Hannah Ball, het in 1796 in Buckinghamshire, Engeland, ʼn skool in die drop begin. Die ontstaan van Sondagskool hou meer verband met Robert Raikes, wat die behoefte onder kinders op straat gesien het om hulle op te lei om sodoende te voorkom dat hulle misdaad pleeg. Die eerste Sondagskool in Londen is geopen by die Surrey Chapel onder leiding van Rowland Hill. In 1831, word Sondagskool deur Brittanje deur ongeveer 1,250,000 kinders per week besoek. Dit is ongeveer 25% van die land se populasie op daardie tyd. Dit het die kinders wat deur die week in die industrie gewerk het die kans gegee om geskool te word op ʼn Sondag. Dit gebeur dikwels dat jeugwerkers glo dat die hoofdoel van wat ons doen is om jongmense tot bekering te lei. Glo en vertrou net vir Jesus vir jou verlossing, dan is alles reg. Dit is maar net ʼn deel van ons opdrag wat ons in Matteus 28:16-20 kry. Ons moet die jongmense help tot geestelike volwassenheid (Ef 4:13) waar bekering net die begin van die proses is.
Mense leer almal op verskillende wyses. Hier is ʼn diagram wat jou kan help om die heelbrein van ʼn persoon te betrek: PowerPoint Storie DVD Drama Dans Sien Praat Storie Musiek Byklanke Luister Ervaar Emosionele snaar Mekaar bedien Bedien word Lof & aanbidding Humor Doen Groepsaktiwiteit Fisiese aktiwiteit Opvoering Uitreik Verbeelding Ons weet dat ons tyd baie beperk is in die aand, daarom is dit baie belangrik dat ʼn mens die les goed beplan.
Die sukses van luister lê in die poses Luister is nie iets om af te handel nie; dit gaan voort. Daarom buig ons in die siklus weer en weer terug na waar ons begin het. Begeleiers fokus dus nie so sterk op uitkomste nie, maar op die saamstap met mense tydens die saamwees. Oop vrae soos die volgende kan hiermee help: Wat leer jy nou? Wat ontdek jy oor God? Wat is bevestig in jou lewe? Kies ʼn omgewing wat leer aanmoedig Daar is 'n slagspreuk wat se: "Die gebou wen altyd." Die plek waar ons bymekaarkom, bepaal dikwels meer as enigiets anders of ons kan luister of nie. Doen moeite om plekke te kies wat luister vergemaklik. Die groep moet hulle afvra: "Is die plek waar ons nou bymekaarkom 'n goeie plek om in te praat? Sou ons op eie inisiatief hier bymekaargekom en gepraat het oor die dinge wat ons ruk en bly maak?" Daar moet ook nie ander steurnisse wees wat die jongmense se aandag aflei nie. Skep veilige ruimtes Dit is goed om te onthou dat mense net kan verander en groei as dit veilig is om die maskers te laat sak. 'n Mens kan jou skanse net laat sak as die ruimte onvoorwaardelike aanvaarding aanmoedig. Om so 'n ruimte te skep moet alle kritiek ("ek we et beter wat jy moet doen as jy self") en spot ("jy is regtig nie normaal nie") uitgeskakel word. As ons toelaat dat iemand in 'n groep "verkleineer" word, raak die omgewing onmiddellik onveilig. As die groep we et daar is reëls oor hoe ons met mekaar praat en van mekaar verskil, voel almal veilig en verbeter die deelname. As gelowiges skep ons ruimtes waar dit veilig is om te speel - "sandputte" om in te glo. 'n Sandput is veilig om in te speel, almal is gelyk en daar is duidelike heinings (waardes) wat dit veilig maak. As jy 'n veilige ruimte wil skep waar mense mekaar kan leer ken en eerlik kan connect, is daar 'n paar dinge wat jy kan do en: Onderhandel oor waardes vir die groep. Lys en groepeer mense se reaksies op die vraag: Hoe moet die groep wees sodat dit goed sal wees om deel van die groep te wees? As iemand doodgepraat (of, nog erger, in die rede geval) word, begin die rol van klankbord speel: "Ek wil net terugkom na wat... gesê het. Ek is nie seker ons het haar gehoor nie. Jy het gesê... Wil jy verder daarop uitbrei?"
Help mense luister Om mense te help luister, kan jy die volgende in gedagte hou: Mense hoor wanneer hulle dink Begelei mense om hulle eie gevolgtrekkings te maak. Hanteer mense met respek en waardeer hulle. Verwag van hulle om te dink. Self-leer is alleen wat jou regtig leer. Mense hoor vanuit hulle eie stories Help mense om hulle kennis en ervaring te deel. Skep 'n luisteroomblik deur die Bybelverhaal en die mense se stories te laat oorvleuel. Gebruik die ervarings tussen byeenkomste as 'n wegspringplek. Mense hoor wanneer hulle self probeer Betrek hulle deur aktiwiteite. Dink saam met hulle na oor waar groei reeds by hulle plaasgevind het. Oefen die luistervaardighede tydens byeenkomste. Mense hoor deur vrae Laat mense die inhoud van die Skrifgedeelte vanuit hulle waardes, ervarings en denkraamwerke bevraagteken. Akkommodeer verskillende "leerstyle". Mense hoor wanneer dit veilig is ''Always save face." Skep 'n aangename, nie-bedreigende en aanvaardende atmosfeer. Hoor begin by 'n aanvoelbare behoefte Vra mense om jou te help om prioriteite vas te stel. Laat hulle die luisterproses saam met jou beplan. Mense hoor wanneer hulle die groter prent sien Gee 'n eenvoudige, groter raamwerk vroeg in die proses. Mense hoor wanneer die aanbieder self kan luister Verwoord wat jy by hulle wil leer. Gee terugvoering oor wat jy reeds by hulle geleer het.
Laat hulle toe om jou styl en proses te bevraagteken. Hanteer hulle altyd volwasse, soos jy jou beste vriend of vriendin sou hanteer (alhoewel jy eers ʼn mentor is en dan ʼn vriend). Beplan die tyd Hoe langer 'n groep mekaar ken, hoe langer kan dit duur om na al die stories van die afgelope week te luister. Kom met die groep ooreen hoeveel tyd julle aan hierdie deel gaan afstaan. Hou dan daarby. Jy kan ook soms die reël maak dat elkeen net een keer mag asemhaal wanneer hulle iets se, om so die gesprek korter en by die kern van die gesprek te hou. Die groep kan ook 'n joernaal hou waarin van die stories wat hulle vertel, opgeteken word. Groeplede kan vir mekaar voorbidding doen en boekhou van wat die groep van die Here hoor. Neem oorgangsoomblikke ernstig op Mense is ontvankliker om te leer en te verander tydens oorgangstye in hulle lewe - geboorte, doop, eerste skooldag, verwisseling van skool, sportdae, werk kry of van werk verander, groot verjaarsdae, trou of aftree. Dit skep ook oomblikke waarin gelowiges kan uitreik, ondersteun en God se liefde kan uitdeel. Groepe kan ander mense en mekaar in sulke tye baie sinvol ondersteun. Vra God-vrae As ons ernstig is daaroor dat ons God se stem en leiding wil hoor in die stories wat ons vertel, is daar 'n paar "God-vrae" wat ons kan help om die groep te laat fokus op wat God besig is om te doen. Wie is God? Onderskeiding begin eintlik elke keer by hierdie eenvoudige vrae: "Wie is God in hierdie situasie? Wie wil God vir ons in hierdie situasie wees?" God openbaar Homself verskillend in elke konteks. Geloofsonderskeiding is om God nuut te ontdek in die situasie waarin ons nou is. Waarmee is God nou besig? Dit is 'n belangrike vraag wanneer mense dink dit gaan baie sleg. Dit help hulle om raak te sien dat God in "slegte" tye juis besig is om deur sy Gees vernuwingswerk te doen. Pat Keifert is bekend daar- voor dat hy in sulke moeilike situasies aan leiers wat vir horn sou se: "We really do not know what the hell is going on," hierdie uitdaging stel: "Let's talk about what in heaven's name God is up to."
Wat is God (herhaaldelik) besig om vir ons te sê Ons almal het al ervaar dat die Here in 'n sekere tyd van ons lewe byna weer en weer dieselfde ding vir ons se. Dit is een van die wonderlike ontdekkings wat gemeentes maak wanneer ons stil genoeg raak om na God se stem te luister. Omdat ons weet dat dit een Gees is wat ons lei, kan ons as leiers met vrymoedigheid luister na die getuienisse van die gemeente, en ons sal die ontdekking maak dat die Gees op 'n spesifieke tyd 'n spesifieke boodskap bevestig (Ef 4). Aan wie behoort jy? Hoewel hierdie vraag nie direk na God verwys nie, is dit 'n uiters belangrike vraag wat ons help om opnuut te verstaan dat ons nie aan onsself behoort nie, maar aan God; Christus is die hoof van ons lewe. Wat is God se droom vir jou? God het 'n droom dat jy as gestuurde in die wêreld 'n verskil sal maak, 'n grater en beter verskil Ons kan nie na die wil van God vra sander om hierby stil te staan nie. Ons bestaansdoel het te make met iets wat grater is as onsself, eenvoudig omdat God en sy drome vir die wêreld altyd groter is as wat ons verstaan of wie ons is.
TED Video: Sarah Jayne Blakemore (The Adolescent Brain) Adolessente Ontwikkeling Die ontwikkeling van tieners sprei oor verskeie norms. Net wanneer jy dink dat jy die ontwikkeling van tieners verstaan, vind jy ʼn tiener wat nie in die patroon pas nie. Stefanie is ʼn 14 jarige meisie wat 1.42m lank is en 39kg weeg. Haar vriendin Katrien is ook 14 jaar oud en is 1.72m lank en weeg 57kg. Haar vriend Brian het laas week begin skeer terwyl Brendon wat ook 14 is elke oggend in die spieël staar om ʼn baardhaar te soek. Stephan was op 14 jaar ʼn uitmuntende Bybel-skolier dat ons amper oorweeg het om ons dominee in die pad te steek, maar op 16 jaar het Stephan so min kerk toe gekom en sy lus vir die jeugbediening heeltemal verloor. Enige iemand wat heelwat tyd saam met tieners spandeer vra die vraag: Waarom tree hulle op soos hulle doen?, en die heel eenvoudige antwoord wat deur die kundiges gegee word is uhhh ek weet nie (dit is nou as jy doodeerlik is). Die tieners se ontwikkeling word gekenmerk deur transisie en verandering. Dit is maklik vir volwassenes om te vergeet hoe dit toe hulle in hul tienerontwikkelingsjare was. Tieners beweeg vinnig van kind tot volwassene in ʼn paar jaar se tyd. Nie net fisies nie, maar ook met hulle verstand, emosies, vriendskappe en ook hulle geloof! Hulle word geforseer om vinnig groot te word en hulle keuses het ʼn impak op die res van hulle lewens.
Fisiese Ontwikkeling Body under construction Jou liggaam se groei behou die ondertoon van die uitdaging wat dit aan jou stel. Die adolosent se liggaam groei en verander met rukke en stote. Selfs die spiere ontwikkel nie eers gelyk nie, daarom ontstaan koördinasie probleme. Casey het in die 3 maande wat hy oorsee was as uitruil student 17cm gegroei, nou loop hy lomp en sleep die gange van die skool af. Is dit dan nou ʼn geestelike of sielkundige probleem? Nee, sy liggaam is net uitgeput en het nog nie by die verskeie dele se ontwikkeling opgevang nie. Tieners is baie bewus van hulle liggaamlike ontwikkeling en word selfopgeneem in hierdie proses (daar moontlik ook die fokus op sy/haar eie wêreld en probleme). Ek en jy weet dat die vel-probleme waarmee ʼn 15 jarige sit gaan verdwyn, maar probeer jy dit nou vir ʼn tiener te verduidelik. Tieners verstaan ook nie hulle seksuele ontwikkeling so goed nie. Hulle is baie bewus van die verandering wat intree en die hare wat op plekke opspring wat hulle nooit gehad het nie. Die grote en vorm van hulle seksuele organe is vir hulle baie belangrik. Jim Burns (Amerikaanse Jeugwerker) vertel hoe ʼn meisie hom na ʼn lesing eenkant voor gekeer het en gevra het of hulle êrens privaat kan gesels. Hy wonder wat hierdie trauma in haar lewe kan wees wat maak dat haar trane ʼn dam by haar voete vorm. Sy vertel hom dat haar een bors is groter as die ander een Jim wat in ʼn huis groot geword het,wat net uit seuns saamgestel is, het nie geweet wat om vir haar te sê nie. Gelukkig was sy vrou naby en kon die meise verseker dat dit ʼn algemene probleem onder tiener meisies is en dat alles later soos sy ontwikkel sal ok wees. Tieners gee baie om dat hulle fisiese voorkoms sal opmeet teenoor die tiener-kultuur se norm. (Moontlik ʼn manier om die fokus van jou ongemaklike verandering te verskuif en jou ongemaklikheid weg te steek). So veel as wat tieners anders wil lyk as hulle ouers en uniek wil wees, soveel wil hulle graag soos hulle tiener-vriende lyk. Daarom is dit belangrik in jeugbediening dat daar nie net op die geestelike vrae gefokus word nie, maar ook hierdie moeilike omstandighede en verandering in hulle eie lewens sal aanspreek. Ons kan hulle begelei deur hul emosionele-mynveld deur hulle te help om te verstaan dat hulle liggame ʼn tempel van God is en dat hulle liggame die waarheid van Psalm 139:13-18 reflekteer! 13 U het my gevorm, my aanmekaargeweef in die skoot van my moeder. 14 Ek wil U loof, want U het my op n wonderbaarlike wyse geskep. Wat U gedoen het, vervul my met verwondering. Dit weet ek seker: 15 geen been van my was vir U verborge toe ek gevorm is waar niemand dit kon sien nie, toe ek aanmekaargeweef is diep in die moederskoot. 16 U het my al gesien toe ek nog ongebore was, al my lewensdae was in u boek opgeskrywe nog voordat ek gebore is. 17 Hoe wonderlik is u gedagtes vir my, o God, hoe magtig hulle almal! 18 As ek hulle sou wou opnoem-hulle is meer as wat daar sand is, en as ek daarmee klaar is, sou ek nog steeds met U te doen hê.
Daarom moet ons altyd dit ook in gedagte hou wanneer tieners fisiese aktiwiteite doen, of graag oor hierdie veranderinge wil gesels. Sosiale Ontwikkeling Everybody s doing it Adolessente beskik oor baie goeie sosiale vaardighede. Dit is gedurende hul tienerjare dat hierdie vaardighede veral ontwikkel en blom! Dit word maklik beskou as die mees belangrikste aspek van hulle lewens. Tieners veral het ʼn groot behoefte aan aanvaarding en ʼn wete dat mense hulle nodig het. Daarom gebeur dit soms dat jongmense in vriendekringe land wat ʼn negatiewe invloed op hulle ontwikkeling het. Hulle behoefte aan aanvaarding is so groot dat hulle selfs kompromieë sal aangaan om aanvaar te word. Hulle meet die eindresultaat (aanvaarding) teenoor die van hulle kompromie en as die eersgenoemde groter is, sal hulle kompromeer. As ek en jy ernstig is oor die jongmens, sal ons hulle kultuurwêreld en ontwikkeling in ag neem en self goed wil ken. Die tieners organiseer hulleself in groepe. Dit wissel vanaf die intellektuele potensiële professors, band members tot computers techies, vanaf skaters tot ander sosiale groepe. Hierdie groepe word gevorm rondom ʼn persoon van invloed (kleiner of groter). Hierdie mense wat die invloed in die groep is, is gewoonlik ook later in die lewe nog steeds invloedryk in sy of haar werksomstandighede. Het jy al ooit die reaksie gehoor ja, maar almal doen dit? Dit is waar dat almal gaan daar wees en dit is waar dat amper almal dit doen. Wat die tiener eintlik bedoel is: dat die tieners wat ʼn invloed in jou tiener se lewe het, daar gaan wees. Sosioloë is van mening dat die meeste invloed van die tiener se lewe vanaf twee of drie vriende kom. Ons almal weet dat die mense saam met wie jy die meeste tyd spandeer die grootste invloed in jou lewe het. Moet julle nie langer laat mislei nie: Slegte geselskap bederf goeie sedes. (1 Korintiërs 15:33). Die implikasie hiervan is dat ons nie net ʼn vriend of toeganklik moet wees vir die tiener nie, maar ook sy of haar vriendekring sal verstaan en ook weet wie is die mense van invloed in sy of haar lewe. As jeugwerkers moet ons ook probeer om die verskeie groepe te verenig, omdat ons almal een Liggaam is. Leierskap moet ook vanuit al die groepe ontwikkel word en nie net gefokus word op die room nie. Tiener moet ook begelei word om te besef dat daar lewe buite hulle sosiale-groepie is. Dit kan slegs gebeur deur alternatiewe blootstellings soos uitreike, kampe en gestruktureerde kuiers! Die invloed ryke tieners moet ingetrek word in die hartklop van die jeugbediening. Weet waar hulle uithang en waarvan hulle hou om te doen sluit daarby aan! Emosionele Ontwikkeling The Roller Coaster of Extremse Irma is ʼn 13 jarige meisie. Net na haar 13de verjaarsdag het haar ouers my kom sien en vertel dat Irma geen selfbeheer het nie, sy lewe haar lewe in uiterstes. Vir die een oomblik is sy die liefdevolle dogter wat ons almal ken, en die volgende oomblik is sy in trane vir geen rede nie? Min jong mense gaan deur hulle adolessente ontwikkeling sonder enige intense emosies. Jongmense se breine so ge-wired dat hulle alles in uiterstes wil doen. Emosies soos angstigheid, bekommernis,
minderwaardigheid, passie en vrees kom intensief voor! Ons mis partykeer hierdie emosies en moes dit eerder gekanaliseer het. In ʼn tyd van emosionele onstabiliteit het tieners rolmodelle nodig. Dit is belangrik dat ons beskikbaar is en werklik luister na hulle stories. Party mense glo dat hoe meer emosioneel die tiener is, hoe nader aan God is hy of sy, maar die gevaar hiervan is dat ons ons geestelike reis saam met God vereenvoudig tot ʼn string emosies, wat nie waar is nie. Tieners moet ook die kans gegee word om die emosionele kant van hulle verhouding met God te kan uitdruk, omdat emosies wel deel is van ons menswees. Die tieners moet wel God ook leer ken in minder vernaderlike omgewings ook! Intellektuele Ontwikkeling Exploring the Mind Een van die groot ontwikkelingsareas in die tiener se lewe is sy kognitiewe en intellektuele ontwikkeling. Die tiener is nou besig om van ʼn meer konkrete (dit wat jy kan sien en aan kan raak) denke oor te beweeg na abstrakte denke (soos liefde en filosofiese gedagtes). Die tiener sal altyd vra hoekom?. Gebruik hierdie oop deur om die tiener met jou eie vra verder te begelei op pad van geestelike vorming. Wees ook eerlik as jy nie weet hoekom? nie, en maak dan moeite om by iemand wat julle albei vertrou om meer daaroor uit te vind. Gedurende die adolessent se ontwikkeling neig hy of sy om nuuskierig te wees, avontuurlistig en oop vir nuwe idees. Hierdie nuwe ontwikkeling het belangrike implikasies vir die jeugbediening en die kerk. Belangrike vra veral in hierdie tys is: wie is ek?, waar kom ek vandaan? en waarheen is ek op pad?. Wat is waar in die lewe? Waaroor gaan lewe dan nou eintlik oor? Jeugbediening is ʼn tyd om tieners te help om hulle te bemagtig oor die tyd. Daarom is dit belangrik om nie die tieners met ʼn lepel inligting te voer nie, maar deur middel van interaksie en vra hulle te begelei om die waarhede te ontdek! Geestelike ontwikkeling Where is God and where does He fits into my life? Hier gaan ons kyk na die teorieë van James Fowler, Professor in Teologie en Menslike Ontwikkeling by die Emory Universiteit. 1. Introduction When Fowler began writing in 1981, the concept of `faith development was a relatively new concept to the study of psychology of religion, but Fowler was able to draw on a rich tradition of Christian Judaic thought and psychological developmental theory 1. He thus builds on the Judeo-Christian tradition of faith development and the psychological and educational work of Piaget, (Cognitive Structural Development theory), Erikson, (`Stages of Life theory ) and Kohlberg, (`Moral Development Theory ). Fowler s theory can be used to understand the development of all religious faiths. Hence his work is not focused on a particular religious tradition or content of belief, but on the `psychological concept of faith (Fowler, 1991:1). Fowler does not concentrate on the contents of faith. He is not suggesting that people change the content of their faith at each 1 Fowler s own background is as a theologian, ethicist and developmental psychologist.
stage, but there are differences in styles of faith. This is what Fowler calls the operations of knowing and valuing. Before Fowler introduces his understanding of the concept `faith and the content of each stage Fowler makes a number of cautions, two of these are very important to our understanding of his theory. It will be necessary to keep these cautions in mind in using his theory. 1. The descriptions of stages are `still shots in a complex and dynamic process. Hence the process of `staging a person should not be approached with a cubbyhole mentality (Fowler & Keen, 1985:39). 2. The staging of a person is not an evaluative scale by which to establish the comparative worth of persons. Fowler claims, that the stages should never be used for the nefarious comparison or the devaluing of persons (Fowler, 1987:80). As such the stages are not to be seen as stages in soteriology. There are people at each stage who are persons of serenity, courage and genuine faith. 3. 2. Faith For Fowler faith is a universal quality of human life. Fowler says Think if you will, of faith as `universal, as a feature of living, acting, and self-understanding of all human beings whether they claim to be `believers or religious or not (Fowler & Keen, 1985:17). Belief is one of the important ways of expressing and communicating faith, but belief and faith are not the same thing (Fowler, 1991:22). Faith is deeper than belief; it is more encompassing than the modern understanding of belief as mental assent to some proposition or propositions. 1. When Fowler speaks of faith development he is not simply speaking about religious understandings or beliefs, but the way we shape and form our lives in their totality. Faith includes the passional and the intellectual. 2. For Fowler, the term faith has to be viewed as a dynamic, changing, evolving process not as something relatively static. In this way he credits the term with new meaning. In the English language faith is a noun. As such it is viewed as something people either have or they do not have. For Fowler faith is better understood as a verb, a way of being. Thus faith is an active mode-of-being-in-relation to another or others in which we invest commitment, belief, love, risk and hope (Fowler & Keen, 1985:17). Integrity to the personal journey of faith will involve changing or abandoning previously held beliefs, and commitments. 3. Faith Development Fowlers concept of faith development is built on two processes which, taken together, constitute, what he calls, the dance of faith development in our lives. These two processes are conversion and development. Conversion 2 is the radical and dramatic changes that occur in our centers of value, power and master story. This conversion process is the process of transformation and intensification of faith. The second process, that of development, involves a less radical, maturing, similar to the biological process of 2 Fowler defines conversion as a significant recentering of one s previous conscious or unconscious images of value and power, and the conscious adoption of a new set of master stories in the commitment to reshape one s life in a new community of interpretation and action (Fowler:92;p16). Fowler clearly distinguishes between conversion and stage transition. Conversion is principally about the `contents of faith ; where stage transition is about the `operations of faith ( i.e the operations of knowing, valuing and committing).
maturation. Faith development occurs through the ongoing dance of faith involving these twin movements of radical conversion and gradual maturation. Both are integral movements in the dance. The goal of faith development is not to get everyone to reach the universalizing stage of faith. Fowler is quite clear that people located at each stage can experience a fulfillment of faith. He describes the goal of faith development as being for each person or group to open themselves, as radically as possible-within the structures of their present stage or transitionto synergy with spirit. 4. Transitions between stages. The final stage adults may reach varies, yet for each individual there are a number of significant changes that occur in the faith journey. These are the transition points. During these transition points a major change in the basis of our operations of faith occur. Hence the development of faith is not a gentle undemanding stroll through life, involving gradual and imperceptible maturity; but a series of progressive growth stages followed by radical upheavals in our faith operations. Again it needs to be clarified that these upheavals that may result in a person moving to another stage of faith development do not necessarily involve a change in the contents of one s faith beliefs. The transition between stages is a difficult and often painful process. It involves relinquishing a previously held way of knowing and valuing. We need to be aware that such transitional changes can be very difficult for the person involved and may seem like being at sea, with a loss of all anchor points 3. Fowler states that stage dissolution means enduring the dissolution of a total way of making sense of things. It means relinquishing a sense of coherence in one s near and ultimate environment. It frequently involves living with a deep sense of alienation for considerable periods (Fowler, 1978:37). Because it is such a demanding and difficult process to transcend from one means of faith operation to another, Fowler suggests that many people revert to a previous stage rather than face the difficulty or uncertainty of the transition. People may also spend long periods of time 4 and energy transitioning. For this reason some people are best described as being in a transition phase. 5. The Six Stages of Fowler s Faith Development Theory. Fowler uses a six-staged progression for faith development which begins around the second year of a child s life. He does however note the significant faith learning that occurs prior to this age under the heading Primal Faith. Stage 1: The Intuitive-Projective stage. At about age two children begin to develop language ability, they can move around freely and investigate and question for themselves. Their lives are a seamless world of fantasy, stories, experiences and imagery. During this stage self is the centre of experience. There are no existing inner structures for sorting and understanding the 3 Parks describes the process as being shipwrecked. 4 One theological lecturer in the area of pastoral care suggested that an average transistion between adult faith development levels takes around two years. During this time the person feels that their faith is very tenuous, under threat, or evolving.
experiences of the child. Life at this stage is a collage of dis-organized images. These images include the real events of daily life and the imaginary fantasy life of the child. The children are totally dependent on parents or other adult figures. At this stage authority is based on physical size or the power of external symbols (e.g. - uniforms). Here Children are influenced by the examples, stories and actions of others. Fowler claims the strength of the stage lies in the birth of the imagination, the ability to hold the intuitive understandings and feelings in powerful images and stories. The dangers of this stage lie in the potential for the child to be overwhelmed by images of terror and destructiveness. The transition to the next stage involves the child s growing concern to know how things are and to clarify what is real and what only seems that way (Fowler:1981; p122-134). Stage 2: Mythical-Literal. To move to this second stage children will necessarily have moved to the cognitive developmental level of `concrete operational thinking. From this the child can draw stable categories of space, time and causality. For children at this stage the world has now become linear, orderly and predictable (Fowler:1984;p55). At this stage they are better able to think logically. They can take the perspective of someone outside of themselves; this means they can develop a clear sense of fairness. Faith at this stage becomes a matter of reliance on the stories, rules and implicit values of the family s community of meaning (Fowler:1984;p55). At this stage the bounds of the child s world have widened. The primary influence of the family has been added to by the influence of teachers, school, other pupils, television, movies and reading. Because of this the variety of influences affecting the child increases. Here the child typically makes strong associations with `people like us and tends to look critically at those who are different (Fowler & Keen:1985;p50). During this stage the child begins to accept the stories, and beliefs that symbolize belonging to her community. Symbols are taken as one dimensional and literal in their meaning. Adults who become stabilized at this stage tend to express the following characteristics. A sense of cosmic reciprocity, where what you get out of life is determined by what you put in. This tends to be a simplistic notion of the good gets rewarded and the bad get punished, which allows little room for bad things to happen to essentially good people. Adults at this stage may bargain with `God saying - I will behave in such and such a way to ensure your blessing. Tend to define people according to their roles and actions, rather than being able to differentiate the role from the person performing it 5. Adults at this stage tend to engage in little personal reflection on themselves or others. People are taken at face value, and little thought is given to what may influence them to behave in the way they do. 5 A typical example of this would be taking our son, Chris, to his grandfathers bowling club in which his headmaster is a member. When Chris saw the headmaster there he couldn t conceive that a headmaster could also be a friend of his grandfathers and respond to him in a way other than in his role as a headmaster.
Adults at this stage tend to use narrative stories as their primary way of communicating their meaning to others. As yet they are unable to draw abstract conclusions about the general meaning of life. Although powerfully influenced by narrative and story people at this stage cannot stand back and view the events from the position of a neutral observer. Here they lack the ability to reflect on either their own position or the position of others from a value free position. Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional. By the term `Synthetic Fowler means that at this level the individual attempts to draw together the disparate elements of his/her life into an integrated identity. The term `Conventional indicates that the values and beliefs they hold are derived from a group of significant others and for the most part are accepted without being examined. Individuals at this stage are acutely tuned to the expectations and judgments of others, and as yet do not have a sure enough grasp of their own identity or faith in their own judgment to construct and maintain an independent perspective. Consistent with this a person at this level may hold deep convictions, yet typically they have not critically examined these. Fowler states: - At stage 3 a person has an ideology, a more or less consistent clustering of values and beliefs, but he or she has not objectified these for examination and in a sense is unaware of having them (Fowler:1981:173). This leads us to the significant danger of this stage, which is that the expectations and beliefs of others can be so deeply internalized that later autonomy of judgment and action can be jeopardized. At this stage an individual may be involved in many different roles or theaters of action. In each of these there may be different views, beliefs, ideologies and ways of operating. This is coupled with the fact each of these roles may place different expectations on the individual. Because self-identity is so integrally tied to the expectations and judgments of others at this level such expectations of others weigh heavily on them. Fowler suggests that individuals may employ one of two strategies to cope with the dissonance of expectations and judgments placed on them in their different roles. The first of these he labels Compartmentalizing. Under this strategy the individual behaves within the expectations of one group when they are with them and behaves under the expectations of another group when with them. The other strategy to cope with this dissonance is to form a personal hierarchy of authorities, whereby the expectations and authority of one group is seen as primary and others must fall below these. People at this stage are generally committed workers and servers who have a strong sense of loyalty to their church. They are not typically innovative thinkers who would not normally be interested in analytical approaches to faith. In a church situation Fowler describes people at this stage as looking for a relationship with God and with the important persons of their lives in which they feel that they are living up to the expectations these important others have of them (Folwer:1987;p87). They have a strong sense of the church as an extended family; even a romanticized extended family, where the important thing is to be there to support each other. Because of this conflict and
controversy are threatening to them. They will tend to work for harmony and would often prefer to bury conflict rather than allow it to surface and potentially destabilize the sense of community which is so important to them. As they come to church and take part in the service they are looking for, all be it unconsciously, a sense of warmth and connectedness. Jack Pressau in his book - I m Saved, You re Saved - Maybe. takes Fowler s stages and looks at them from a Stereological 6 perspective. In this analysis he speaks of the Synthetic- Conventional stage of faith as having that arrived feel to it. Religious groups that reinforce this arrived feel can be fast growing. Such churches, religious groups or ideological groups appeal to individuals operating at the Synthetic-Conventional stage. To quote Preassau they provide a walled in religious commitment, which can be reassuring to the stage 3 person The factors that contribute to the breakdown of a Synthetic-Conventional stage may include: serious clashes or contradictions between valued authority sources; marked changes by officially sanctioned leaders, or policies or practices previously deemed sacred and unbreachable, or the encounter with experiences or perspectives that lead to critical reflection on how one s beliefs and values have formed and changed, and on how relative they are to one s particular group or background ( Fowler in Stokes:1983;p188). Stage 4: Individuative-Reflective The transition from stage 3 to stage 4 is frequently a protracted affair, and one that can be quite destabilizing and disorienting for the person involved. The move to a Individuative- Reflective stage is occasioned by a variety of experiences that make it necessary for persons to objectify, examine, and make critical choices about the defining elements of their identity and faith (Fowler:1984;p62). During the transition from Synthetic-Conventional to Individuative-Reflective two key processes occur. Fowler describes these as: 1. There must be a shift in the sense of the grounding and orientation of the self. From a definition of self derived from one s relations and roles and the network of expectations that go with them, the self must now begin to be and act from a new quality of self-authorization. There must be the emergence of an executive ego - a differentiation of the self behind the personae (masks) one wears and the roles one bears, from the composite of roles and relations through which the self is expressed. 2) There must be an objectification and critical choosing of one s beliefs, values, and commitments, which come to be taken as a systemic unity. What were previously tacit and unexamined convictions and beliefs become matters of more explicit commitment and accountability (Fowler:1984;p62). 6 A soteriological perspective looks at what is necessary for salvation from a Christian perspective. Fowler states - it often comes as a challenge for persons to understand that stages of faith are not stages in salvation, at least if salvation is understood as the assurance of eternal life with God in heaven. These are not stages in soteriology; there is not an `X stage one must attain in order to be in a right relationship with God. In fact, one can be `in Christ or stand in a saving relation to God while being operationally described by any of the faith stages. Similarly, one can exhibit a relatively high stage of faith development and be marked by doubt, alienation, and anxious absorption in self-preservation (Fowler:1992;p19).
The latter this transition occurs in adult life the more difficult (painful) the transition tends to be. When it is delayed until individual thirties or forties, it can be quite disturbing to the whole network of roles and relations they have formed. Sometimes people will work through only one of the two shifts we examined above. At stage 4, as the illustration indicates, the individual begins to emerge from the previous encircling influence of significant others and significant groups. People at this stage tend to hold themselves, and others, more accountable for their own `authenticity, congruence, and consistency (Fowler & Keen:1985;p70). It is important for people at this stage that they take responsibility for their beliefs, actions and decisions. They no longer tolerate following the crowd. The making of their own decisions becomes increasingly important to them. At the Individuative-Reflective stage, relationships are built on a sense of personal autonomous identity and a respect for other s autonomous identity. At this level Fowler claims that a person s reference group(s), for purposes of identification and inclusiveness in calculating moral responsibility may be quite wide. There is at least a formal recognition of the diversity and relativity of different group interests and an implicit recognition of the obligation to take the claims and perspectives of other groups (classes, ethnic or racial groups, national communities, religious communities and the like) into account over against one s own. (Fowler & Keen:1985;p72). At the Individuative-Reflective faith stage symbols, myths and ritual are found meaningful if they can be translated into usable concepts. Here their usefulness is limited to the extent that they help the individual to make personal meaning and `sense of their beliefs, actions, position and decisions. The rituals, symbols and myths are useful because of their perceived underlying meaning. They can be accepted as illustrations of truth. The danger of this stage is, as with the other stages, an over-emphasis on its strengths. People at stage 4 typically see themselves as self sufficient, self starters, self-managing and self-repairing units. It is just this over potential of the place of self as against the need for community and relationships which can undermine the strengths of the stage. The over emphasis on the place of self can lead the individual into one of two distorted views. 1. They can fall into an sense of self-aggrandizing, in this state of over inflation they can end up allowing themselves privileges and moral leeway that later prove to be destructive of either themselves, their relationships, or their values which they have ended up taking for granted. 2. There dependence on self can lead to a deflation and excessive criticism and despair about self. (Fowler:1987;p91-92). People at this stage do not sit easily with a leadership structure that requires them to be dependent upon it. They are less impressed by a leader s special training, ordination or the like. They want a leadership structure that acknowledges and respects their personal positions and allows room for them to contribute to the decision making of the group. They are more comfortable with criticism and debate, even disagreement within the group. Conflict and disagreement that was once seen as potentially threatening is now viewed more positively, perhaps even relished. Stage 5: Conjunctive 7 Faith. 7 Fowler describes the history of the term `conjunctive in the following way. This name can be traced to Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), whose greatest work, de Docta Ignorantia, developed the idea of God as the coincidentia oppositorum - `the coincidence of opposities - the being wherein all opposites and contradictions meet and are reconciled. Carl Jung adapted this idea in many of his psychological writings on religion, altering the term to the coniunctio oppositorum - the conjunction of opposites. In some of Fowler s earlier descriptions of the stages the fifth stage was titled `Paradoxical-Consolidative.
The experience of reaching mid-life can mark the beginning of a movement to a new stage of faith development -the Conjunctive stage. Here, Fowler says the firm boundaries of the previous stage begin to become porous and permeable. The conscious ego must develop a humbling awareness of the power and influence of aspects of the unconscious on our reactions and behaviour. This transition coincides with a realization of the power and reality of death, the feelings of growing and looking older, ones own children reaching teenage or adult years, and an awareness that there are aspects of our own identity that we will not be able to change. Fowler sums up the necessary life experience to begin to transition into this stage as having learnt by having our noses rubbed in our finitude (Fowler:1987;p93). What is formed is a multi-dimensional self knowledge. Fowler suggests that many adults never reach stage 5. There are 4 hallmarks, listed by Fowler, of the conjunctive stage of faith development. 1. An awareness of the need to face and hold together several unmistakable polar tensions in one s life: the polarities of being both old and young and of being both masculine and feminine. Further it means integrating the polarity of being both constructive and destructive and the polarity of having a conscious and a shadow self. 2. Conjunctive faith brings a felt sense that truth is more multiform and complex than most of the clear, either/or categories of the Individuative stage can properly grasp. In its richness, ambiguity, and multidimensionality, truth must be approached from at least two or more angles of vision simultaneously. Conjunctive faith comes to cherish paradox and the apparent contradictions of perspectives on truth as intrinsic to that truth. People at this level will resist a forced syntheses or reductionist interpretations and are generally prepared to live with ambiguity, mystery, wonder, and apparent irrationalities (Fowler & Keen:1985;p81). 3. Conjunctive faith moves beyond the reductive strategy by which the Individuative stage interprets symbol, myth, and liturgy into conceptual meanings...conjunctive faith gives rise to a second naiveté, a postcritical receptivity and readiness for participation in the reality brought to expression in symbol and myth. 4. A genuine openness to the truths of traditions and communities other than one s own. This openness, however, is not to be equated with a relativistic agnosticism (literally a not knowing)...conjunctive faith exhibits a combination of committed belief in and through the particularities of a tradition, while insisting upon the humility that knows that the grasp on ultimate truth that any of our traditions can offer needs continual correction and challenge. This is to help overcome blind spots as well as the tendencies to idolatry (the over identification of our symbolization s of transcending truth with the reality of truth) to which all our traditions are prone. (Fowler:1984;p65-66). In describing people of conjunctive faith, Fowler has, stated that these individuals are not likely to be `true-believers, in the sense of an undialectical, single-minded, uncritical devotion to a cause or ideology...such people know that the line between the righteous and the sinners goes through the heart of each of us and our communities, rather than between us and them (Fowler:1984;p67). Again as with all the stages their inherent weakness are the shadow side of their strengths. Fowler is quick to add that because of each stage s weakness there is a need to remain open to the strengths and correction of people at other stages.
1. People can develop a deep sense of cosmic aloneness or homelessness. 2. The dark side of their awareness of God s revelation lies in a deepened appreciation of the otherness and the non-availability of God. 3. The dark side of their receptiveness to the witness and the truth of other traditions can be a subdued sense of imperative to in `evangelization. 4. The dark side of their awareness of being enmeshed in vast and complex systems can be a sense of paralysis and a retreat into a private world of spirituality...an immobility (Fowler:1987;p94-95). Stage 6: Universalizing Two key transitions occur in the move to a universalizing faith. Firstly there is the decentration from self here the self is moved from the centre or focus in the individual s life. As illustrated by the diagram above, the image of self is removed. The is coupled with a continued widening of the circle of those who count. Here the individual is able to know the world through the eyes of the other in their experiences of persons, classes, nationalities, and faiths quite different from one s own. The second move is a move in the things an individual values and the sense of valuation they receive from them. As people have moved through the stages of faith there has been a successive widening of the groups and individuals who s values become a matter of their concern as well. This process reaches a kind of completion in Universalizing faith, for there a person de-centers in the valuing process to such an extent that he/she participates in the valuing of the creator and values other beings - and being- from a standpoint more nearly identified with the love of Creator for creatures than from the standpoint of a vulnerable, defensive, anxious creature (Fowler:1984;69). Fowler acknowledges that is only the rare individual who reaches this stage of faith development. The examples that he uses of people who have attained an equilibrated stage six level include- Mother Teresa, Dietrich Bonheoffer, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus. Each of these are individuals who have given up the `self for the sake of the community. At each successive stage the circle of people who are significant to the individual increases. Here at this final stage Fowler says - it means knowing the world through the eyes and experiences of persons, classes, nationalities and faiths, quite different from one s own (Nipkow:1991;p68). Bibliography. Berryman J. (Ed) Life Maps: Conversations on the Journey of Faith - James W Fowler & Sam Keen. Word Books; 1987. Dystra C. & Parks S. Faith Development and Fowler; Religious Education Press Birmingham Alabama 1986. Fowler J. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning: Harper & Row; San Francisco; 1981. Fowler J. Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian: Adult Development and Christian Faith. Harper & Row; San Francisco 1984. Fowler J. Faith Development and Pastoral Care; Fortress press; Philadelphia 1987. Fowler J. Weaving the New Creation: Stages of Faith & the Public Church. Harper & Row; San Francisco 1991. Fowler J.; Nipkow E.; & Schweitzer (eds) Stages of Faith and Religious Development: Implications for Church, Education and Society. Crossroad; New York 1991.
Fowler J. Stages of faith: Reflections on a Decade of Dialogue: Christian Educational Journal. Vol XIII, Number 1 Autumn 1992. Parks S. The Critical years: the Adults Search for a Faith to Live by. Harper & Row; San Francisco 1986. Peck M. Further Along the Road Less Traveled: Simon & Schuster; New York 1993. Stokes K (ed). Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle: W.H. Sadlier; New York 1983. Notas Skryf jou notas hier neer...
Generasie gaping lei maklik tot misverstand. Ons leef in verskillende wêrelde waar verskillende dinge belangrik is. Hulle verstaan mekaar nie altyd nie, ons kan daarom nie aanvaar dat ons hulle reg verstaan nie. Luister eers en maak seker dat jy hulle taal verstaan. Kat spotprent. Belangrikheid van luister dit is húlle kleingroep, ons is bloot fassiliteerders! Leerproses -> Media soaked generasie (prent van kind voor rekenaar baie kennis, baie interaktief). Hulle wil nie net na nog feite luister nie. Die soort kennis wat hulle aanspreek is die soort kennis wat hulle kan beleef en kan doen. Vermy eenrigting kommunikasie. Dit vereis dat groepleier minder moet doen. Vrae eerder goeie vra en laat hulle self in gesprek na die antwoorde soek. Om hulle by te staan kan jy kreatiewe vrae gebruik om hulle in die regte rigting te help. Ons wil vrae vra wat gesprek uitlok. vermy ja/nee vrae. M.a.w. moenie jou opinie gee sodat hulle bloot kan saamstem nie. Uit die staanspoor wil jy n gesprek aan die gang sit. Vra hulle om te verduidelik hoe hulle iets verstaan of oor iets voel. Vb: Vr: Wat het jy gedink van Moses 4:13? Antw: Ek hou daarvan maar dis bietjie confusing... Vr: Wat is vir jou verwarend? Hoe verstaan JY dit? Stelling: Ek het nie van die boodskap gehou nie. Vr: Wat omtrent boodskap het jou gepla? / Hoe verskil jy daarvan?
Vermy vraagstelling wat veroordelend kan klink bv: Hoe kan jy dit nie verstaan nie? Vermy gelaaide vra vrae wat eintlik jou opinie of agenda op die tafel sit bv: Stem jy saam dat Moses 4 sê ons moet minder TV kyk? Vermy vrae wat te persoonlik is, onthou dat dit n groepsgesprek is. Bv. Wanneer is jou ouers geskei? / Hoekom kom jy so min kerk toe? (Daar sal wel geleenthede opduik waar jy meer persoonlike gesprekke met n kind kan voer) Dis nie nodig om skielik onderwerp te verander nie. As gesprekke side tracked raak, wees rustig wag vir n gepaste geleentheid om weer by relevante temas uit te kom. Maak erns met die dinge wat vir hulle belangrik of relevant is. Al weet jy dat sy verhouding net 2 weke gaan hou en dat hy as hy 20 is nie eers gaan onthou daarvan nie, as dit nou vir hom belangrik is, dan is dit op julle agenda (die kinders is jou agenda). Maak erns met ELKE groeplid. Vrae word aan elkeen gestel, al is hy/sy stil of antwoord nie entoesiasties nie. Ons werk is om almal te betrek. Indien hulle dit duidelik maak dat hulle nie soveel wil deelneem nie is dit reg so, maar moenie self afleidings maak op grond van jou waarnemings van hulle lyftaal of stemtoon of die feit dat hulle stiller is nie.
Kom ons kyk na die volgende post deur Paul wat handel oor: Teaching Youth: Dealing with Negative Behavior You don t have to be teaching youth for very long before you end up having to deal with negative behavior. Seems like youth at church would know how to act. Surely they should respect you and appreciate your investment of time. You would think so, but probably not. There is a really not a panacea that will solve every behavior problem, but let me suggest some things I have found to be effective. 1. Keep the class moving. I usually find that younger students tend to disrupt when nothing seems to be happening. Pauses while you find materials or consult your notes can open a door to disruption. Try to move from one activity to the next, one idea to the next quickly... especially if you have mostly younger students. 2. Build relationships. Students who feel like you care about them and want them to be there are a lot less likely to disrupt your study. 3. Use body language to gain control over disruptive students. Standing up can get their attention. When I have two kids picking on each other, I go sit right between them and don t miss a beat on what I m saying. 4. Avoid embarrassing students. Most students don t like to be called out and scolded in class. Once in a while you can t help singling a kid out, but try everything else first. 5. Use humor. A friend of mine used to stop and quickly say, Raise your hand if you re not listening when the group got out of control. Students would usually laugh and refocus on what he was saying. 6. Sometimes students disrupt because they don t really see the value in what you are doing. Try sharing with them why you are doing what you are doing and how valuable you think it is. 7. Older teenagers are more likely to disrupt when they feel like they are being treated like children. I think it is okay to do something silly with older youth as long as you admit you are asking them to do something childish. Say something like, I know this is stupid, but just go with me. I m trying to make a point. Occasionally, you have no choice but to address behavior sternly. A fight breaks out in class. A kid is being victimized or intimidated by other students. Students are being destructive. A student is intentionally sabotaging the lesson. Stop the class. Isolate the