An Ecological View of Faith Formation John Roberto, LifelongFaith Associates Research (NSYR Research) 1
Exemplary YM Research 2
Sticky Faith Research Memorrhaging Faith h p://tgcfcanada.org/hemorrhagingfaith 3
Changing Religious Patterns Changing Religious Patterns Only one in three young people, who a ended church as children, s ll do so today. By young adulthood only 1 in 10 respondents raised in Catholic and Mainline tradi ons reported a ending religious services at least weekly compared to 4 in 10 raised in Evangelical tradi ons. Of the young people who have le the church, 50% no longer iden fy with the Chris an tradi on. More young people leave the church between childhood and adolescence than between adolescence and young adult years. 4
Religious Diversity (Faith Formation 2020) Not Religiously Affiliated Spiritual but Not Religious Minimal Engagement with Faith and Community Vibrant Faith & Active Engagement Religious Diversity (Hemorrhaging Faith) Rejecters (15%) Wanderers (26%) Fence Sitters (36%) Engagers (23%) 5
Changing Religiosity Youth (teens) Abiders Adapters Assenters Avoiders Atheists 20% 20% 31% 24% 5% Emerging Adults (20s) Commi ed Selected Spiritually Religiously Religiously Irreligious Tradi onalists Adherents Open Indifferent Disconnected 15% 30% 15% 25% 5% 10% Adolescent Religiosity 1. Abiders: highest levels of religiosity and prac ce: believe in God, pray regularly, engage in personal religious prac ce, a end services, serve others, think about the meaning of life; most likely to say their religion is the only true faith 2. Adapters: high levels of personal religiosity + accep ng of other people s faiths + a end religious services more sporadically 3. Assenters: believe in God and feel somewhat close to God, but they are minimally engaged with their faith and prac ce only occasionally. Religion is tangen al to other aspects of their lives. 4. Avoiders: believe in God but have low levels of religious prac ce; God is distant, impersonal; and o en don t name a religious affilia on. 5. Atheists: don t believe in God and don t a end services. 6
Emerging Adults Religiosity 1. Commi ed Tradi onalists: strong religious faith; ar culate beliefs; ac ve prac ce; commitment to faith is a significant part of their iden es and moral reasoning, at least somewhat regularly involved in some religious group 2. Selected Adherents: believe and perform certain aspects of their religious tradi ons but neglect and ignore others; more discrimina ng about what they are willing to adopt of their religious tradi on s beliefs and prac ces 3. Spiritually Open: not very commi ed to a religious faith but are nonetheless recep ve to and at least mildly interested in some spiritual or religious ma ers. Emerging Adults Religiosity 4. Religiously Indifferent: neither care to prac ce religion nor oppose it; simply not invested in religion either way; too distracted with and invested in other things in life and unconcerned with ma ers of faith to pay any real a en on to religion. 5. Religiously Disconnected: have li le to no exposure or connec on to religious people, ideas, or organiza ons; neither interested in nor opposed to religion; faith simply has not been a part of their lives in any significant way. 6. Irreligious: hold skep cal a tudes about and make cri cal arguments against religion generally, rejec ng the idea of personal faith 7
An Ecology of Faith Formation Congrega on Intergenera onal Family Age- Focused Ministry Online Environments Congregational Culture It is the culture of the whole church that is most influen al in nurturing youth of vital Chris an faith. Family & Household Faith Congregational Life & Ministries Youth Ministry Congregational Leadership 8
Spiritual Influence Models Faith Interpersonal & Leadership Competence Support Teams & Leaders Congrega onal Leadership Congrega onal Faith & Quali es Discipleship Scripture Prayer & Worship Mission Intergenera onal Community Life Parental Faith Family Faith Prac ces Family Harmony Family Rela onships Family & Household Faith Age- Group Ministry Focus on Jesus Environment Rela onships Mul ple Approaches Well Organized Congregational Culture:44 Assets Congregational Faith & Qualities Congregational Leadership Qualities Youth Ministry Qualities Family & Household Faith Qualities 9
Congregation Congregational Faith 1. Congrega on s Biblical Emphasis 2. Congrega on Teaches Core Chris an Concepts 3. Congrega on s Moral Guidance 4. Worship Services Posi ve Characteris cs 5. Congrega on Promotes Service 6. Congrega on s Mission Effec veness 10
Congregational Qualities 1. Warm, Challenge Congrega onal Climate 2. Welcoming Atmosphere 3. Sa sfied with the Congrega on 4. Importance of this Church to Me 5. Congrega on s Moral Guidance 6. Congrega on s Social Interac on 7. Congrega on s Openness to Change 8. Members Experience Love and Support Community Community Func on Growth in Christ Helping in the midst of hardship Leading people through emo onal healing Equipping people to func on in their talents Making a difference in the community 11
Community Community Ethos Cross- genera onal support: drawn to churches where they can easily engage in cross- genera onal rela onships Authen city Inclusivity Intergenerational 12
Intergenerational Connections The congrega on s basic ministries are thoroughly intergenera onal. Young people are welcomed and expected to par cipate. Young people lead in church- wide ministries: Ø Worship Ø Educa on Ø Fellowship Ø Service and Outreach Ø Decision- making Sticky Faith Research 13
Intergenerational Connections While most U.S. churches focus on building strong youth groups, teenagers also need to build rela onships with adults of all ages. Par cipa on in all- church worship during high school was more consistently linked with developing a mature faith in both high school and college than any other par cipa on variable. Churches and families wan ng to ins ll deep faith in youth should help them build a web of rela onships with commi ed and caring adults. Intergenerational Connections While small groups, mentoring, jus ce works, and a host of other youth ministry ac vi es are important, the reality is that the challenges of kids, ministry programs, and spiritual development are far too complicated to be met with a single solu on. The closest our research has come to that defini ve silver bullet is this s cky finding: high school and college students who experience more intergenera onal worship tend to have higher faith maturity. We found this to be true in our studies of both high school seniors AND college freshmen. 14
Intergenerational Connections Intergenera onal Insight #1: Involvement in all- church worship during high school is more consistently linked with mature faith in both high school and college than any other form of church par cipa on. Intergenera onal Insight #2: The more students serve and build rela onships with younger children, the more likely it is that their faith will s ck. Intergenerational Insights Intergenera onal Insight #3: High school seniors don t feel supported by adults in their congrega ons. Intergenera onal Insight #4: By far, the number- one way that churches made the teens in our survey feel welcomed and valued was when adults in the congrega on showed interest in them. Becoming a 5:1 Church worship, teaching, mentoring, rituals, etc. 15
Intergenerational Connection Intergenera onal connec on and involvement during high school promotes mature faith in both high school and college a s cky faith. Welcoming and valuing young people s par cipa on in the life of the church Worshipping with all of the genera ons Serving and building rela onships with younger children Having significant rela onships with adults in the church and having the community show interest in them Intergenerational Connection Churches and families wan ng to ins ll deep faith in youth should help them build a web of rela onships with commi ed and caring adults. Becoming a 5:1 Church 5 Adults to 1 Young Person in Worship, Teaching, Mentoring, Rituals, and all of Community Life 16
Intergenerational Experiences 1. Intergenera onal Worship 2. Intergenera onal Learning 3. Intergenera onal Events (arts fes vals, music and concerts, drama) 4. Intergenera onal Service 5. Intergenera onal Retreats & Camps 6. Intergenera onal Mentoring (Reverse Mentoring) 7. Intergenera onal Leadership Family & Household 17
Family Faith Parental Modeling & Teaching Prayer Parental Faith Faith Scripture Reading Six Faith Practices 18
Factors that Promote Faith Growth Ø Ø The combina on of the following factors makes an enormous difference in religious outcomes during emerging adulthood: 1. the teenager s parental religion 2. importance of faith 3. lack of religious doubts 4. prayer 5. Scripture reading and 6. personal religious experiences 7. having support nonparent adults in the church These most influen al factors make differences of sizeable magnitude in substan ve outcomes. Factors that Promote Faith Growth Approximately 70% of youth who at some me or other before mid- emerging adulthood commit to live their lives for God, the vast majority appear to do so early in life, apparently before the age of 14. Most make their first commitments to God as children or during the preteen or very early teen years. Many religious trajectories followed in the course of life s development seemed to be formed early on in life. 19
Critical Role of Family... teenagers with seriously religious parents are more likely that those without such parents to have been trained in their lives to think, feel, believe, and act as serious religious believers, and that that training s cks with them even when the leave home and enter emerging adulthood Critical Role of Family Emerging adults who grew up with seriously religious parents are through socializa on more likely (1) to have internalized their parents religious worldview, (2) to possess the prac cal religious know- how needed to live more highly religious lives, and (3) to embody the iden ty orienta ons and behavioral tendencies toward con nuing to prac ce what they have been taught religiously. 20
Critical Role of Family At the heart of this social causal mechanism stands the elementary process of teaching both formal and informal, verbal and nonverbal, oral and behavioral, inten onal and unconscious, through both instruc on and role modeling. We believe that one of the main ways by which empirically observed strong parental religion produced strong emerging adult religion in offspring is through the teaching involved in socializa on. (Souls in Transi on: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults by Chris an Smith with Patricia Snell) Critical Role of Family What people have been in the past is generally the best indicator of why they are what they are in the present and what they will likely be in the future. That is a fact the needs to condi on the understanding of emerging adult religion. 21
4 Factors in Church & Faith Participation 1. Parents modeling and instruc on 2. Experience of God in a very tangible and personally meaningfully way. Faith and beliefs: they want to see it, hear it, smell it, touch it, or taste it. 3. Community looking to make connec ons and and find a place of belonging 4. Teaching and beliefs that are readily applicable and challenging; chance to ask ques ons and wrestle with what they re being taught Parents Our study confirms that emerging adults raised by parents who a end church regularly, pray regularly, and read their Bible regularly are far more like to a end church faithfully as adults than their peers with parents who do not engage in these spiritual prac ces on a regular or semi- regular basis. 22
Parents Young Adults with Parents in High Spiritual Discipline Cluster: 75% were in the Engagers group 5 mes as likely to a end religious services weekly as those with parents in Moderate or Low cluster 3 mes more likely to read their Bibles at least weekly and 5 mes more likely to read their Bibles daily, than those with parents Moderate or Low cluster 3 mes more likely to pray daily that those from other parent clusters Parents Modeling: prac ces that parents engage in primarily for the sake of their own faith and from which their children benefit by observing Instruc ng: parents explicitly pass on their faith; the most effec ve faith instruc on happens organically through a culture of gospel- centered living in the home. The gospel is applied to all areas of life throughout the day, parents are willing to answer children s faith ques ons, and children are invited to par cipate in faith prac ces alongside adults. 23
Family Faith Parental Faith Life & Practice Parental Help with Problems Family Harmony Parental Affection toward Children Family Faith Parents possess and prac ce a vital and informed faith understanding the Chris an faith, par cipa ng in worship, praying, and engaging in service and mission. Family members expressions of respect and love create an atmosphere promo ng faith. Parents engage youth and the whole family in conversa ons, prayer, Bible reading, and service that nurture faith and life. 24
Family Faith Faith of the Parents 1. My faith helps me know right from wrong 2. I have a sense of sharing in a great purpose 3. I have had feelings of being in the presence of God 4. I have a sense of being saved in Christ 5. I am spiritually moved by the beauty of God s crea on 6. God helps me decide what is right or wrong behavior 7. I have found a way of life that gives me direc on. Family Faith Faith of the Parents 8. Religious faith is important in my life. 9. My life is commi ed to Jesus Christ. 10. My life is filled with meaning and purpose. 11. I have a real sense that God is guiding me. Each of the 11 items rate 7.30 or be er on a 9.0 scale. 25
Family Faith Teens: How have your parents influenced your faith life? 1. Values are focused on serving others and God. 2. Posi ve influence on my religious faith 3. Talk with me about my rela onship with Jesus Christ 4. A ending Sunday worship 5. Talked with my parent about religious faith 6. Reading the Bible Family Faith One in four teens said their family sat down together and talked about God, the Bible, and other religious things on a weekly or daily basis. 40% of teens said they did this once or twice a month. 26
Search Institute Research Family Assets Family Assets name 21 specific, dynamic quali es that strengthen families. Family Assets iden fy posi ve dimensions of day- to- day family life that allow families and their members to flourish. Family Assets focus on the family rela onships, interac ons, opportuni es, values, skills, and self- percep ons that posi on family members to thrive. 27
Family Assets Nurturing RELATIONSHIPS Positive communication Affection Emotional openness Support for sparks Establishing ROUTINES Family meals Shared activities Meaningful traditions Dependability Maintaining EXPECTATIONS Openness about tough topics Fair rules Defined boundaries Clear expectations Contributions to family Adapting to CHALLENGES Management of daily commitments Adaptability Problem solving Democratic decision making Connecting to COMMUNITY Neighborhood cohesion Relationships with others Enriching activities Supportive resources!! Search'Institute s'family'assets'framework'! Search!Institute!has!identified!the!following!key!qualities!that!help!all!kinds!of!families!be!strong.!When!families! have!more!of!these!research*based!assets,!the!teens!and!adults!in!the!family!do!better!in!life.! NURTURING'RELATIONSHIPS' 1. Positive!communication! 2. Affection! 3. Emotional!openness! 4. Support!for!sparks! ESTABLISHING'ROUTINES' 5. Family!meals!! 6. Shared!activities! 7. Meaningful!traditions! 8. Dependability! MAINTAINING'EXPECTATIONS' ADAPTING'TO'CHALLENGES' 14. Management!of!daily!commitments!! 15. Adaptability! 16. Problem!solving! 17. Democratic!decision!making! CONNECTING'TO'COMMUNITY' 18. Neighborhood!cohesion!! 19. Relationships!with!others! 20. Enriching!activities! 21. Supportive!resources!! 9. Openness!about!tough!topics! 10. Fair!rules! 11. Defined!boundaries! 12. Clear!expectations! 13. Contributions!to!family! 28
Family Assets Families with more assets are more likely to: Have children who are ac vely engaged in school and who earn higher grades Act in socially responsible ways like spending me together serving their communi es. Teach youth to make good decisions. Foster posi ve iden ty and values. Nurture spiritual development. Build social- emo onal skills. Encourage healthy life habits. Family Faith Embedded Family Religious Prac ces Ea ng Together especially the power of Sunday meals and holidays Praying bed me rituals and prayer, grace before meals Having family conversa ons Displaying sacred objects and religious images, especially the Bible Celebra ng holidays Providing moral instruc on Engaging in family devo ons and reading the Bible 29
Family Faith Emerging adults who grew up with seriously religious parents are through socializa on more likely (1) to have internalized their parents religious worldview, (2) to possess the prac cal religious know- how needed to live more highly religious lives, and (3) to embody the iden ty orienta ons and behavioral tendencies toward con nuing to prac ce what they have been taught religiously. (Chris an Smith & Patricia Snell) Family Faith At the heart of this social causal mechanism stands the elementary process of teaching both formal and informal, verbal and nonverbal, oral and behavioral, inten onal and unconscious, through both instruc on and role modeling. We believe that one of the main ways by which empirically observed strong parental religion produced strong emerging adult religion in offspring is through the teaching involved in socializa on. (Souls in Transi on: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults by Chris an Smith with Patricia Snell) 30
The Parents Ten Competencies (Robert Epstein) Here are 10 competencies that predict good paren ng outcomes, listed roughly in order from most to least important. The skills all derived from published studies were ranked based on how well they predict a strong parent- child bond and children s happiness, health and success. 1. Love and affec on. You support and accept the child, are physically affec onate, and spend quality one- on- one me together. 2. Stress management. You take steps to reduce stress for yourself and your child, prac ce relaxa on techniques and promote posi ve interpreta ons of events. 3. Rela onship skills. You maintain a healthy rela onship with your spouse, significant other or co- parent and model effec ve rela onship skills with other people. 4. Autonomy and independence. You treat your child with respect and encourage him or her to become self- sufficient and self- reliant. 31
The Parents Ten Competencies (Robert Epstein) 5. Educa on and learning. You promote and model learning and provide educa onal opportuni es for your child. 6. Life skills. You provide for your child, have a steady income and plan for the future. 7. Behavior management. You make extensive use of posi ve reinforcement and punish only when other methods of managing behavior have failed. 8. Health. You model a healthy lifestyle and good habits, such as regular exercise and proper nutri on, for your child. 9. Religion. You support spiritual or religious development and par cipate in spiritual or religious ac vi es. 10. Safety. You take precau ons to protect your child and maintain awareness of the child s ac vi es and friends. Youth Ministry 32
Youth Ministry Qualities What impact did involvement in youth ministry have on young people? 1. Deepen my rela onship with Jesus 2. Understand my Chris an faith be er 3. Apply my faith to daily life 4. Make serious life choices (future, rela onships, values) 5. Share my faith These congrega ons are serious about making disciples of Jesus Christ. Peer Ministry & Youth Leadership Retreats Service & Mission Trips Family & Intergenera- tional Activities Common YM Practices Bible Study & Religious Education Special Events Prayer Youth- Oriented Worship Spiritual Support Groups 33
Youth Ministry Qualities Congrega ons have developed age- level ministries. Marked by trusted rela onships Custom- designed ministry prac ces and ac vi es Caring atmosphere of high expecta on Mul ple nurturing rela onships and ac vi es inten onally planned to create: n atmosphere of respect n growth n belonging Generates an alterna ve youth subculture Sticky Faith Churches and families overes mate youth group graduates readiness for the struggles ahead with dire consequences for the faith. Only one in seven high school seniors report feeling prepared to face the challenges of college life with few ready for the intensity of the college experience: loneliness, the search for new friends, being completely on their own for the first me, and the sudden availability of partying. One pervasive struggle for college students is finding a new church, as evident by the 40 percent of freshman who report difficulty doing so. Young people retrospec vely report that the first two weeks of their college freshman year set the trajectory for their remaining years in school. 34
Sticky Faith While teaching young people the dos & don ts of Chris an living is important, an overemphasis on behaviors can sabotage faith long- term. When asked what it means to be Chris an, one- third of subjects as college juniors (all of whom were youth group graduates) failed to men on Jesus or Christ but rather emphasized behaviors. Students tend to view the gospel as a do and don t list of behaviors instead of a faith that also transforms interior lives and beliefs. One of the dangers of reducing Chris anity to this sort of external behavior is that when students fail to live up to the ac vi es they think define Chris anity, their feelings of guilt can make them quickly abandon their faith altogether. Leaders 35
Congregational Leadership Pastors ma er immensely in effec ve youth ministry and in very specific ways. 1. Support for Chris an educa on and youth ministry (and involvement) 2. Leadership effec veness 3. Communica on skills 4. Interpersonal characteris cs 5. Support for youth staff Congregational Leadership 6. Creates a healthy culture 7. Spiritual Influence (devout faith, exemplary life) 8. Personal characteris cs 9. Good counselor 10. Mission is to make disciples 11. Preaches to make disciples 36
Congregational Leadership Leadership of the Youth Minister Posi ve Characteris cs & Competence (devout faith and exemplary life, good counselor, effec ve model for others, helps youth on their spiritual journey) Leadership & Effec veness (trusted and respected, recruits and trains leaders, supports leaders, good organizer, works with parents) Congregational Leadership Adult Leaders in Youth Ministry People of Faith o God consciousness o Moral responsibility o Centrality of faith o Theological competence o Social responsibility Rela onal Characteris cs o Posi ve rela onship with youth o Posi ve rela onship with parents 37
Online Environment Families with Children Network Ge ng Started in Faith Experiences Bringing Sunday Worship Home Whole Family Programs Mentors for Parents Intergenera- onal Experiences Paren ng Educa on & Support Groups Children s Programs & Events Parent Faith Forma on Milestones Faith Prac ces: Bible, Prayer, Rituals. Service 38
Children & Families Network Daily Devotion Reading the Bible Serving Others Resources Resources Resources Faith Practices @ Home Caring Conversations Church Year Seasonal Resources Resources Learning about Faith Resources Rituals Resources Online Faith Formation Centers 39
Parent & Family Resource Center 40
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Youth Faith Formation Network Parent Faith Forma on Parent Educa on & Support Groups Youth Group Confirma on Program Adolescent Life Issues Intergener- a onal Connec ons Youth Network Parent- Teen Ac vi es & Resources Youth Leadership Bible Study & Religious Learning Milestones Service Projects Mission Trips Prayer & Spiritual Forma on From Research to Practice 42
Research to Practice 1. Focus on the first third of life & start early! 2. Take an ecological view. 3. Pay a en on to the culture of the whole congrega on 4. Recognize the power of the congrega on s theological commitments. 5. Make discipleship the heart of congrega onal life & ministries. Research to Practice 6. Nurture the power of faith- filled, mul - genera onal Chris an rela onships; create inten onal intergenera onal connec ons, rela onships, and faith experiences between all ages and genera ons. 7. Equip parents for family socializa on & faith prac ce at home. 8. Deepen the faith and spiritual life of parents. 43
Research to Practice 9. Apply common youth ministry prac ces and approaches contextually. 10. Pay a en on to transi ons. Stay connected with young people into the college years/emerging adulthood. 44