Why Older Christian Women Need to Mentor Younger Christian Women

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been tackling the topic of mentoring as a strategy for discipleship. My goal in this post, after speaking with some of my sisters in Christ, is to challenge older women in the church to mentor younger women. I urge my brothers to keep reading, learn as well, and share these thoughts with older sisters in Christ.   

1. The Bible requires cross-generational discipleship. Titus 2:3-5 expects that young women will learn from older women who have lived out their faith in the Lord. There is simply something powerful about spending time with others who have already walked in our shoes and have successfully fought the battle of faith. If our churches ignore this calling, the next generations of our sisters in Christ will suffer.  

2. God never expected us to travel our journey alone. When He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen 2:18), His point was not that everyone is to be married; it was that He created us—all of us, male and female—in such a way that we need others in our lives. It is through relationships that we give and experience God’s love and hold each other accountable for godly living. Younger women especially need older women to walk with them.  

3. Many younger women have had few or no healthy female role models in their life. Mothers have a unique bond with their children, but not every mother is a model of godliness. Our churches are filled with godly women who can make a difference in these situations, but few older women have taken this responsibility as seriously as they should have. They are examples, but they’re examples from a distance.  

4. Younger women are longing for mentors in the faith. I’ve written elsewhere about the plea of young men to have mentors, but men have no monopoly on this desire. I can assure you from almost 30 years of seminary teaching that some young women are still waiting to become close friends with a godly female. Those who have such a mentor and friend tend to live more victoriously in Christ, and our young sisters want to live that way.  

5. Single or married, young women influence others in a culture ever turning from God’s standards. Young women are called to live their faith in a world increasingly opposed to Christianity. Some are committed singles. Others are spouses and mothers. All face unique burdens as the costs for maintaining biblical truth are likely to increase, both for the current generation of young women and the generations they will raise after them. No sister in Christ should be expected to walk that path without an older role model.    

6. They are future leaders of some church ministries. Churches and denominations differ in what roles women can play in a congregation, but younger women will lead some types of church ministries in the future. Any type of leadership role in a church carries with it burdens and responsibilities that can be heavy at times because we invest in people God loves. What young women see modeled now in older women serving in their church will help them in the days to come. 

7. Even young women face temptations such as pornography. I have learned from others that as morals change and sin becomes more acceptable, even young women face issues we once assumed were limited to men. Via the internet, sin now chases down male and female alike behind the privacy of phones and computer screens. Guys have dealt with these issues for so long that we have vast resources and ready accountability to help us, but many young women have few places to turn for support and guidance.  

8. Woman-to-woman discipling can prepare younger women for the mission field. Frankly, my experience as a professor has shown that young women are often more willing to go to the nations than young men are. They are willing to go as single adults, and they’re often seeking to return as wives and mothers raising their kids on the mission field. In some places of the world, too, only women have access to minister to other women. Being a disciple of an older woman now—especially if that older sister has missions experience—will help younger women prepare for this role.  

9. Even a few minutes of godly attention can change a younger woman’s life.  Investing in a younger woman does not require a seminary degree or a ministry calling. All it requires is an older woman who walks with God and who’s willing to commit time and energy to the next generation. My wife, for example, often invests in young women simply by inviting them to lunch and hanging out with them. Just a lunch with a respected Christian sister can make a difference for a young Christian woman.  

10. Younger women will someday become older women who themselves will need to be mentors. That means, of course, they’ll be the next generation to carry on the work of investing in others. Here’s my concern, though: believers of my generation are often cautious about mentoring because we’ve never had a mentor ourselves, and we’re not sure how to tackle the task. If we don’t push beyond our fears and reach out to younger believers, though, we’ll fail to prepare mentors for the generations beyond all of us.  

11. Older women will grow, too, as mentors. Most of us are more concerned about our own growth when we know others are watching us. That gentle push from a mentee can have great influence on an older Christian woman who wants to be more Christlike—for her sake and for the benefit of others.   

    
    

Sisters, I challenge you to prayerfully seek someone to mentor. Reach out to a younger Christian woman—and don’t wait for someone to come to you. Make a difference in somebody’s life!