Research Report on Vibrant Faith Formation From the Research Of the former Youth & Family Institute.

Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations: 1988-89 Search Institute Focus: Who do 7-12 graders identify as the key faith formative influences in their lives?

The Results: Mother 74% female 81% male Father 50% female 61% male Pastor 44% female 57% male Grandparent 29% female 30% male Youth group 30% female 30% male Friends 29% female 22% male Camp 28% female 20% male

The Results: (in %) Age Total CC ELCA PC UCC UMC SBC K-6 60 61 67 69 66 56 48 7-9 52 55 70 54 45 10-12 35 47 32 40 33 49 Adult 28 23 31 22 29

Up the Creek With a Paddle: Effective Youth Ministry Practices, 1995 Center for Youth Ministries Focus question: According to 20 youth ministry leaders, what are the critical factors in faith formation?

The Results: Parents Other Caring Adults Peers Service Retreats Story Music

Martinson’s Eight Faith Factors: Late 1990’s Focus: What are the key factors that positively influence college age students in their faith?

Faith integrated into family identity and practice Three or more adults of vital faith Service in Jesus name Apprenticed to leadership in church Engaging, meaningful congregational experience that involved youth Excellent sr.high/young adult ministry Strong Christian friends Support in personal crisis

Faith Factors: Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, 1990’s Focus: What are the characteristics of exemplary youth ministry congregations?

The Results: Mission/service opportunities Youth in leadership roles Meaningful involvement of youth Strong youth workers Warm, caring ministry/fellowship that reflects warm/caring youth minister Formal and informal interactions

The Results continued… High level of expectations Sufficient budget Pastoral support Family support Sense that God is doing something Strong inviter orientation Intentionally evangelistic

Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities, 2003 Dartmouth Medical School Institute for American Values YMCA Focus: What is the state of American youth and what do they need in order to be healthy?

The Results: American youth are in a deteriorating state of mental and behavioral health. The adult/cultural reactions to this state is inadequate and contributing to the problem.

Add Health Study continued… “what’s causing this crisis in American childhood is a lack of connectedness…close connectedness to other people, and deep connections to moral and spiritual meaning.”

Add Health Study continued… “The challenge for civil society is to expose young people to morally admirable persons. What really holds potential for making a moral impact on a mid-adolescent is a powerful connection with individual adults whom he can admire or idealize.”

Add Health Study continued… “We believe that building and strengthening authoritative communities is…our best strategy…authoritative communities are groups that live out the types of connectedness that our children increasingly lack.”

Barna Research Nov. 2003 Citing research showing that a large proportion of church-going people dropout of church between the ages of 18 and 24, Barna stated that the research underscored the importance of families, not churches, taking the lead in the spiritual development of children.

Results continued… "The church encouraged parents to prioritize the spiritual development of their children and worked hard to equip them for that challenge. Parents, for their part, raised their children in the context of a faith-based community that provided security, belonging, spiritual and moral education, and accountability. Neither the parents nor the church could have done it alone.”

Results continued… “To became mature Christians we usually found a symbiotic partnership between their parents and their church."

Dissertation on Effective Practices with Early Adolescent Males Dr Dissertation on Effective Practices with Early Adolescent Males Dr. Paul Hill, 2004 Focus: What are the characteristics and practices that junior high boys identify as significant for engaging life in the congregation?

The Results Worship that relates Connections with friends and peers Caring staff, especially the pastor and/or youth worker Fun Activities Family religious practices

What shapes that character and content? Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers: Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton 2005 Focus: What is the character and content of the spiritual lives of American teenagers? What shapes that character and content?

The Results: “Parents are normally very important in shaping the religious and spiritual lives of their teenage children, even though they may not realize it.” p.56 “The best general rule of thumb that parents might use to reckon their children’s most likely religious outcomes is this: ‘We’ll get what we are.’” p. 57

The Results continue… “…a lot of research in the sociology of religion suggests that the most important social influence in shaping young people’s lives is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents.”

The Results continued… American teenagers have a faith and a belief system. It is called “moralistic therapeutic deism”. God is my personal butler. God as divine therapist.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism God exists and created the orders of the world and watches over human life on earth. God wants people to be good. The goal of life is to be happy. God solves our problems. Good people go to heaven

Exemplary Youth Ministry Study: Luther Seminary, Lilly Funded, Seven Denominations 2005 Focus: What are the characteristics of congregations with exemplary youth ministries?

The Results: Study identified 44 Faith Assets or Practices Of most significance: Theology matters: God is the subject of sentences Pastoral leaders are fully engaged in ministry with adolescents Hospitality is critical

Exemplary Study continued… Family Involvement: Parents possess and practice a strong faith Promotes family faith practices Reflects family harmony Equip, instruct and guide parents for a faith nurturing home Fosters parent-youth relationships

Practicing Congregations: Diana Butler Bass Focus: Are there common characteristics across a wide variety of congregations and denominations that demonstrate vitalized, or revitalized, congregational ministries?

The Results: Listening and discerning for God Hospitality Re-traditioning, keeping Christian wisdom fresh and alive Narrative stories of God who acts and sends people out

Ecumenical Study of Lifelong Faith Formation: Center for Ministry Development Louisville Institute (Seven Denominations) 2009 The Focus: What are the key factors in exemplary congregations for lifelong faith formation?

The Results: A shared, and compelling vision for lifelong faith formation is essential It takes the right leadership; diverse ages and gifts, passionate, committed, over the long haul, ongoing nurturing and training Community is essential; and experience of belonging, being relational

The Results continued… Faith formation is strongly connected to worship; identify forming, cross-generational, anchored to Jesus Christ Cross-generational life together is effective in lifelong faith formation Faith formation opportunities offered to young adults The role of the home is critical to lifelong faith formation

The Vibrant Faith Frame sponsored by The Youth & Family Institute The Focus: What would a vision, model and vocabulary look like that integrates Scripture, church history, confessional teachings, modern research and bio-neurological insights built around the theme of vibrant faith formation?

The Vibrant Faith Frame The Spirit blows in six places or locations where the potential exists for faith formative relationships to happen. Creation Culture Community Congregation Home Individuals

The Vibrant Faith Frame Five Principles to serve as a compass heading for ministry: Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal, trusted relationships-often in our own homes. The church is a living partnership between home and congregation. Home is church too.

Vibrant Faith Frame 4. Faith is caught more than taught. 5. If we want Christian children and youth, we need Christian adults.

Vibrant Faith Frame There are FOUR KEY faith practices that make up the lifestyle of life long faith formation: Caring Conversation Devotions Service Rituals and Traditions

Vibrant Faith Frame AAA Christians What are the characteristics of discipleship? Authenticity Availability Affirmation AAA Christians

The Vibrant Faith Frame A framework and vocabulary for summarizing two decades of research relating to faith formation. 6-Circles 5-Principles 4- Key Practices 3- Characteristics of discipleship