After decades in pastoral ministry, Dr Esa Hukkinen began to question whether traditional approaches to discipleship gave people enough room to take responsibility for their own spiritual growth.
Training as a life coach prompted a new idea:
what if mentoring could help people explore their faith without giving them advice, teaching them what to do, or setting the agenda?
That question became the focus of his PhD research at AC, titled “Heutagogy in Christian Discipleship: A Qualitative Action Research Exploration of Spiritual Growth.” Heutagogy is an approach to learning in which people decide what they need to learn, how to learn it and how to put it into practice. Dr Hukkinen applied this approach to Christian mentoring, allowing participants to identify the questions and challenges they wanted to address in their own spiritual growth.
The study involved nine participants over nine months. Each met individually with the researcher once a month, with additional progress interviews along the way. Participants’ pastors were also interviewed before and after the program. Their own accounts of change, rather than an externally imposed measure, formed the basis for understanding their spiritual growth.
What struck Dr Hukkinen was how readily participants chose to confront difficult issues. “At no point did I have to raise or suggest issues to discuss,” he said.
“Each of the nine participants felt compelled and motivated to dig deep, listen to the Spirit and move towards inner and outer change.”
One participant, who had been a Christian for about a year, reported being largely free of addictions after several sessions and better able to resist temptation.
Another had withdrawn from church and spiritual life after suffering health problems and painful experiences in ministry. During the program, he felt “the old fire” returning. He joined his church’s preaching roster and began planning ways to serve homeless people in his community.
These accounts suggest that giving people greater responsibility for their spiritual growth can help them address personal struggles and renew their commitment to Christian discipleship.
The approach is now being used beyond the original study. Dr Hukkinen has trained potential mentors in several congregations, has worked with the principal and staff in a Christian school, and has helped a Christian financial firm to improve collaboration and workplace practices. He has also used the model in couples counselling, with partners setting their own goals for the relationship. One couple who had separated now describe their relationship as the strongest it has been in their ten years of marriage.
Dr Hukkinen’s next step is to develop a full program for Christian school leaders and teachers to connect faith development with professional practice.
From local congregations to schools and workplaces, Dr Hukkinen’s research is opening up new possibilities for mentoring. The project reflects AC’s commitment to theologically informed research with practical social benefits: helping people to grow in faith, strengthen their relationships, and make a difference in their communities.
Dr Esa Hukkinen is the pastor of an ACC church in Brisbane’s inner north. You can learn more about his research in these publications:
Hukkinen, E., Luetz, J.M., & Dowden, T. (2026). Heutagogy and spiritual growth: evidence from multi-year action research. Journal of Religious Education, 74 149–170. | External link
Hukkinen, E., Luetz, J.M. & Dowden, T. (2024). Heutagogy as a Framework for Christian Discipleship: The Triadic Role of Biblical Wisdom Literature, the Teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Work of the Holy Spirit. Journal of Religious Education, 1-20. | External link
If you would like to contact him, please reach out via his staff profile.
