Perception of Mentoring at North Lake Community Church

Abstract

This research project was a qualitative study which used a case study approach to consider the research question. North Lake Community Church in Seattle, Washington, was the subject of the study, and the people within the North Lake Community Church community were the participants. This study unearthed the perceptions of mentoring which exist within the North Lake Community Church community and why those specific perceptions exist. The primary research question was two-fold: “What are the perceptions of mentoring amongst people at North Lake Community Church and why do those perceptions exist?" This question was addressed using four secondary questions: (1) What is your definition of mentoring? (2) How did you arrive at that specific definition? (3) Have you ever been in the type of mentoring relationship you just described? YES or NO (4) If you answered "YES" to question #3, please describe what that relationship was like for you. A proposed strategy was outlined to research and analyze people's various definitions of mentoring and how their individual perceptions of mentoring have been formed. Specifically, data was collected using questionnaires and interviews comprised of the four secondary research questions. Forty total questionnaires were collected; twenty from males and twenty from females, and five people participated in face-to-face interviews. The data collected from the participants in the study revealed a variety of perceptions in regards to mentoring and emphasized the role of personal experience in shaping individual definitions of mentoring.