So, my post on mentoring seems to have hit a nerve. So many women responded, sometimes with tears, about their desire to dive deeper into theology and be encouraged in ministry. Others talked about their decision to throw themselves into leadership or attend seminary to resolve this problem, and even offered to mentor others. Plenty of men piped in too, voicing their encouragement and talking about ways they have made mentoring work.

This gave me an idea.

Not all of us can attend seminary, and not all of us should. Time, finances, and stage of life can pose significant barriers. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to enjoy some of the benefits seminary offers, especially the connection and exchange of ideas with people who are walking that road. What books should I read on this particular topic? How did you cope with (fill in the blank)? Or just, “Help, I'm feeling like a freak of feminine nature, and I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy, or prideful, or overreaching my bounds!”

And those of us who are currently attending seminary would really benefit from the experiences of others who have been there, particularly women who had to cope with similar barriers and life balance issues. I confess to having some selfish motivations here. I need advice and encouragement on getting through these years, and since I'm doing most of my classes online, the blogosphere seems like a good place to get it.

So, I'm thinking of doing a series where people can tell their seminary stories, share wisdom they learned along the way (or just tips on slogging through Augustine), talk about the books or classes they found most transformative, and just basically share the wealth they've been entrusted with. Also, seminary attendance or female-ness is not a pre-requisite for contributing to this series. If a woman with an Mrs. degree wants to talk about her hunger to go deeper, or how it inspired her to start a reading group at her church, or a man wants to talk about his favorite books on biblical interpretation, his speed reading technique, or how he encourages his female students, awesome!

So, whatcha think? Would this be of value to you? Would you like to contribute if I go ahead with this?

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