This page focuses on the commitment levels that youth pass through, suggests ways in which to identify these levels; and explores ways in which commitment can be increased.
1. Classifying Commitment Levels
Discipleship is closely related to the process of people growing in their levels of spiritual commitment. Ministries that are aimed at increasing the commitment of people could be considered as ministries of discipleship. Youth leaders should determine the spiritual maturity of the people they intend discipling. It is helpful to consider various biblical and contemporary classifications of commitment levels.
A. Biblical Classifications
Jesus recognised different commitment levels. He once recognised that someone was ‘not far’ from the kingdom (Mark 12:34). The invitations Jesus gave show that he called for various levels of commitment from people: (1) Come and See (John 1:39) - this was his first call to John and Andrew. He simply asked them to come and check Him out. He was creating an interest within them at this level. (2) Come and Drink (John 7:37) - this call was to people to come to Jesus and accept him as saviour (see also John 5:40). (3) Come and Follow (Matthew 4:19) - this was a call to specific individuals to become disciples, or followers of Jesus. (4) Come and Rest (Matthew 11:28) - this was an open call to the crowds for people to come and receive rest and healing from Jesus. (5) Come and Deny (Matthew 16:24) - here Jesus called people into a deeper level of commitment where they would identify themselves fully with Him and his cause. (6) Come and Rest (Mark 6:31) - this was an intimate call to his disciples to come and spend time with him in private away from the crowds. (7) Come and Act (Matthew 14:29) - Peter was called to exercise his faith in Christ by walking on the water. It was only to him that Jesus gave this call.
B. Contemporary Classifications
A number of writers have developed ways of identifying levels of spiritual commitment:
One writer suggests that there are three levels of commitment: (1) Casual (ready to visit the group); (2) Curious (ready to grow) and (3) Committed (ready to serve).
Leroy Eims, in The Lost Art of Disciple Making, identifies a four-stage process through which people should progress from conversion through to leadership: (1) Convert - a convert is produced through evangelising (Mark 16:15); (2) Disciple - the convert is followed-up though establishing (Colossians 2:6-7); (3) Worker - the disciple is able to evangelise and establish others through equipping (Ephesians 4:11-12); and (4) Leader - the worker is able to reproduce the process through in-depth personal training (Mark 3:14). There are examples of all four stages in the ministry of Jesus: (a) he called people to repentance (Mark 1:14-15), (b) the converts were called to be disciples (Luke 9:23), (c) the seventy were sent out as workers (Luke 10:1-2), and (d) the apostles were sent to preach and heal (Luke 9:1-2).
Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Church, identifies five commitment levels: (1) Community (uncommitted), (2) Crowd (committed to attend), (3) Congregation (committed to membership), (4) Committed (committed to maturity) and (5) Core (committed to ministry).
Dann Spader, in The Complete Book of Youth Ministry, suggests that in any given community five or six different types of students can be found at various levels of commitment and personal development: (1) The Secular Student is the student outside the church setting who has not established a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In churches, the non-interested student is common. They do not want to be there but are forced to come by their parents. Their interests are not in spiritual matters. (2) The Fun Seeker comes to have fun. Though not interested in spiritual matters, they do enjoy a good time and their friends in the youth group. (3) The Curious Student is beginning to ask serious questions, perhaps because of a crisis in their life or through a friend’s becoming a Christian. They are curious about God and some aspects of Christianity. (4) The Convinced Student has Christ in their life and is growing in their relationship with God. (5) The Committed Student is cause-orientated. They wants more. They do not just want to be ministered to; but they want to minister to others. This student wants to share in the work of the ministry.
Someone has written that all Christians go through five stages at some point in their spiritual development: (1) Converted (Luke 13:3); (2) Churched (Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:41,42) - baptism and involvement; (3) Craving the Word (Matthew 5:6) - regular reading and involvement in Bible Study; (4) Compassion for the Lost (Matthew 9:36-38) - a desire to see their friends and family saved, and sharing with them or bringing them to a place where they can hear the gospel; and (5) Consecrated to God (Romans 12:1,2) - dedicating themselves to seeking God’s will in their lives.
Duffy Robbins, in Youth Ministry That Works, speaks of the following commitment levels: (1) Pool of Humanity - youth in the group’s geographic sphere of influence; (2) Come Level - youth who come just for fun events; (3) Grow Level - youth who are willing to submit themselves to spiritual input; (4) Disciple Level - youth who take initiative for their own spiritual growth; (5) Develop Level - youth who take initiative for the spiritual growth of others; and (6) Multiply Level - youth who reproduce the process in the lives of others.
The Windsor youth group, has identified the following levels of ministry aimed at different commitment levels: (1) Contact - reaching unchurched youth on their turf by making contact and establishing a relationship with them; (2) Connect - inviting these youth to a weekly program designed to introduce them to the group, discover truth about Jesus Christ and hear the gospel in a non-threatening environment; (3) Follow-up - the new convert is established in the faith; (4) Growth - a small group ministry designed to help them grow spiritually; (5) Impact - here growing youth reach out and impact their community for Christ; and (6) Leader - those ready to be involved in leadership are trained.
2. Identifying Commitment Levels
A. Hindrances to Identifying Commitment Levels
Identifying youth commitment levels can be a difficult task to accomplish for a number of reasons which are highlighted in the following comments:
Duffy Robbins responded to the following question via email: In our youth ministry class today we were wrestling with the difference between the three commitment levels in your ministry model, namely - the Disciple, Develop and Multiply Levels. Duffy responded: “There is overlap between the various levels of the funnel. When does a teenager actually move from Disciple to Develop Level? Is it when they begin thinking about making such a commitment, longing to make such a commitment, or are given the opportunity to flesh out that kind of commitment by being given tangible responsibility for other people’s spiritual growth? Second, genuine growth is not usually static. In other words, most youth will not steadily move from one level to the next. The typical teenager will be moving back and forth from Grow to Disciple to Grow to Disciple until eventually they tend to be spending more time in Disciple than they spend in Grow, and then eventually one day, they surprise everybody by making one move in the direction of Develop, and then the dance of inconsistency and growth starts over again. Israel did not claim her promise with one steady movement into Canaan. It was typically two steps forward and one step back. That’s pretty typical of the way we (and teenagers especially) respond to God.”
The following email was posted on the Youth Specialties Youth Ministry Forum during 1996: “It takes time (and patience) to ‘really’ get to know people, especially kids, and especially where kids are at spiritually. And probing about those kinds of issues from someone that they don’t feel like they know or completely trust will tend to make them close up. I’d suggest you take it slow. Be open and candid about your spiritual life (activities, hopes, struggles) - don’t talk incessantly about it, but speak very matter-of-factly about it when it seems natural to do so. For a lot of kids raised in the church (I was one), active thinking about one’s spiritual life isn’t something that happens frequently, let alone talking about it in a group setting. Your regular, casual discussion of spiritual things will help slowly enable a mindset that it’s maybe not all that weird to talk about spiritual stuff with others. Also, be very careful about your reactions (verbal and non-verbal) to things that they say. When talking about what they think and believe, some kids will say stuff that’s way out there. If you react in shock or horror (or laughter) that will pretty much guarantee they won’t be sharing that kind of stuff with you any more. You don’t have to agree with something that’s off-base, but you can affirm them for being willing to share.” The writer went on to speak about having youth complete a Spiritual Checkup in order to identify where they are spiritually.
John Allan, in The Church and Youth Ministry, edited by Pete Ward, Page 16, says: “Another vital point is that evangelism needs to merge into effective discipling. Sometimes it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins; teenagers are so volatile, so unpredictable, that we often cannot tell (and often they cannot tell) whether or not the grace of God has actually taken hold of their lives or not.”
These extracts suggest that the following factors hinder the identification of commitment levels:
(1) The Overlap of Levels
The range of commitment levels should be viewed as a sliding scale rather than clearly defined stages that youth move through.
(2) The Nature of Growth
Spiritual growth is not static - youth may have growth spurts or sudden regressions in their commitment levels.
(3) The Hesitance of Youth
Youth are reluctant to open up regarding their spiritual lives unless they really know and trust the leaders of the youth group.
(4) The Response of Leaders
The way in which leaders respond to youth who do open up and speak about their spiritual lives will foster or hinder further self-revealing that helps leaders to identify their commitment levels.
(5) The Nature of Adolescence
Youth are in a phase of life evidenced by many changes and a period in which they question everything that they believe. This does not make for smooth spiritual development.
(6) The Avoidance of Evaluation
Some leaders think that to test spiritual growth is unspiritual. So they throw massive amounts of energy, creativity, commitment, and prayer at youth and hope for the best. Leaders should follow the example of Jesus who did avoid putting his followers to the test!
B. Ways to Identify Commitment Levels
Despite the hindering factors the following methods will help leaders to identify commitment levels:
(1) Understand Commitment Levels
If leaders take time to understand how the commitment levels they are working with are differentiated, they will find it a lot easier to identify the levels on which youth find themselves. They should write a description of what youth are like at each level of commitment, listing attitudes, behaviours and skills that are evidenced.
(2) Develop Commitment Level Indicators
For each commitment level youth leader should determine a positive or negative factors that indicate whether a person has reached or passed that level. For example, a humanity level youth never attends a youth group event and they are probably unchurched; a grow level youth is not concerned about helping others in the group grow spiritually and they attend events with spiritual components only if there is something fun happening as well. Common indicators here could include: the events that youth do or don’t attend; ways in which youth speak or behave; the presence or absence of fruit of the spirit in their lives; etc. Leaders should use a number of factors together, and not just one isolated factor, in order to get an accurate picture of where youth are at spiritually.
(3) Develop Personal Relationships with Youth
Where leaders are unsure about the commitment level that youth are at, they should seek to develop a relational environment in which they can discuss spirituality with the individual, and then probe to discover what experience of God they have had and how that experience has impacted their lives. As leaders spend time with youth, away from formal meetings, they begin to discover more about youth - including more about where they are spiritually. Dave Carver in How to Nurture Faith in Kids Across the Faith Spectrum, Group Magazine, January 1994, said that the best way to determine where youth are at spiritually is to watch them in action. He suggested that leaders could: visit youth at their home and watch how they relate to their family; ask their advice about hard situations in your life - the advice they give will reveal their priorities; go to their concerts, and ball games and watch how they handle themselves outside of church; ask them to teach you about something they know (engine repair, biology, grunge fashions) to learn why it’s important to them; ask lots of questions that begin with “why” rather than “did you” or “could you” to help them explore their values; watch the news with them and see what affects them; invite them to sit next to you in church.
(4) Use Spiritual Growth Tests
Duffy Robbins in, The Ministry of Nurture, Page 134, presents a Spiritual Life Check-Up, which could be used to help youth identify their spiritual state. Such a test can be reflected on with a leader. Later in the same book, Page 213f, he presents a chart for monitoring the spiritual growth of youth. A simple test involves asking youth to respond in writing to the following three questions: What does it mean to be a Christian? How does a person become a Christian? Where are you in this process?
(5) Develop Spiritual Growth Plans
Leaders could meet individually with youth to decide what areas they’d like to grow in during the coming year. They then set measurable goals and agree when to evaluate progress through the year. The key to success here is that the goals are generated and owned by the youth. The leaders’ role is to help youth brainstorm, to pray about the goals youth set, to promise to keep in touch, and agree to check with them to see how they’re doing. Leaders must provide accountability and encouragement, not provoke guilt.
(6) Develop Faith Portfolios
Leaders can help youth develop a portfolio of their spiritual journey. Youth should write a description of their faith journey. Leaders should plan periodic times during group meetings for youth to complete the following sentences: my journey with God began; my current relationship with God is; I’ve changed in my relationship with Christ; the youth group has helped me; I’m struggling with the youth group because; on this retreat or camp, I learned; one aspect of my spiritual journey that I’m beginning to wonder about is; as a result of our Bible study, I now better understand; I’m proud of the way I’m growing in my Christian walk because; at the end of our study, I promise to; an area of faith that I still have questions about is. Further ideas for the portfolios: plan an annual event when youth review their portfolios and reflect on their journeys; during the year, ask youth to respond to questions, case studies, and issues, and put their responses in their portfolios; plan monthly journalling exercises that can be included in their portfolios; ask volunteer leaders, parents, and other group members to place messages of encouragement in the portfolios.
(7) Involve Youth in Service Projects
Youth should be involved in projects that help them live out the teaching they’ve received. As youth minister to others or are carried along as passengers in the project, leaders will get an idea of their level of spiritual commitment.
(8) Use Creative Learning Experiences
Leaders should give youth a chance to act on what they’ve learned through simulations, case studies, and role-plays. Youth who apply Scriptural principles in these activities should be affirmed. When youth struggle to apply what they’ve learned, leaders have a teachable moment.
(9) Allow Ministries to Sort Youth Out
Apart from these strategies to identify which commitment level youth are at, leaders will find that youth will choose events to attend based on their levels of commitment. This requires the group to be running clearly defined ministries at each commitment level.
3. Increasing Commitment Levels
A. The Possibility of Developing Commitment
Leaders must be convinced that spiritual growth is indeed possible. Working with children and teenagers may leave leaders with the impression that they are engaged in holding ministries - trying to keep these youth in the church long enough, until they are old enough to start growing spiritually. Hopefully those who work among youth soon discover that spiritual growth is indeed a possibility and is something that takes place constantly. Numerous passages in the Bible speak of people growing in the faith: Ephesians 4:11-16; Mark 4:1-20; Colossians 2:6,7; etc.). For youth leaders it is also significant to note that God has given gifts to the church, in the form of leaders (Ephesians 4:11) to help with the development of people to spiritual maturity. There is clearly a role that leaders play in the development of spirituality.
The following email interaction with Duffy Robbins shows that the youth leader, though the youth group, plays a major role in developing the individual in their spiritual life: “New-born babies have been thoroughly born, but they need to be trained to eat solid foods. We begin by giving them milk, and then wean them from baby food when they develop a taste for solid food. So it is with the newborn Christians at the Grow Level. When they have developed a taste, yeah a hunger for the solid food, they are at the Disciple Level.”
B. The Basis of Developing Commitment
In order to understand how commitment is developed, youth leaders must understand faith and faith development. Biblical faith is a complex activity made up of three elements: (a) The intellectual element which is concerned with the knowledge of faith. When a person comes to Christ it is with some fundamental knowledge about the object of that faith. (b) The emotional element which involves the acceptance of the validity of the knowledge of this faith as they actively embrace it. (c) The volitional element of faith which is the choice to respond and act on what is believed. Obedience is stressed because faith must change the whole person.
Faith involves three dimensions: (a) Rational or cognitive - what youth believe (1 Thessalonians 4:14; John 20:31); (b) Relational or affective - who they love (John 1:12; Galatians 2:16); and (c) Behavioural or volitional - how they behave (John 14:15; Ephesians 2:8-10). These three dimensions can be applied to how youth come to know Christ: (a) believing that He died for the sins of humanity (rational), (b) loving Him (relational) and (c) determining to strive to obey His commands (behavioural). They also apply to how youth grow in Christ: (a) holding to correct beliefs; (b) loving God more deeply and (c) living in growing obedience.
Faith development theories help youth leaders to understand how faith develops:
(1) James Fowler
Fowler says that just as individuals go through stages in their moral or intellectual development, so they go through stages in the development of their faith. The stages are predictable, invariant and sequential. Variation lies in the content of the faith and the extent to which one’s faith develops. He builds on the work of Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson and Lawrence Kohlberg in order to define six stages in faith’s development. He speaks of infancy as characterised by “undifferentiated faith.” This is a pre-stage that contains the seeds of trust, courage, hope and love that will later become integral parts of faith. His six stages are:
Stage 1: Intuitive-Projective Faith (3-7 Years Old)
Children get their ideas about God and religion from adults, so faith is formulated by watching and listening to their parents. No one tells them to use this approach, it is intuitive. Usually children get their first impression of God by projecting their impressions of their mother or father onto God. Fantasy plays a big role in the thinking of the child. They are highly imaginative and can be strongly influenced by the examples and stories of the faith of adults.
Stage 2: Mythic-Literal Faith (8-12 Years Old)
Here children are beginning to give attention to the rest of the world and to distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy. While children are still threatened by the uncertainties of the world, their faith in God gives then a sense of security. Children move back and forth between concrete and abstract thinking. Their belief, attitudes and rules are interpreted literally. Children in this stage of development are reflective and able to understand the perspectives of others. They unquestioningly accept their spiritual heritage. During this stage God is perceived as a being in human form who exists in the sky.
Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Faith (Adolescence)
The world of the adolescent begins to expand far beyond the limits of the family. Friends, school, work, church youth group, sports teams and the media all demand their attention. Their faith must provide coherence and meaning to these new experiences. It is synthetic, not in the sense of being false, but in that it is shaped by interpersonal relationships. This interpersonal orientation is geared to bring a sense of unity to the individual, as they try to integrate their own religious views with the incompatible views of others. It is conformist in nature as youth are highly aware of the opinions, expectations and judgments of significant others, and as their identity is not sufficiently formulated they do not have autonomous beliefs, evaluations and perceptions. It is conventional in that it is shaped by the attitudes of those that they are with at any given time. The great danger at this stage is that people settle for a faith that is second-hand. Young people tend to compartmentalise their faith so that Sunday’s commitment does not impact Mondays’ lifestyle. Stage 3 continues as the primary structure of faith for many adults. At this stage people conceive of God as a personal advisor and guide, but in a less personalised fashion than before.
Stage 4: Individuative-Reflective Faith (Young Adulthood)
As identity develops, and decisions conflict with the surrounding environment, the person begins to differentiate from the value system and perceptions of others. Individuals move into stage 4 when they accept personal responsibility for their own beliefs, actions, attitudes and values and they develop a first-hand faith. It is individuative in that it is a faith of their own, and it is reflective in the sense that those who move into this stage have taken time to reflect on what they actually and personally believe. People at stage 4 have engaged in critical self-reflection and examination of their beliefs and values. They are able to view God in more abstract ways, not as a personal advisor, but as a spirit embodying moral truths and personal presence.
Stage 5: Conjunctive Faith (Middle Life)
During this stage the individual recognises thoughts, impulses, feelings and memories that have been previously suppressed and as they uncover and work through their past they begin to recognise the parental, social, ethnic and religious influences that have affected their development. While stage 4 helped the individual to set boundaries to identify self as separate from the world, stage 5 helps these boundaries become less fixed and rigid. Faith here is conjunctive in that ironies and paradoxes are allowed in the person’s concept of truth and reality, this is because absolutes are seen as more relative.
Stage 6: Universalising Faith (Later Life)
This stage is rarely seen, but when it is, these individuals make a significant impact on society. They are absolutely committed to the task of universalising the concepts of unconditional love and absolute justice. They have a broad focus that leaves them undaunted by threats to themselves or their loved ones. They are satisfied with nothing short of the ultimate good of all humanity. Often they are viewed as potentially dangerous to the existing political or religious structures. Examples include: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa and the ultimate example of development: Jesus Christ.
(2) John Westerhoff
John Westerhoff III uses the analogy of rings in a tree to describe faith development. Each ring remains, even as another ring develops around it. He defines faith as “an action which includes thinking, feeling and willing. It is sustained, transmitted and expanded through our interaction with faithing selves in a community of faith” (Will Our Children Have Faith? 1976, Page 89-91). He suggests four stages of faith that emerge one from the other:
Stage 1: Experienced Faith (Preschool and Childhood)
This is foundational faith. The child experiences, explore, tests and reacts to faith. They copy the faith of others, and by observation and interaction begins to develop a faith of their own.
Stage 2: Affiliative Faith (Adolescence)
Here faith is characterised by a strong sense of belonging to a group and it has a strong affective aspect. There is also a sense of authority that the community’s way of understanding faith will influence values and actions. Youth feel a sense of belonging and affection for the group. The average youth pastor, parent, and church tend to feel best about youth who are at the affiliative level, because they gauge faith strength by involvement in activities or events. While this is what most adults look for in their teenagers, it hinders the process of personalizing faith.
Stage 3: Searching Faith (Late Adolescence)
This is faith that invites and allows for doubts, questions, and critical judgments. Youth may experiment with other religions or ways of expressing faith, and they have a growing need to commit themselves to one or several causes. This faith style can be threatening for everyone involved: parents believe someone is failing their children, churches wonder about the youth ministry’s leadership, and the searching young person often struggles with self-doubt. Leaders should offer a healthy, supportive environment that allows youth to questions without reprisal. While leaders should not encourage youth to doubt every aspect of their faith, a fear of questions is a significant problem. Ultimately, leaders must believe that God is bigger than doubts and questions and give youth freedom to search. Rick Lawrence, in Kids’ Quasi-Spirituality, Group Magazine, July-August 1996, says: “Doubting is part of the process of making your parents’ faith become your own.”
Stage 4: Owned Faith (Adults)
This stage is reached when the person comes to peace with his faith and wants to be characterised by it. This person will strive to witness for their faith. This is faith that is transformed by an intensely personal relationship with God that is ongoing and permanently life-changing. Youth are at this stage when the knowledge they have translates into the way they live their life. Youth must question and even doubt their faith if they are to own it. Westerhoff argues that enculturation (non-formal relational experiences) rather than instruction (formal teaching settings) is the best means of nurturing faith. Leaders must help adolescents question their faith in order to help it grow.
(3) Bruce Powers
Bruce Powers sees faith development as a cyclical process that continually helps a person adjust to life needs. This process involves awareness of a growing need, recall of Christian teaching, understanding possibilities for response, conviction of certain actions, and application of one’s knowledge and talents in Christian service. His five steps are the result of integrating Fowler and Westerhoff with a reflection on his own faith pilgrimage. Rather than describing stages, he speaks of five phases of development:
Phase 1: Nurture (Ages 0-6)
The first phase, Nurture, is the first exposure to the meaning of life. The most influential people in this phase are parents and teachers, although what they say is not as important as that they love the child.
Phase 2: Indoctrination (Ages 7-18)
The second phase, Indoctrination, has a primary goal in the acquisition and mastery of the content of faith. The content is gained, not only from reading the Bible or listening to sermons, but also from interaction with other people who influence belief. Together youth decide what they will believe. By means of responding to life issues in the ways their faith suggests, they will have the ability to begin incorporating their faith into their own personalities. The process of learning the content of Christian faith and reflecting on life needs in relation to that information makes teaching youth a critical means of enhancing their faith development. Also, the role of parents and youth leaders is critical.
Phase 3: Reality Testing (Ages 19-27)
During the Reality Testing phase the individual tries out their faith in the arena of life to see if it will stand up. Here some of the idealism of youth is challenged and changed by the realities of life.
Phase 4: Making Choices (Ages 28-35)
During the Making Choices phase, the person truly owns their faith, and their life is now, to some degree, shaped by what they believe.
Phase 5: Active Devotion (Ages 36f)
The process culminates in the phase of Active Devotion after the age of thirty six.
The theories of faith development, when considered critically and with the knowledge that they relate to how faith develops and not primarily how it is created, have the following valuable insights to offer for youth ministry:
* Faith is Dynamic, not Static - The theories show that many factors influence the development of faith - either helping faith to grow or hindering it’s growth. The various aspects of a person’s development have a direct influence on faith development, such as cognitive, moral, social, physical and emotional development.
* Social Context Influences Faith Development - Social development is of great importance to faith development. During childhood the home situation, relationships with parents and the quality of the model parents provide directly affects the child’s view of God, their ability to trust or believe in Him and their potential for faith development. During adolescence, as teenagers are exposed to authorities and peer relationships outside the home they experience a faith development crisis. As they seek to correlate what they have being taught with what other voices are saying, they begin to doubt and question the content of their faith. During the young adult years, often for the first time, people begin to personally reflect on their faith and move towards owning it.
* Past Experiences Affect Present Faith Development - Each new stage of faith development builds on the stage before it. In dealing with people, it is important to realise that experiences they have had in the past have an impact on their faith today. It may be necessary at times, when dealing with a presenting problem, to explore further back into the past to discover the cause of the problem.
* Adolescence is Characterised by Change in Faith - The common threads running through all these theories of faith development is that adolescence is a time during which faith will be questioned. The teen’s new cognitive abilities (called formal operations by Piaget) and need to establish independence from their parents will probably cause them to question their faith. This should not be viewed as a spiritual problem, but a normal process of development. In fact, questioning may indicate that faith is growing. The way leaders respond to this questioning is important: if they communicate anxiety about their questions, youth will think that their beliefs cannot stand up under close scrutiny, but if leaders respond with openness, without condemnation, youth will conclude that doubt is a normal part of growing up.
* Development is Unique to the Individual - We should not expect the same change in each person as teenagers are individuals in different stages of transition through adolescence. In one we may expect growth in their desire to worship God, and in another a reduction in their need for drugs. Both involve change, although the kind of change is different for each. For some, adolescence is quite easy, so their spiritual growth will be quite high. But for others, adolescence is an extremely difficult period and most of their energy will be spent in trying to survive the period. For them, our expectation of spiritual maturity will be less, although it is still proper to desire and expect to see some growth. People only fail to grow when they are not willing to change. The change that is expected is not conformity but genuine growth in faith.
* Faith Must Develop in Knowledge, Values and Behaviour - For all adolescents spiritual growth includes a growing knowledge of the content and more specifically the object of the Christian faith, a deepening of the values of the kingdom of God, and a lifestyle characterised by a more radical obedience to the teachings of Scripture - these are the foundational aspects of faith. Neil Anderson, in Stomping Out The Darkness, says, “the depth of faith is determined by the depth of your knowledge of the object” (Regal, 1993, Pg 99), so it is important to develop people in their understanding of God which will in turn help them grow spiritually.
* Youth Need Encouragement - Because adolescence is already a negative and critical period in the life of the teenager, any criticism from leaders will only reinforce in the teenager’s mind the fact that they are unable to live up to the Christian faith. If expectations are too high, leaders will tend to be critical and abusive in their relationships with youth. This will only hinder their growth further.
* Teaching Must Reflect Faith Development Insights - Faith development has implication for the way the child, teenager or young adult is taught. The following age-appropriate guidelines are suggested: Children learn from observing their parents - teaching must reflect an emphasis on the family and the home life of the child. They are influenced by examples and stories of faith - Biblical stories of faith heroes are important. They are beginning to think abstractly, so they can gradually understand deeper truths as they develop. Teenagers are affected by the world outside the home - ministry must focus on faith in a pluralistic society, how doubt and questioning help to develop faith and challenge youth to conform to Christ and not the world. Young adults must be encouraged to reflect personally and honestly on what they believe to ensure that as they create a life structure for themselves that is built around a first-hand faith.
For a fuller treatment, read about fourteen different faith development theories:
C. The Methods of Developing Commitment
In order to develop faith in youth, the follow foundational factors should be considered:
Linda Snyder, in Igniting Spiritual Growth in Jr. Highers, Group Magazine, November-December 1990, refers to Search Institute’s study on effective Christian education that measured specific indicators of Christian faith to determine youths’ spiritual growth. It discovered that youth who have a mature Christian faith “trust and believe in God, experience self-acceptance, integrate faith and life, nurture faith in friends, hold life-affirming values and act on their faith by serving others.” The survey identified five aspects of congregational life that contribute to youth’s faith development: (1) Provide a Challenging and Thinking Climate; (2) Plan Relevant Worship Experiences; (3) Practice a Servanthood Attitude; (4) Develop a Sense of Family; (5) Offer Active Christian Education.
Jim Burns, in What Really Compels Kids to Grow, Group Magazine, June-August 1991, claims that the four most important catalysts for long-term change are: (1) Excellent Role Models, (2) Experiential Learning, (3) Peer Ministry and (4) Guided Discovery.
Diane Fischer and Mike Woodruff, in Why Kids Stay Committed to Christ, Group Magazine, September 1992, present the results of a survey among college students who committed to Christ during high school. They asked: “How did your high school youth group help you lay a solid foundation for your faith?” They discovered four keys to commitment: (1) Accountability - they had someone who held them accountable spiritually; (2) Responsibility - they had positions within local churches that made them feel like they owned their own growth; (3) Special Events - they spoke of camps, retreats and special trips that had contributed to their long-term Christian growth; and (4) Youth Pastors - they had leaders who modelled their Christian faith - in fact, the more time a youth leader spent with a young person, the more likely that young person was to attribute his or her spiritual growth to the leader. Obviously, there are many other factors involved in long-term spiritual growth. But these four are central: accountability, responsibility, opportunities and time.
Rick Lawrence, in What Really Impacts Kids’ Spiritual Growth, Group Magazine, February 1995, presents the findings of a survey of 1000 Christian youth at a 1994 Youth For Christ conference. The survey shows how these youth came to be Christian and why they’ve since grown in their relationship with Christ. Almost one in five youth said that participating in spiritual retreats was the one thing that helped them grow most as a Christian. In contrast, only 7 percent of youth said the same thing about youth talks, and only 4 percent pointed to group Bible studies. When youth were asked what influenced them to follow Christ in the first place, they pointed to relationships with adult Christians and parents as their top motivators. They claimed that peers had almost nothing to do with their conversion but had a huge impact on their subsequent spiritual growth. Seven factors were highlighted: (1) Relationships - Two major components of what leaders do: faith-sharing and Bible study, simply don’t impact spiritual growth the way leaders think they do. It is people who live out their relationship with God in a real way who make a difference in teenagers’ spiritual growth. Youth referred to small things adult and teenage Christians did for them which revealed spontaneous Christlikeness in the context of relationship. (2) Parents - Parental influence is the second reason youth commit their lives to Christ and the third reason youth grow in their faith. The implication of this is that parents’ spiritual maturity is more important than that of youth leaders in impacting group members for Christ. In other words, it is as important for leaders to invest in parents’ spiritual growth as it is to invest in group members’ spiritual growth. (3) Extended-Length Learning Experiences - Retreats were identified as the number one influencer of spiritual growth in youth. When youth are removed from their normal routine and have a chance to ponder and interact with others about some aspect of the faith, they are impacted. (4) Peer Relationships - While parents seem to have a more powerful influence on teenagers’ fundamental values, friends largely dictate how those values are lived out. Peer influence has almost no bearing on initial faith commitment but moves to the second influence when it comes to spiritual growth. Real friendships require unhurried time to develop, the kind of time and contact only retreats, group trips, and well-planned active learning programming can deliver. (5) Music - The survey found that youth talks have no more long-term impact on youth than contemporary Christian music. Music is a language that’s capable of communicating more deeply than spoken word alone, and it communicates with the soul as well as the intellect. Western Christians have elevated the role that intellect plays in spiritual growth and downplayed the role of emotions. (6) Prayer - Prayer had the fourth greatest influence on spiritual growth. Youth are attracted to the supernatural, are eager to be the kind of people who pray, but are intimidated by leaders who expect them to pray acceptably. (7) Leaders - Many Christian youth said that a relationship with an adult Christian was the biggest influence on their initial commitment to Christ.
The following methods or strategies should be considered to facilitate faith development in youth:
(1) Questioning and Reflection
Duffy Robbins, The Ministry of Nurture, Page 65f, suggests a number of exercises that leaders can use in develop commitment in youth: journalling, directed meditation, path finding, personal parable, small groups and questions. He end the section by saying that the common element in all the exercises is that they encourage youth to talk about their faith. When youth question, probe, and reflect on their walk with Christ, their faith grows.
(2) Encounters with God
Leaders should provide youth with opportunities to encounter God through preaching, teaching and other learning experiences. Often the most powerful encounters with God come about when youth are removed from their normal environment, such as at a camp, retreat or mission trip, as they are more open to encounter God.
(3) Active and Interactive Experiences
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 is an important blueprint for building spiritual maturity in youth. It shows that faith is taught (or rather, caught) when it is applied to every aspect of life. Youth will grow into God through daily life experiences (walking on the road), family and community leisure time (lying down), work tasks (rising up) and fellowshipping (talking when sitting). The facts (church history, theological legacy, ethics, Bible content, etc.) will emerge naturally as youth experience truth in common experiences. Proactive leaders will place that truth in the wider context of the gospel.
(4) Multi-Generational Interaction
After Jesus’ birth, an elderly Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:21-40) were the first to publicly confirm to Mary and Joseph that their baby was the Lord’s Christ. God clearly intended that one generation would minister to another, and vice versa. For youth to grow into balanced Christians, they need loving contact with adults from both their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.
(5) Metaphors for the Christian Life
Jesus used metaphors (a banquet), similes (like a mustard seed), and parables (there was a certain man) to help people discover and grow in his kingdom. These techniques helped to translate God’s truth into a language the people could understand. Discipleship can be shaped by small groups that are based on spiritual metaphors.
(6) Covenant Commitments
Joshua gathered the tribes at Shechem and made a covenant with God: “...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). He placed a stone at the place of the covenant as “a witness against us.” Joshua, his family, and all the tribes made a commitment that day that was hard to forget. Leaders should get youth to make significant commitments and follow up with youth to see how they are doing.
For leaders working with adolescents, it is important to remember that after identifying spiritual growth and implementing methods to facilitate spiritual growth, they remain adolescents and will continue to act like adolescents despite spiritual growth! They do not become adults over night. Duffy Robbins, in The Ministry of Nurture, Page 216f, says: “Maybe the most important point for us to remember in calling students to discipleship is that high-school students are still going to act like high-school students. How many of us have had the experience of sharing a powerful time of commitment with a group of students on a retreat, and then on the way home, those same spiritually vibrant students, who only hours earlier were weeping and praying before God, are now in the back of the van burping, joking around, and generally acting like bozos? But that is the nature of a teenage disciple. Just because students get serious about a relationship with Jesus doesn’t mean they are suddenly going to start acting like adults (praise the Lord!), wearing leisure suits, and listening to tapes by George Beverley Shea.”
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