Within the United Methodist Church (UMC), female clergy navigate institutional structures and gendered leadership dynamics that shape their ministerial experiences, yet little is known about how clergywomen experience mentorship in this context. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how ordained and licensed female clergy in the UMC experience and make meaning of mentorship. Participants included eleven ordained and licensed clergywomen with at least two years of ministerial experience. Thematic analysis surfaced four themes: relational mentorship; formal structures and uneven access; gendered leadership dynamics; and vocational formation. The findings from this study suggest that participants experienced mentorship as most meaningful when it was relational, sustained, and personally engaged. Formal denominational mentoring structures were inconsistently implemented and frequently disrupted by the itinerant appointment system, and gendered dynamics shaped participants' access to mentorship and willingness to be vulnerable. From the findings, it is apparent that mentoring support must be responsive to the itinerant system and gendered dynamics; therefore, my proposed solution is a two-component framework: an Itineracy-Resilient Mentoring Redesign to strengthen existing formal structures, and a Clergywomen's Peer Mentoring Cohort to create a sustained peer-driven space alongside formal systems.Keywords: mentorship, clergywomen, hermeneutic phenomenology, United Methodist Church
- MENTORSHIP EXPERIENCES OF FEMALE CLERGY IN THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
- Jill Loree Harman
- Leah Georges (Advisor)April Buschelman (Committee Member)
- Creighton University; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Doctor of Education (EDD), Creighton University
- 131
- 991006287340702656
- Interdisciplinary Leadership
- English
- Dissertation