healthy eating, Female faculty need, Forgiveness, Health issues, Male students hunting
for wives, Meals with female faculty, On-line student disconnect, Outside DTS support
systems, Over-commitment, Over-eating, Personal spiritual life, Practical ministry

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experience, Prayer groups, Resting in God’s will, Retreats (more of them), Selfhatred/condemnation,
Serving with husband’s in ministry, Suicidal thoughts, Trusting
God, TV addiction, Understanding parents, and Worry.
Summary
Demographic Results
In January 2008, a descriptive survey was sent out to the 600 enrolled female
students of Dallas Seminary. Two-hundred and ninety-eight surveys (50%) were
completed and returned by the female seminarians. Of the 298 surveys received back,
296 were determined to be valid useable surveys (52%). Minimum demographic
information was gathered in order to protect anonimity and to allow total honest feedback
from the students.
The respondents ranged in age from 20-70 years. The 296 respondents were
divided into two major categories, younger students (20-29) and older students (30-70).
An evenly distributed number of respondents of all ages (at the time of the survey)
returned their survey, younger students (47%), and older students (53%).
The survey revealed an almost evenly distributed number of 144 single female
students with the 152 married female students. These distributions of both age and
marital status make the results of this survey a reliable respresentation of the entire
female student population enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary in spring semester,
2008.
The majority of female students enrolled at Dallas Seminary are in the
M.A.degree programs and 72% of the survey respondents were M.A. students as
compared to 15% of respondents who were enrolled in the Th.M. degree program.
Another 5% of the respondents were in the Certificate of Graduate Studies program, and
the remaining 8% of respondents designated as “other” were enrolled as either Ph.D. or
D.Min. students at the time of the completion of this survey.

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The majority of respondents (70%) were female students (207) attending
classes on the Dallas Campus. The remaining 89 respondents (30%) were either students
at one of the DTS Extension sites or On-line students. Of those 296 respondents, 105
indicated they were full-time students carrying twelve or more hours, and 184 indicated
they were part-time students carrying twelve hours or less.
The last two demographic questions addressed the student’s participation in
the DTS program known as Spiritual Formation which is required of all students except
those who are in Biblical counseling, Biblical studies, or CGS programs, and the
nationality of the students, American or otherwise. Of the 296 respondents, 161 women
(54%) have been in or are currently participating in Spiritual Formation. The other 135
respondents (46%) have not been in a Spiritual Formation group. Almost all of the
respondents (281) indicated that they were American citizens (95%). Only fifteen women
who responded to the survey were of a different nationality than American. Because of
the small percentage of International students attending DTS, no correlations were run
based on ethnithcity. However, their responses were valuable to the overall results.
Results of the Struggles and Issues Faced by the Female Students
The research question for this study asked, “What are the personal issues and
needs of the Dallas Theological Seminary 21 st Century female students?” The fifty-nine
question inventory in the descriptive survey revealed that the greatest struggle for DTS
women seminarians is related to perfectionism (88%).
Following this were comparison with other women (74%), stress (68%),
relationships with male students (66%), singleness (58%), loneliness (55%), insecurity
(54%), self-esteem (52%), self-confidence (49%), body image (44%), depression (35%),
panic attacks (11%), and eating disorders (4%).

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Related to demographics according to age, marital status, and degree
programs, the survey revealed the following percentages of struggle with different
personal issues:
Single Women
Married Women
Perfectionism 84% Perfectionism 83%
Difficulty w/Male Relationships 77% Comparison with Other Women 79%
Loneliness 72% Difficulty Handling Stress 70%
Comparison with Other Women 69% Difficulty w/Male Relationships 55%
Difficulty Handling Stress 66% Personal Body Image 52%
Insecurity 61% Low Self-Confidence 51%
Low Self-Esteem 61% Low Self-Esteem 43%
Personal Body Image 59% Insecurity 42%
Low Self-Confidence 51% Loneliness 38%
Depression 44% Depression 28%
Younger Women (20-29 years old) Older Women (30-70+ years old)
Perfectionism 88% Perfectionism 79%
Difficulty w/Male Relationships 73% Difficulty Handling Stress 67%
Comparison with Other Women 70% Comparison with Other Women 67%
Difficulty Handling Stress 70% Difficulty w/Male Relationships 59%
Loneliness 68% Insecurity 52%
Insecurity 62% Discontentment with Singleness 52%
Discontentment with Singleness 62% Personal Body Image 51%
Low Self-Esteem 61% Low Self-Confidence 46%
Personal Body Image 60% Low Self-Esteem 44%
Low Self-Confidence 57% Loneliness 43%
Depression 38% Depression 33%
Th.M. Women
M.A. Women
Perfectionism 77% Perfectionism 86%
Difficulty Handling Stress 63% Comparison with Other Women 78%
Difficulty w/Male Relationships 63% Difficulty Handling Stress 70%
Discontentment with Singleness 54% Difficulty w/Male Relationships 67%
Comparison with Other Women 53% Discontentment with Singleness 61%
Personal Body Image 42% Personal Body Image 59%
Loneliness 44% Loneliness 50%
Insecurity 41% Low Self-Confidence 49%
Low Self-Confidence 30% Insecurity 44%
The greatest needs of the female seminarians proved to be in the areas of having an older
Christian woman as a mentor, wanting a meaningful relationship with faculty or staff of

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DTS and the need for a close friend. The women students want to meet and form
friendships with the wives of DTS male students, they desire to have someone to be
accountable to, they see the need to have returning women students connect with new
students, they face at times overwhelming financial needs, and they need more personal
and relational connections with other female DTS students.
Many of the respondents listed other needs and concerns that they have that
they felt were not covered on the survey. This list of comments can be found on pages
170-171 of this dissertation.The survey data was also cross-tabulated according to age,
marital status and degree programs. The cross-tabulations are presented in Chapter 4.
In addition, Chapter 4 presents the data gathered from the survey of the
female DTS students. Chapter 5 discusses the data as it relates to each hypothesis, draws
conclusions from the results of the research, suggests and recommends ways to address
and meet the needs and issues of the DTS women students, and gives recommendations
for future research. The ultimate purpose of this project is to identify and develop ways
to most effectively address the personal needs of the women students at Dallas Seminary
so that they can receive the best possible preparation for a life of Christian ministry.

CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of the Problem, Methodology, and Results
The intention and purpose of this study was to surface the specific personal
needs and issues with which Twenty-First Century female seminarians struggle. The
primary tool designed for this study was a confidential, detailed, descriptive survey sent
to each current female student at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) enrolled in the
spring semester of 2008 to gain their personal responses and input. The results of the
survey would help the Dallas Seminary staff and faculty be better informed of the
personal struggles, needs, and issues of the women students. Resources, programming,
care, and relationships could then be provided to best minister to the women students
while they attend DTS. In turn, the female students would be better prepared relationally,
emotionally, spiritually, physically, and psychologically to serve in Christian ministry.
The data was recorded, analyzed and interpreted in order to both inform and make
recommendations to the DTS faculty and staff, Counseling Services, Student Services,
and the Advisor for Women Students, which could assist in strengthening women
according to the Seminary goal of preparing godly servant-leaders for a lifetime of
Christian service.
The Problem
For its first fifty years, Dallas Theological Seminary focused only on the
preparation of men for Christian ministry. Women were first accepted into Dallas
Seminary in 1975. Research indicates that men and women are different in numerous
ways and have unique personal needs and issues. Dallas Seminary seeks to effectively
prepare both men and women for Christian service. As the number of women students
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increased over the years, the leadership of DTS recognized the change in the student
population and eventually created a part-time position, the Advisor for Women Students.
She was hired specifically to support, train, encourage, mentor, counsel, and create
programs which address the issues and needs of the women students. This D.Min. study
is the first of its kind to seek to identify and to evaluate the unique and specific personal
needs, issues, and struggles of the women attending Dallas Seminary.
Methodology
This study was based on a descriptive survey (Appendix B) of the female
students enrolled at Dallas Seminary in the spring 2008 semester to identify the specific
personal needs and issues they struggle or deal with as women seminarians. The research
question for this study asked, “What are the personal issues and needs of the Dallas
Theological Seminary Twenty-first Century female students?” The survey was mailed to
each woman student and included a detailed, fifty-nine question inventory used to
discover the women students’ personal needs and issues and to ascertain the degree to
which they struggle personally in these areas. The DTS Office of the Registrar provided
the original list and mailing labels. A total of 567 women students received surveys in
January 2008 and 296 valid surveys were returned by March 1, 2008. An analysis of the
data informed the writing of this dissertation.
Overall Results
Demographic Summary
The response to the survey reflects the personal needs and issues of 52% of
the female students attending DTS in the spring of 2008. These 296 respondents represent
a broad age range from 20 to over 70 with the majority of the women currently in their
20s to 40s (80%). The remaining 20% of respondents represent women students 50 or
older. The single largest group of respondents fall into the 20-29 age range (47%). The
respondents also have an almost equal representation of those who are single (49%) and

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those who are married (51%). The largest number of respondents (213) classify
themselves as M.A. students (72%), and forty-three women respondents (15%) report
being in the Th.M. degree program. The remaining 13% indicated enrolled the CGS or
doctoral programs.
There is an almost equal distribution of 112 younger women (ages 20-29) in
the M.A. degree program and 101 older women (ages 30+) also in the M.A. degree
program. The number of younger women students in the Th.M. degree program (21) is
also evenly distributed with the number of older women students in the Th.M. degree
program (22) even though there are fewer women in Th.M. overall. This close
distribution in age, marital status, and in the two main degree programs allows the
answers to the survey questions to accurately represent the over-all representation of the
female students attending DTS. There is a wider distribution when considering the
number of full-time women students (36%) versus part-time women students (64%).
Regarding participation in the Spiritual Formation (SF) small group program,
54% of the respondents either are or have been in an SF group. The final demographic
question sought to discover the number of international respondents. Only fifteen women
or 5% of the total respondents indicated they were not American citizens.
Results Related to Research Question
This study asked and answered the research question, “What are the personal
needs and issues of the Dallas Theological Seminary Twenty-first Century female
students?” The DTS women student survey included sixty-five fixed choice questions
and three open response questions that answered the research question. The results of the
survey (Section B) revealed that the most frequent personal issues with which the women
students struggle to some degree are:

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Time Management (singles) 85%
Time Management (marrieds) 80%
Perfectionism 78%
Comparison with other women 74%
Stress 68%
Friendships with men 66%
Discontent with singleness 58%
Anxiety/Fear 56%
Relationships with married women 56%
Loneliness 55%
Insecurity 54%
Low self-esteem 52%
Low self-confidence 49%
Body image 44%
Relationships with single women 43%
Depression 35%
Not Satisfied with DTS friendships 25%
Doubts with faith and beliefs 20%
When only taking into consideration the women who indicated a high degree
of struggle with these issues, the order changed somewhat and is as follows:
Time Management (marrieds) 46%
Time Management (singles) 42%
Friendships with men 32%
Comparison with other women 26%
Perfectionism 22%
Loneliness 17%
Insecurity 15%
Stress 15%
Discontent with singleness 15%
Anxiety/Fear 14%
Low self-esteem 12%
Relationships with married women 11%
Relationships with single women 11%
Depression 9%
Low self-confidence 8%
Doubts with faith and beliefs 4%
Body image 3%
Section C of the survey sought to discover specific needs of the women
students. Almost half (42%) of the DTS women desire to have an older or more
experienced Christian woman as a mentor. Even more of them expressed an interest in

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having a peer mentor (63%). One student echoes the need of many DTS women: “I’d just
like to know more about what it means to be a woman in this day and age. Society tells
me to pursue my dreams. The church tells me I’m semi-important (more so as a wife and
mother). Where’s the truth between the two extremes in light of today’s culture?”
Another student added, “I don’t need an older mentor. I need someone more experienced
in ministry.”
In addition, a high number women (50% or more) indicated needs in the area
of accountability, connection for new students with returning students, development of
relationships with other female students, and financial concerns. One student shared,
“Finances has been one of the biggest challenges for our family. My children have had to
sacrifice for my education. That has caused questioning, fear, and doubt on my part.”
Almost half of the single women (47%) revealed a strong desire for marriage
along with the need for help in the area of dating skills. Older single women also
indicated that their unique needs were not adequately addressed at DTS. One explained,
“I am an older single student. Most people simply don’t know how to address the needs
of a mature student. There are no groups to support us whether single or married.”
Another added, “The older students aren’t very well integrated into the student body---
understandably so, but I still feel pretty ancient. I wish the atmosphere were a bit more
inclusive.” Detailed data on all the needs of the women students can be found in Figure 4.
In addition, 44% of the respondents listed various family issues that are
disruptive to their academic work (See page 139). One woman stated: “I am a single
student who is solely responsible for caring for my elderly relative with dementia and
depression. It’s overwhelming at times.” Another said, “My relationship with my mom is
rocky and every now and then things will ‘hit the fan’ and need a lot of time and
emotional energy. My brother has made a lot of unwise decisions in the past and that has
required a lot of time ‘fighting fires’ in the family.” And one final comment summarizes

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the situation for many women students: “Husband is in and out of a job; supporting
parents financially and working full time and married life and serving with the local
church.” Numerous students gave comments on the family issues that complicate their
ability to give adequate attention to their academic studies and involvement in seminary
life.
The final part of the survey sought input from the women students regarding
what types of programs, seminars, and speakers might be most helpful to the students.
Figure 2, page 142 shows a significant number of women who see a need for ways to
create mentoring opportunities with other Christian women, connect with female faculty
and staff, and develop close friendships with other women students. As one student
shared, “I think it would be great to have a personal mentor/Titus 2 woman to ‘counsel’
and offer advice, guidance for regular day-to-day stuff.” Another student offered these
words of praise, “I’ve been greatly encouraged by getting to know some of my DTS profs
so far.”
In addition, when the women students were asked to respond to a list of
possible program/speaker topics (Figure 3, page 143), their highest interests in ranked
order were:
Time Management
Marriage
Healthy Body Image
Depression
Grief
When asked for additional program/speaker topics, some of the top suggestions were:
Singleness
Women in ministry
Stress management
Anxiety/fear
Finances
Ministry opportunities for women.

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See page 143-144 for a complete list of suggested program/speaker topics.
The final question on the survey offered the respondents the opportunity to indicate any
other needs they face or personal struggles they have which were not included on the
survey. A complete list of these responses from ninety-eight of the women can be found
on pages 170-171.
Results Related to the Hypotheses
First Hypothesis
The first hypothesis stated that the needs and issues would differ for the DTS
female students based on the demographic factors of younger and older, of single and
married students, of international and non-international students, and of Th.M. and M.A.
students. This anticipated response was noted throughout the study based on the data
obtained from the respondents with one exception. This exception was in the area of the
International female students at DTS and no correlations were run due to the small
percentage of these respondents. One area of struggle with time management was not
anticipated in the hypotheses as one of the top issues that the female students would have
a struggle. All categories of female students indicated an almost equal struggle in this
area of time management.
Differences based on age, marital status, and degree programs surfaced in
seven out of ten issues proving the validity of this hypothesis. The ten issues that were
compared based on demographics were: perfectionism, loneliness, discontentment with
singleness, insecurity, low self-esteem, comparison with other women, depression, and
low self-confidence, self-image (personal body image), and stress. Seven issues identified
that vary according to demographics were:
Comparison with other women
Depression
Insecurity
Loneliness

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Low self-esteem
Self-confidence
Singleness
Little or no demographic differences were seen related to perfectionism, personal body
image, and handling stress.
Singleness issues surfaced in many of the women students’ written comments,
such as, “Singleness---IT GETS OVERLOOKED. Everyone talks about how to have a
healthy marriage/apply Scripture to marriage. No one talks about how to be a healthy
single. 50% of US adults are single.” Or, “Many professors assume all students are
married. Their examples in lecture refer to ‘your spouse’ and ‘spending time with
family.’ The reality is that there’s an overwhelming number of single women in full-time
ministry (including church staffs) these days …We continue to seek to serve God without
the support of a spouse or family. I only wish we had more acknowledgement and
support from DTS. I want to be married, but what if that never happens?” Being single
continues to be a great challenge for many of the female students.
Second Hypothesis
Hypothesis Two made the assertion that the DTS female students’ greatest
personal issues would be in the areas of perfectionism, stress and anxiety, loneliness, and
depression. The data supported that perfectionism, loneliness and stress and anxiety were
within the top four struggles for the women students, but depression ranked tenth on the
list so it is not as significant an issue as anticipated. One student gave the example, “Just
the anxiety and stress I feel to keep my family (mostly parents and in-laws) happy and
spend enough time with them.” Another shared, “I have young children and I work fulltime.
I need more time to be able to do everything that I have to do.” And one other
represented the feelings of many women students when she wrote, “Mainly time
constraints---work, family, ministry and attending DTS simultaneously can be stressful!”

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Perfectionism
The struggle with perfectionism proved to be overall the number one problem
for the women students and is seen with the following percentages surfacing: 84% of the
single women students, 83% of the married women students, 88% of the younger women
students, 79% of the older women students, 86% of the women in the M.A. degree
program, and 77% of the women students in the Th.M. degree program. It is quite
apparent that the vast number of DTS female students deal with some degree of
perfectionistic tendencies.
Loneliness
The subject of loneliness ranked second on the list of significant struggles for
the women students and also surfaced as an area in which all the demographic groups had
some degree of challenge. Loneliness can express itself in several other issues such as
depression (see below), sexual habits, alcohol usage, low self-esteem, poor self-image,
and lack of confidence. The single women (72%) were the highest percentage group that
struggles with loneliness. The married women students (38%) less significantly struggle
with loneliness. This would be predictable since they have a husband for a companion.
The younger women (68%) indicated more struggle with loneliness than the older women
students (43%). This represents a 25% gap based on age. The difference based on marital
status related to the struggle with loneliness is greater with a 34% gap. Interestingly, the
statistics show an almost exact percentage of M.A. students (50%) as Th.M. students
reporting that loneliness is a problem for them. As one student shared, “I could use a
friend at seminary with whom I could share deeply.”
The statistics on loneliness are high and the issues of needing a close friend,
someone to be accountable to, and having peer and/or an older Christian woman as a
mentor could be strong and viable options to address the loneliness problem for the
female students. In addition, the Spiritual Formation small groups program is an excellent

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way to help students develop close relationships. A number of survey respondents spoke
highly of their experience with their small group of women. One woman said that “her SF
group has made it easier” to have close friends. Another shared, “I think there is a need to
help women understand their past experiences and deal with the painful ones. SF really
helped me in this area.” And a third student wrote, “My SF group is AMAZING! If I
didn’t have those women, I would struggle more with life right now.”
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety fell fourth in frequency on the list of struggles for the
female students. Related to this are other issues such as fear, panic attacks, balance and
time management. The challenge of handling stress and anxiety didn’t indicate much
difference based on demographics. Those in the two age categories, younger and older,
indicated similar difficulty dealing with stress. The younger female students (70%)
indicated slightly higher difficulty handling stress than the older female students (67%).
The single students (66%) indicated having difficulty handling stress and 71% of the
married female students also indicated a high degree of difficulty handling stress, while
70% of M.A. students and 63% of Th.M. students reported issues related to stress and
anxiety.
Stress and anxiety often bring on panic attacks for some individuals. This is
no different for the DTS female seminarians. Only 11% of the women students indicated
some level of panic attacks, another 26% reported that it “rarely” was a problem
indicating that they may struggle with the issue from time to time. Fortunately, over half
of the female respondents (64%) do not ever struggle with the debilitating issue of panic
attacks associated with stress and anxiety. A contributing factor to the stress and anxiety
levels experienced by the female students could be the difficulty they experience trying to
balance their personal and/or married life with family, employment, and academia and its
requirements. Over three-fourths of the female students in both the single status (85%)

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and the married status (80%) indicated that balancing their time and responsibilities was a
huge challenge and struggle for them. Many comments on the survey reflected the
difficulty the women have in balancing the different aspects of their lives. One woman
reflects the frustration of many of the students when she stated, “I have a level of
overwhelmedness that I cannot describe trying to balance seminary life, work and family-
--not to mention ministry and meeting with and counseling women. I am not sure what
can be done about this---attending one more informative seminar on stress might help but
it just adds to the calendar.”
Depression
Depression is not a significant struggle, fortunately, for 65% of the female
respondents (see Table 12). However, for the other 35% of the female students who do
experience some degree of struggle with depression, it can be a very disruptive, troubling,
and frightening issue. Depression can be brought on because of a number of contributing
factors. The data from this study indicates different levels of challenge for women
students in the areas of loneliness, low self-esteem and poor self-image, perfectionism,
low self-confidence, comparison, difficulty handling stress, discontentment with
singleness, and the need for accountability, close and meaningful relationships, and
mentors. Many of these issues can easily contribute to bouts of depression. Of course
psychological, clinical, and emotional disorders that lead to depression are serious and
need to be treated, but these are beyond the scope of this study and its recommendations.
Third Hypothesis
The third hypothesis claimed that the DTS female students would have a
struggle with the issues of self-image, self-acceptance, and self-confidence.
The data supported this hypothesis. The survey gathered information regarding selfimage,
self-acceptance, and self-confidence through a multiple number of questions on

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related topics including low self-esteem (B2), unhealthy personal body image (B5),
struggles with bulimia or anorexia (B6), low self-confidence (B12), and insecurity (B22),
comparison with other women (B23).
The women students in general all have some degree of struggle with these
issues. In considering the different demographics, the distributions were as follows:
Single women:
Comparison with other women – 69%
Insecurity – 61%
Low self-esteem – 61%
Poor personal body image – 59%
Low self-confidence – 51%
Married women:
Comparison with other women – 79%
Low self-confidence – 51%
Poor personal body image – 52%
Low self-esteem – 43%
Insecurity – 42%
Younger women:
Comparison with other women – 70%
Low self-esteem – 61%
Insecurity – 62%
Poor personal body image – 60%
Low self-confidence – 57%
Older women:
Comparison to other women – 67%
Insecurity – 52%
Poor personal body image – 51%
Low self-confidence – 46%
Low self-esteem – 44%
Fourth Hypothesis
The fourth hypothesis made the assertion that the DTS female students would
indicate a strong desire and need for mentoring relationships with older, more spiritually
mature Christian women. This was, in fact, the case. A total of 207 women students
(70%) reported that in the past they had had an older Christian woman as a mentor with

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whom they could regularly talk. Only 142 of the 296 respondents (48%) indicated that
they currently have such a relationship. Of the 296 respondents, 223 (75%) indicated that
they would like to have an older Christian woman as a mentor. The data from the survey
indicates that a high number of women students would like to have a female mentor.
Fifth Hypothesis
The fifth and final hypothesis predicted that the DTS female students would
reveal that one of their greatest needs was to have close meaningful relationships with
men and women. The survey confirmed this hypothesis. Though the women would like to
have these relationships, only 98 female students (33%) out of 296 indicated that they
never or rarely had difficulty developing meaningful friendships with the DTS male
students. The other 63% indicated that it was a problem. The women students also
indicated that out of the 296 who responded to the survey 236 (79%) would like to have a
close friend(s) to spend time with regularly. As one woman wrote, “There is a need for a
feeling of community, particularly with other female students. Perhaps a group lunch
once a month---including female faculty/staff members---would help. Coming back to
campus at night can be a hindrance.” The desire for the meaningful relationships with
both men and women exists and needs to be addressed.
Research Conclusions and Recommendations
According to the survey results, time management, expectations of self,
various emotional issues, and lack of significant relationships surfaced as the greatest
challenges for the seminary women. The data from the study is consistent with the
interviews and appointments that the researcher, Lynn Etta Manning, currently the
Advisor for Women Students, conducts on a regular basis with the women students.
Based on the data collected from 52% of the female students at DTS, the following
recommendations are made to help address the needs and issues of the women students:

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1. Evaluate the current SNAP program based on the survey date to better
accommodate and meet the personal needs of the new incoming female
students each semester. (The letters in the name “SNAP” do not stand for
anything. The name SNAP was chosen to reflect the idea of “connecting”
women like the actual item often found on clothing apparel.) SNAP is a
Women Students’ Fellowship student ministry designed for entering
female students. A returning DTS woman student is assigned to an
entering female student and the new student is contacted by the SNAP
partner prior to her arriving for orientation and then throughout the first
semester as needed. The SNAP partner is an initial contact, friend, and
resource for the entering student so she can get acquainted with other DTS
women, oriented to DTS and Dallas. The SNAP program is designed to
help the new students feel less alone and overwhelmed upon entering
seminary.
2. Evaluate and make suggestions based on the survey results to strengthen
the existing Hesed Sister peer mentoring program of WSF. Expand this
program based on the high interest that DTS women students have for a
peer mentor and apply for additional funding to conduct these programs.
3. Continue to identify and select women students to serve on the leadership
team of the Women Students’ Fellowship (WSF) in order to offer
experience and training in the area of ministry to women and to help carry
out the programs to address the needs of women students.
4. Conduct a study of perfectionism and its causes to discover effective ways
to help female seminarians address their perfectionistic tendencies.
5. Schedule seminars, brown bag lunch meetings, retreats, and other ways to
address the topics of interest indicated by the female women students.

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6. Continue to require all incoming women students to have an entrance
interview with the Advisor for Women students so that the students will be
aware of the commitment the seminary has to identify and address their
personal needs.
7. Create ways for the women students to connect with and develop
relationships with the DTS female faculty and staff.
8. Encourage incoming women students who are not required to take
Spiritual Formation to consider joining a group in order to connect with a
group of fellow seminarians and gain the support and encouragement
found in experiencing Christian growth in the context of community.
9. Create a webpage (e.g. Facebook) for the purpose of connecting the
Advisor for Women Students with the DTS female students. Daily
devotionals and prayer, information on the issues with which the female
students struggle could be posted, and opportunities for discussion and
questions could be posted. Follow-up through personal appointments
could be offered and any further resources or counseling could be
available when necessary.
10. Adapt the survey used in this study to discover the issues and needs of
women in the local church and suggest ways for the female leadership in a
church to carry out the Titus 2 mandate for spiritually mature women to
teach and train younger women.
In order for the Advisor for Women Students to most successfully accomplish
all the recommendations listed above, as well as fulfill her current job responsibilities, the
following two proposals should be strongly considered:
• Make the Advisor for Women Students a full-time salaried position
(instead of part-time) in order to most effectively and consistently meet

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the needs of the women students who comprise an increasing one-fourth to
one-third of the DTS student enrollment.
• Change the title of Advisor for Women Students to Dean of Women in
order to reflect the authority and responsibility given to this unique and
essential role and to minimize the confusion with the role of faculty as
academic advisors. The Dean of Women would serve as a colleague under
the authority of the Dean of Students.
Recommendations for Further Research
The following recommendations for further research have developed as a
result of this study:
1. Develop an adaptation of the survey and its applications to be used in a
local church setting to assess and evaluate the needs and issues of the
women in the local church.
2. Conduct a similar study of the needs and issues of female DTS students
ten years after this study (2018).
3. Encourage a study of similar needs and issues of women students at other
seminaries.
4. Conduct a study of similar positions to DTS’s Advisor for Women
Students at other seminaries for the responsibilities, salary, and other
compensations.
5. Recommend a similar study to be done of the male DTS students.
Implications of These Findings
This study raised the question of what the personal issues and needs of the
Dallas Theological female seminarians were and how the women could more holistically
be ministered to, counseled, mentored, and trained in order to best prepare them as they

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anticipate future ministry involvement. Prioritizing the unique needs of women
seminarians cannot simply be a verbal assent to its importance, but also must be backed
by the appropriate programs, program funding, personnel, and visibility. It must also
include better interfacing between the faculty, Dean of Students, the Advisor for Women
Students, and various academic departments of DTS.
The Advisor for Women Students holds the responsibility of oversight of all
the enrolled women students. Her position includes offering the women encouragement,
pastoral care, personal advising and lay counseling, mentoring, help in adjustment to
seminary and academia, training in leadership, accommodating internships, and
addressing crises and specific problems and needs that arise that are specifically unique
to women seminarians. The Advisor for Women is also responsible for overseeing the
Women Students’ Fellowship (WSF) and its Leadership Team which provides leadership
opportunities and development, special events, and programming for the women students.
The Advisor for Women selects, trains and mentors women students to serve other DTS
women students as peer mentors as part of the Hesed Sister ministry. The Advisor for
Women Students also oversees an intern who serves on the WSF Leadership Team and
assists with the training and management of the Hesed Sisters. As such, should this
position be re-considered for full-time status due to the many needs and issues of the
women students and due to the increasing number of women attending Dallas Seminary?
Concurrent to the period of doing the research and writing of this dissertation,
the Advisor for Women Students launched two specific programs in WSF in anticipation
of the results of this study: the SNAP program and the Hesed Sister program. The SNAP
program was instituted to meet the needs of the incoming female students by connecting
a returning woman student with an entering woman student. It has as its goal to help new
students get acquainted with the DTS campus, other women of DTS, and to acclimate
them to Dallas and some of the city’s resources such as local grocery stores, hairdressers,

193
churches, common popular retail outlets, etc. The purpose of The Hesed Sisters is to
provide suitable, trained peer-mentors for those students seeking a deeper relationship of
authenticity, accountability, and encouragement in addition to or in place of professional
counselors, staff, and faculty who may not always be available. The results of this study
verify the need to continue and strengthen the SNAP and Hesed Sister programs to
address the personal needs of the women students.
The Advisor for Women Student’s role includes meeting with continuing
female students for mentoring, lay counseling, advising, and pastoral care. These students
seek appointments because of the desire for mentoring by an older Christian woman who
understands women, seminary, the Christian life, challenges of marriage and singleness
and other issues as disclosed in this study. The counselors and counseling department of
DTS often refer female students to the Advisor for Women Students for follow-up care
and counseling when they have determined that clinical or psychological counseling is
inappropriate for a specific individual. The data from this study will help to more easily
identify the personal issues of women students and find the best ways to give help and
support.
Women Students’ Fellowship is an informal educational and service program
led by women students chosen annually by the Advisor for Women Students. The
Leadership Team, under the supervision of the Advisor for Women Students, plans and
executes various extra-curricular seminars, socials, lunchtime speakers, student chapels,
programs for ministry exposure, orientation luncheons for new women students, retreats,
relationship building events, and various other activities to benefit the women students.
This student organization offers leadership training and experience for the women
students while at Dallas Seminary. The women on the Leadership Team are individually
and regularly mentored and counseled by the Advisor for Women Students. This study
reaffirms the value of this WSF Leadership Team to develop women and their gifts and

194
include them in offering an effective program to meet the needs of the female students at
DTS.
The needs and issues of women students revealed by this study will always
exist. The resources and time that the students have available to seek help with these
issues are often very limited. However, the need to address these issues and concerns
remains imperative if DTS intends to fulfill its mission to prepare both men and women
for Christian service. The study revealed that the women students desire relationships that
will help and support them as they face the personal issues and struggles that are part if
their seminary experience. The challenge remains to find and equip those Christian
women who are mature enough and have the time to engage with and invest in the lives
of the seminary students.
The greatest command to all Christians is to love the Lord and then to love
one another. It behooves Christians to respond to this mandate to love one another and to
reach out in ways that can help others. This stands particularly relevant for a seminary
which makes as its goal to train men and women for Christian ministry. In an age that is
disjointed, disillusioned, distrustful, and disconnected relationally by time and
availability, the need for intentional relationship building and the sharing of experience
and wisdom is critical. May God help us to fulfill his command to love one another and
to do it well especially with the women who are coming to seminary for training in
excellence, academically and personally, so that they might be able to go out into the
world and minister more effectively.

APPENDIX A
PILOT STUDY COVER LETTER
Dec. 10, 2007
Dear ____________,
Enclosed you will find a copy of the proposed, confidential survey that I plan to send out
in January 2008 to all the current female DTS students, as part of my DMin project. The
data from the official survey in January 2008 will be collected and evaluated in order to
try to more effectively meet the needs and address the issues of the DTS female students.
I would like to ask you to be a part of the pilot survey process and have you take the
survey confidentially and then to give me your feedback. You will not answer the survey
questions on the survey but may want to do so on a separate sheet of paper for your own
personal information. Then the survey can be kept totally confidential.
I am interested in finding out two major things from you:
1. How long does it take for you to complete the survey? Time yourself and
give me the time it took to complete the survey in one uninterrupted sitting.
2. Give me feedback (you can write on the survey) regarding the survey and the
effectiveness of the questions, indicating any questions that are not worded
clearly, or any questions that seem repetitive. Also include in your feedback
any questions that need to be asked that have not presently been included on
the survey.
The more feedback that you can give me will help me to more finely tune the survey so
that it will be the most effective and give the most accurate information from the female
students.
Since I will be sending the official survey out in January 2008, I want to ask you to keep
your participation in the pilot process and any information about the survey completely
confidential. Please do not discuss the survey or any of its questions or insights with
anyone else so that we can be sure that the validity of the survey is protected.
Thanking you in advance for your participation and help by being in the pilot survey
group. I am grateful for you. If you could set aside the time to take this survey and return
it and this letter with your feedback and insights by Dec. 17, before you leave for the
195

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Christmas holidays, I would greatly appreciate it. Please return the survey and your
feedback to me in the enclosed, self-addressed stamped envelope.
Blessings to you and I pray that you have a safe and joy-filled Christmas with friends and
loved ones.
Serving you in Christ,
Lynn Etta Manning
Advisor for Women Students
Dallas Theological Seminary
Name: ___________________________
Approximate time it took to take the survey: ____________________

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APPENDIX B
DTS WOMEN STUDENTS’ SURVEY
This survey is COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL AND ANONYMOUS and in NO WAY can it be
TRACED back to any student. As the Advisor for Women Students, it is my desire that the faculty and
staff of DTS more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the female students. Without discovering
what your personal needs and issues are, we cannot sufficiently minister to those needs. I pray for your
honest and thoughtful responses on this survey.
Please return your completed survey to the address listed on the last page by:
February 15, 2008
Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully and honestly complete this survey.
Lynn Etta Manning
Advisor for Women Students
3909 Swiss Avenue
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas, TX 75204
A. PERSONAL HISTORY AND DEMOGRAPHICS
1. Current Age: (check one)
____ 20 – 29
____ 30 – 39
____ 40 – 49
____ 50 – 59
____ 60 – 69
____ 70 or above
2. Current Marital Status: (check one)
___ Single
___ Married
3. In which degree program or certificate program are you currently enrolled?
____ Master of Theology (ThM)
____ Master of Arts (MA)
____ Certificate of Graduate Studies (CGS)
____ Other _________________________
4. Are you currently attending classes/taking courses on the Dallas Campus?
_____Yes _____No
5. What is your current student status? (FT = 12 hrs.; PT = Less than 12 hrs.)
____ Full-Time Student
____ Part-Time Student
6. Are you or have you been in a Spiritual Formation group? ____Yes ____ No
7. Are you an American citizen? ____ Yes _____No

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B. PERSONAL ISSUES WITH WHICH YOU CURRENTLY STRUGGLE
After each question or statement, please circle the number that best represents the degree with
which you struggle, or check Yes or No where indicated.
1. I struggle with depression.
1____ _ 2____ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
2. I struggle with low self-esteem.
1____ 2_____ _ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
3. I struggle with perfectionism.
1____ _ 2_____ _ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
4. I struggle with loneliness.
1____ _ 2_____ _ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
5. I struggle with an unhealthy personal body image.
1____ _ 2_____ _ 3______ 4_____ _ 5 ____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
6. I struggle with either bulimia or anorexia.
1____ _ 2_____ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
7. I drink alcoholic beverages while attending DTS.
1____ __2_____ __3_____ _4_____ _ 5____ ____6_____ _7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
8. As a married student, I struggle with balancing marriage, family, and the requirements of
DTS.
1________2_______ 3_______ _4______ 5______ _ 6_______ 7____N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
9. Being single as a student, I struggle with balancing personal life, family, and the requirements
of DTS.
1_______ 2_______ 3_______ _4_______ 5______ _ 6_______ 7____N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
10. I struggle with being faithful to my husband in my thought life
1______ 2_______ 3________ 4______ 5_____ _ 6_____ _ 7_ _ N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
11. I struggle with being faithful to my husband by my actions.
1______ 2_______ 3_________4______ 5_____ _ 6_____ _ 7____N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
12. I struggle with low self-confidence.
1____ _ 2____ 3______ 4_____ _ 5____ __ 6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always

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13. I am discontent in my singleness.
1_______ 2______ 3_______
4_______ 5______ _ 6_______ 7___N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
14. I am discontent in my marriage.
1_______ 2______ _3_______ 4_______ 5_______ 6_______ 7___N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Alway
15. I struggle with having homosexual desires.
1_______ 2_______ 3________ 4_______ 5____ __6_____ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
16. I struggle with sexual needs that I resolve with masturbation.
1_______ 2_____ _ 3____ ___ 4______ _5__ ____6______ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
17. I use, view, or read pornography. _____ Yes _____No
18. I struggle with doubts about my faith and beliefs.
1_____ __2_______ 3________ 4_______ 5_______ 6____ ___7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
19. I have difficulty handling stress.
1_____ __2_______ 3________ 4_______ 5_______6____ ___ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
20. I have difficulty handling anxiety/(fear).
1_____ __2_______ 3________ 4_______ 5_______6____ ___ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
21. I have panic attacks.
1________2_____ _ 3______ __4________5______ _6________ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
22. I struggle with feelings of insecurity.
1_______ 2______ 3________ 4______ 5______ _6______ _ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
23. I struggle with comparing myself to other women.
1_______ 2______ 3_______ 4______ 5_______ 6_____ _ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
24. I struggle with knowing how to communicate my intentions appropriately with the opposite
sex.
1_______ 2____ _ 3_____ ___4_______ 5_______ 6______ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
25. It is difficult to develop meaningful friendships with male students at DTS.
1_______ 2____ __3_____ ___ 4________5______ _6______ _7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
26. It is difficult to develop meaningful friendships with married women students.
1_______ 2____ __3_____ ___4_________5_______ 6_____ _7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always

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27. It is difficult to develop meaningful friendships with single women students.
1_______2_______ 3______ _ 4_________5_______ 6___ _____7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
28. I am currently satisfied with my support/friendship network. __Yes __No
29. I am single and sexually active. ____ Yes ____ No
30. I have been sexually abused. _____Yes ____ No
31. I have been verbally and/or emotionally abused. _____Yes ____No
32. I have been physically abused. ______ Yes ____No
C. CURRENT PERSONAL NEEDS WHILE AT DTS
After each question or statement, please check Yes or No, or circle the number that best
represents your current need(s).
1. In the past, I have had an older Christian woman to talk with regularly.__Yes __No
2. Currently I have an older Christian woman to talk with regularly. __Yes __No
3. If you answered NO to #2, would you like to have an older Christian woman to talk with on a
regular basis? ___Yes ___No
4. I have a peer who is a spiritual mentor with whom I spend time regularly. ___Yes ___No
5. I would like to have a peer who would be a spiritual mentor for me with whom I could spend
time on a regular basis. ___Yes ___ No
6. I have financial needs that are overwhelming for me.
1_______ 2____ __3_____ ___4_________5_______ 6_____ _7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
7. I have had an abortion in the past and still have painful emotions and thoughts that I need
help to work through. ______Yes _____No _____N/A
8. It is difficult for me to meet other women students.
1_______2_______ 3_________4________ 5_____ __6____
___7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
9. I have a close friend(s) to spend time with on a regular basis. __Yes __ No
10. It is difficult to meet and form friendships with the wives of the DTS male students.
1_______2_______ 3_________4________ 5_____ _ 6____ ___7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always

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11. I need more personal and relational connection with other female students at DTS.
1______ 2_______ 3_________4________ 5_____ _ 6____ ___7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
12. As a new student, I needed someone to connect with me as a friend on campus so I would
not have felt so alone, nervous, or disconnected.
1______ 2_______ 3________ 4________ 5_____ _6____ ___ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
13. I need someone to be accountable to for my attitudes and actions.
1_____ 2_______ 3_________4________ 5_____ _ 6____ ___ 7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
14. I need help with the do’s and don’ts of dating and healthy boundaries.
1______2_______ _ 3________ 4________ 5______ 6____ ___
7__ N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
15. My desire to get married consumes my thought-life.
1______2_______ _ 3________ 4________ 5______ 6____ ___
7__N/A
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
16. I have family needs/issues that are disruptive to my academic work
1_____ 2_______ _ 3_________ 4________ 5_____ _ 6____ ___7
Never Rarely Somewhat Moderately Often Usually Always
Those needs/issues are (be as general or specific as you feel comfortable):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
D. Topics for Programming, Seminars, and Speakers at DTS
In order to bring extra-curricular seminars, speakers, and opportunities to you for enrichment to
your academic education, the following questions serve to determine your interests and needs.
Please answer all subjects in which you have an interest:
On a scale from 1 – 5 please answer the following questions using this rating:
1=no need 2=some need 3=often a need 4=significant need 5=greatest need
1. Since becoming a student at DTS, my non-academic needs have been to have:
no need some often significant greatest need
1 2 3 4 5
a. a close friend ………………………………
b. an older Christian woman as a mentor…

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c. a meaningful relationship with
faculty or staff .........................................
d. extra-curricular social activities
on campus………………………………
e. training in dating and social skills………
f. seminars addressing common personal
struggles….............................................
g. an opportunity to get to know wives
of male students…………………………
2. I would like to have speakers on any of the following subjects:
a. abortion………….
b. depression…….....
c. divorce……………
d. eating disorders….
e. homosexuality……
f. marriage………….
g. grief………………
h. time management..
i. healthy body image.
(other suggestions): j. _________
no need some often significant greatest need
1 2 3 4 5
E. Concluding Comments
1. Are there any needs you have or struggles you face that were not covered on this
survey? _______Yes ______ No
2. If YES, what are those needs and/or struggles? Please list:___________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your participation in completing this survey. I appreciate your
vulnerability and honesty and assure you that this survey is totally anonymous and
confidential and cannot be traced back to any student who takes it.

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Please return this completed survey by February 15, 2008 to:
• If on the Dallas campus, put this survey in the enclosed envelope and place it in the
DTS mail slot (by the Campus Post Office) labeled:
“ DTS Women Students’ Survey”
----OR----
• If NOT attending classes ON the Dallas campus, please return the survey by U. S.
Postal mail in the enclosed, pre-stamped envelope to:
Lynn Etta Manning
Advisor for Women Students
3909 Swiss Avenue
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas, TX 75204

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APPENDIX C
SURVEY COVER LETTER
January 2008
Dear DTS Women Students:
Enclosed you will find a copy of a confidential survey that I have designed for my DMin degree
to gather information about the personal needs and issues of the 21 st Century female students. I
will collect and evaluate the data from the survey to enable me and the DTS staff and faculty to
more effectively meet the needs and address the issues of the DTS female students.
I am asking you to be a part of this important study and for you to have an open heart and mind to
answer the questions with total honesty and integrity. You are valuable to God, to DTS, and to me
as a sister in Christ and I desire to provide the best possible ministry and programming that will
most effectively equip you for a lifetime of Christian ministry.
I would appreciate it if you would set aside 10 to 20 minutes of your time to take this survey and
return it. Please return the survey to me in the enclosed, self-addressed envelope by February 15,
2008. Thank you in advance for your participation in this important study. The more responses
received, the greater opportunity I will have to provide the resources for our seminary women.
Blessings to you and serving you in Christ,
Lynn Etta Manning
Advisor for Women Students
Dallas Theological Seminary

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APPENDIX D
SURVEY EXPENSES
Based on 600 DTS women students:
Total Mailing:
400 Campus boxes
25 International
175 United States
Postage:
25 Overseas @ $0.97 ………………………………..$ 24.25
25 Overseas @ $0.97 return postage ………………... 24.25
175 @ $ 0.41 ………………………………………….. 71.75
175 @ $ 0.41 return postage ………………………….. 71.75
_________
Total $192.00
Envelopes:
6 – 100 count 9x12 @ $6.99…………………………..$ 41.94
2 – 500 count #10 White Return Envelopes @ $7.49…...14.98
8.25% tax ………………………………………………....4.08
________
Total $ 61.00
Labels:
1 box mailing labels……………………………………..$42.96
2 boxes return labels……………………………………. 51.94
_________
Total $ 94.90
Printing & Paper:
1 Cover letter on DTS letterhead @$20.00…………......$ 20.00
Printing of Survey Cover letter @ $19.48………………. 19.48
3 page survey (front and back) printing ……………….. 116.91
_________
Total $156.39
Grand Total of Expenses $ 504.29

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APPENDIX E
E-MAIL REMINDER LETTER
February 10, 2008
Dear DTS Women Students,
I want to thank those of you who have already returned your completed DTS Women
Students’ Survey. Your diligence and honest responses are greatly appreciated and I look
forward to analyzing the data and then doing what I can to act in response to provide the
ministry and resources needed to hopefully address meeting your needs and issues.
If you have not yet returned your survey, it is still not too late! Due to the delays related
to sending things through the mail, I have extended the deadline for returning your survey
from the original deadline of February 15, 2008 to March 1, 2008 to allow for a greater
response.
Thanking you in advance for going ahead and filling out your survey and returning it to
me by March 1, 2008. Your input and responses are crucial for the accuracy and
significance of this research and then ultimately to meet your needs and address your
issues while you continue your study and training at DTS.
Blessings,
Lynn Etta Manning
Advisor for Women Students
3909 Swiss Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204

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APPENDIX F
CODING FOR SURVEY DATA RESULTS
(used with EXCEL spreadsheet)
0 means no answer or N/A (not applicable)
A1.Current Age
1 – 20 – 29
2 – 30 – 39
3 – 40 – 49
4 – 50 – 59
5 – 60 – 69
6 – 70 or older
A2. Current Marital Status
1 – Single
2 – Married
A3. Degree Program or Certificate of Graduate Studies
1 – ThM
2 – MA
3 – CGS
4 – Other
A4. Currently Attending on Dallas Campus
1 – Yes
2 – No
A5. Current Student Status
1 – Full-time
2 – Part-time
A6. Spiritual Formation Participation
1 – Yes
2 – No
A7. American Citizen
1 – Yes
2 – No

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B1. Struggle with Depression
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B2. Struggle with low self-esteem
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B3. Struggle with perfectionism
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B4. Struggle with loneliness
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B5. Struggle with unhealthy personal body image
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B6. Struggle with bulimia or anorexia
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B7. Drink alcoholic beverages while at DTS
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always

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B8. Married – Struggle with balancing marriage, family, and requirements of DTS
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B9. Single – Struggle with balancing personal life, family, and requirements of DTS
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B10. Struggle with being faithful to my husband in my thought life
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B11. Struggle with being faithful to my husband by my actions
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B12. Struggle with low self-confidence
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B13. Discontent in my singleness
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always

210
B14. Discontent in my marriage
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B15. Struggle with having homosexual desires
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B16. Struggle with sexual needs that I resolve with masturbation
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B17. Use or view pornography
1 – Yes
2 – No
B18. Struggle with doubts about my faith and beliefs
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B19. Difficulty handling stress
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B20. Difficulty handling anxiety/fear
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always

211
B21. Have panic attacks
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B22. Struggle with insecurity
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B23. Struggle with comparing self to other women
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B24. Struggle with communicating intentions properly with opposite sex
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B25. Difficulty developing meaning friendships with male DTS students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B26. Difficulty developing meaningful friendships with married women students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
B27. Difficulty developing meaningful friendships with single women students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always

212
B28. Current satisfaction with support/friendship network
1 – Yes
2 – No
B29. Single and sexually active
1 – Yes
2 – No
B30. Been sexually abused
1 – Yes
2 – No
B31. Been verbally and/or emotionally abused
1 – Yes
2 – No
B32. Been physically abused
1 – Yes
2 – No
C1. Had older Christian woman in past to talk with regularly
1 – Yes
2 – No
C2. Currently have older Christian woman to talk with regularly
1 – Yes
2 – No
C3. If no to C2, would you like to have an older Christian woman to talk with
regularly?
1 – Yes
2 – No
C4. Have a peer as a spiritual mentor to spend time with regularly
1 – Yes
2 – No

213
C5. Would like to have a peer spiritual mentor on a regular basis
1 – Yes
2 – No
C6. Have overwhelming financial needs
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C7. Have had an abortion in past and still need help to work through painful thoughts
and emotions
0 – N/A
1 – Yes
2 – No
C8. Difficult to meet other women students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C9. Have a close friend(s) to spend time with regularly
1 – Yes
2 – No
C10. Difficult to meet and form friendships with wives of DTS male students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C11. Need more personal and relational connection with other DTS female students
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always

214
C12. New student – needed someone to connect with on campus
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C13. Need someone to be accountable to for attitudes and actions
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C14. Need help with do’s and don’ts of dating and healthy boundaries
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C15. Desire to marry consumes thought life
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C16. Have family needs/issues disruptive to academic work
0 – No answer 4 – Moderately
1 – Never 5 – Often
2 – Rarely 6 – Usually
3 – Somewhat 7 – Always
C16b. List those needs or issues
Written Comments reported in Chapter 4
D1. Since becoming a DTS student, non-academic needs are to have:
a. a close friend
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need

215
b. an older Christian woman as a mentor
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
c. a meaningful relationship with DTS faculty or staff
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
d. extra-curricular social activities on DTS campus
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
e. training in dating and social skills
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
f. seminars addressing common personal struggles
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
g. opportunity to get to know wives of DTS male students
1 – no need
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need

216
D2. Would like to have speakers on any of following subjects
a. abortion f. marriage
1 – no need 1 – no need
2 – some 2 – some
3 – often 3 - often
4 – significant 4 - significant
5 – greatest need 5 – greatest need
b. depression g. grief
1 – no need 1 – no need
2 – some 2 – some
3 – often 3 – often
4 – significant 4 – significant
5 – greatest need 5 – greatest need
c. divorce h. time management
1 – no need 1 – no need
2 – some 2 – some
3 – often 3 – often
4 – significant 4 – significant
5 – greatest need 5 – greatest need
d. eating disorders i. healthy body image
1 – no need 1 – no need
2 – some 2 – some
3 – often 3 – often
4 – significant 4 – significant
5 – greatest need 5 – greatest need
e. homosexuality j. (written suggestions) reported
1 – no need in Chapter 4
2 – some
3 – often
4 – significant
5 – greatest need
E1. Needs or struggles you face not on this survey
1 – Yes
2 – No
E2. If so, what are they?
Written comments transcribed

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