Empirical Article Blog

An award winning, multiyear action research PhD project and resultant published article has shown how heutagogical learning, sometimes called self-determined learning, can bolster spiritual growth in Christian contexts when utilised in a carefully designed non-directive mentoring model.

By engaging nine participants for nine months in a bespoke non-directive mentoring process over 9 months, the research analysed 143 qualitative data sets comprising of over 5,500 minutes of recorded engagement and over 700,000 words of transcribed material, highlighting the depth and scale of the study.

The data was analysed via reflexive thematic analysis using NVivo software. In vivo coding preserved participants’ exact language, followed by open, evaluative, and magnitude coding to identify patterns and determine prominence. Codes were then organised into sub-themes and synthesised into the five major themes.

The bespoke non-directive mentoring model, called the MENTOR model, involved monthly mentoring sessions with each of the nine participants over a nine-month period. Figure 1 illustrates how the heutagogical process drove initiative, ownership and positive accountability in spiritual formation.

At the centre of the model sit the researcher’s open-ended questions. Rather than directing participants towards preset answers or prescribing a fixed pathway, the mentoring process invited them to think, reflect, and respond from within their own lived experience. The direction of desired growth was not externally imposed but owned from within. Each participant was free to follow their own perceived direction of the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Open-ended questioning stimulated self-reflection, self-awareness, God-awareness, critical thinking, and meta cognition. These heutagogical dynamics shifted agency to the particpants, helping them recognise what was happening in their spiritual life, why, and what needed to change. Such freedom to reflect and target areas of greatest need generated participant-owned goal setting, making growth overtly relevant, rather than merely aspirational. Figure 1 thus presents spiritual growth not as a linear, teacher-led sequence, but as a dynamic and self-determined movement from reflection to action. By the end of the research period, an astonishing 85% of all goals set were achieved.

Importantly, as the model shows, this was not an individualistic process detached from God or others. The reflective cycle fed directly into five interconnected outcomes: practical spirituality, personal growth, relationship with God, spiritual growth challenges, and Christian fellowship. Open-ended questioning acted as the catalyst stimulating holistic and personally meaningful growth. Participants grew in ownership of their growth, accountability, and intentional spiritual and personal growth, while also becoming more aware of God’s activity and more responsive to the realities of everyday discipleship. The result was spiritually grounded growth that is authentic, context-sensitive, and sustainable over time. As Vivienne commented in her photo-voice submission of a road map, “I am no longer just a passenger in my spiritual growth.”

The article contributes to the body of adult-education literature by demonstrating how heutagogy can support durable, context-sensitive spiritual growth in faith-based community settings, with transferability beyond Australia and Christian traditions. More notably, in many churches across the western world, church numbers and commitment are continuing their 50-year decline. Churches are rapidly becoming obsolete in society. Heutagogical mentoring may present a way forward for Christian disciples to turbo charge their spiritual growth and find relevancy in an increasingly complex world.

Hukkinen, E., Luetz, J.M., & Dowden, T. (2026). Heutagogy and spiritual growth: evidence from multi-year action research. Journal of Religious Education. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-026-00291-w 

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