|
|
A Vision for Maturing in Faith
John Roberto
What’s your vision for maturing in faith? What does a vital Christian faith look like at each stage of the life span? What are the characteristics of a committed, maturing Christian who is growing in faith and discipleship? How does your vision guide the development of faith formation at each stage of life? These are questions that are rarely asked, but our response to each one is central to the vitality and effectiveness of faith formation across the life span.
In this article I am proposing ten goals for maturing in faith that can guide the development of faith formation at each stage of life so that we can (re)direct our attention to people growing in faith and discipleship. Guided by the ten goals we can ask what we need to be doing to help faith and discipleship flourish in the lives of our people from childhood through older adulthood.
This is a huge shift in emphasis from our current church-centric focus on providing curriculum, courses, classes, programs, and activities—often with little reference to how we see faith flourishing at each stage of life. This change of focus reflects a significant shift from a provider-centered, program- and content-driven approach to a person-centered approach to faith formation. Becoming goal-centered opens up multiple ways (activities, methods, programs) to promote faith and discipleship through developmentally-appropriate faith forming experiences at each stage of life.
Researchers have been studying the characteristics of committed, maturing Christians for decades. The Search Institute’s Effective Christian Education study of the late 1980s and the Exemplary Youth Ministry study of the early 2000s were developed around widely accepted, tested, and easily understood beliefs and practices of committed Christians. The Effective Christian Education study proposed eight marks of faith maturing: trusting and believing in God, experiencing the fruits of faith, integrating faith and life, seeking spiritual growth, nurturing faith in community, holding life-affirming values, advocating social change, and acting and serving. (For the description for the eight marks of faith maturing and the seven characteristics of vital faith from the Exemplary Youth Ministry study go to the Appendix.)
Drawn from the Christian faith tradition and from research studies on what makes a difference in forming faith in people’s lives across the life span, I am proposing the following ten characteristics of faith maturing. They incorporate knowing and believing, relating and belonging, practicing and living. When taken together, these characteristics describe a person maturing in faith. They form the basis of helping people discern their faith journey and needs, and accompanying them through relationships, programs, activities, and resources.
Goals for Maturing in Faith
These ten characteristics are a starting point. They need to be contextualized within a specific Christian tradition, the identity and mission of a church, and the unique social, cultural, and ethnic make-up of the community.
With a lifelong vision of maturing faith a congregation can address each characteristic in developmentally-appropriate ways at each stage of life. The characteristics provide a way to direct energy and attention to specific goals or outcomes in faith maturing. They provide a way to develop a seamless process of fostering faith growth from birth through older adulthood. Everything is in service to people growing in faith and discipleship.
In this approach, congregations build faith forming experiences around the ten goals and ask how can they can guide people in. . . .
In this article I am proposing ten goals for maturing in faith that can guide the development of faith formation at each stage of life so that we can (re)direct our attention to people growing in faith and discipleship. Guided by the ten goals we can ask what we need to be doing to help faith and discipleship flourish in the lives of our people from childhood through older adulthood.
This is a huge shift in emphasis from our current church-centric focus on providing curriculum, courses, classes, programs, and activities—often with little reference to how we see faith flourishing at each stage of life. This change of focus reflects a significant shift from a provider-centered, program- and content-driven approach to a person-centered approach to faith formation. Becoming goal-centered opens up multiple ways (activities, methods, programs) to promote faith and discipleship through developmentally-appropriate faith forming experiences at each stage of life.
Researchers have been studying the characteristics of committed, maturing Christians for decades. The Search Institute’s Effective Christian Education study of the late 1980s and the Exemplary Youth Ministry study of the early 2000s were developed around widely accepted, tested, and easily understood beliefs and practices of committed Christians. The Effective Christian Education study proposed eight marks of faith maturing: trusting and believing in God, experiencing the fruits of faith, integrating faith and life, seeking spiritual growth, nurturing faith in community, holding life-affirming values, advocating social change, and acting and serving. (For the description for the eight marks of faith maturing and the seven characteristics of vital faith from the Exemplary Youth Ministry study go to the Appendix.)
Drawn from the Christian faith tradition and from research studies on what makes a difference in forming faith in people’s lives across the life span, I am proposing the following ten characteristics of faith maturing. They incorporate knowing and believing, relating and belonging, practicing and living. When taken together, these characteristics describe a person maturing in faith. They form the basis of helping people discern their faith journey and needs, and accompanying them through relationships, programs, activities, and resources.
Goals for Maturing in Faith
- Developing and sustaining a personal relationship and commitment to Jesus Christ
- Living as a disciple of Jesus Christ and making the Christian faith a way of life
- Reading and studying the Bible, and its message, meaning, and application to life today
- Learning the Christian story and the foundational teachings of one’s particular Christian faith tradition and integrating its meaning into one’s life
- Praying—together and alone—and seeking spiritual growth through spiritual practices and disciplines
- Living with moral integrity guided by Christian ethics and values
- Living the Christian mission in the world—serving those in need, caring for God’s creation, and acting and advocating for justice and peace—locally and globally
- Worshipping God with the community at Sunday worship and ritual celebrations, and through the seasons of the church year
- Being actively engaged in the life, ministries, and activities of the faith community
- Practicing faith in Jesus Christ by using one’s gifts and talents within the Christian community and in the world
These ten characteristics are a starting point. They need to be contextualized within a specific Christian tradition, the identity and mission of a church, and the unique social, cultural, and ethnic make-up of the community.
With a lifelong vision of maturing faith a congregation can address each characteristic in developmentally-appropriate ways at each stage of life. The characteristics provide a way to direct energy and attention to specific goals or outcomes in faith maturing. They provide a way to develop a seamless process of fostering faith growth from birth through older adulthood. Everything is in service to people growing in faith and discipleship.
In this approach, congregations build faith forming experiences around the ten goals and ask how can they can guide people in. . . .
- Knowing and understanding more fully the Christian faith (informing)
- Developing and deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ and the Christian community (forming)
- Living the Christian faith in every aspect of their lives (transforming)
|
Becoming goal-centered means that there are multiple approaches, programs, activities, and media to help people grow in faith—one goal, multiple ways to grow. No longer will faith formation be limited by the one-program, one-textbook/resource, one fixed-time and place approach. The focus will be on the person growing in faith and discipleship guided by the ten goals and a multiplicity of ways to form faith. |
|
In upcoming articles I will present ideas for personalizing faith formation by developing pathways for faith growth designed around the ten goals and by creating playlists of faith forming content and experiences designed for the pathways.
Reflection
Use the attached worksheet to reflect on your church’s goals, and how your church practices the ten goals proposed in this article. Invite others to join you in the reflection: your faith formation leaders, the church staff, ministry leaders in the church, and more.
Reflection
- What is your vision of maturing in faith?
- Toward what ends (goals) are your church’s faith formation efforts directed?
- What is your church try to accomplish in the lives of people at each stage of life from childhood to older adulthood?
Use the attached worksheet to reflect on your church’s goals, and how your church practices the ten goals proposed in this article. Invite others to join you in the reflection: your faith formation leaders, the church staff, ministry leaders in the church, and more.
| 3-1_what_if_article_-_faith_maturing_worksheet.pdf |
Download the PDF of the article.
| 3-1_what_if_article_-_faith_maturing_vision.pdf |
