Kid's Ministry Coffee Break | A Few Minutes of Spiritual Refreshment for Children & Youth Ministers.
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
"STAGES OF FAITH" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 5: Understanding faith development by stages can help us be better prepared to minister to our children, youth, parents, and peers.
"STAGES OF FAITH" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 5:
There are 6 stages of faith, according to James Fowler. People from one stage may have trouble understanding someone in the next stage. They will almost certainly NOT understand someone more than one stage away. It’s not a hierarchy. Rather than try to measure up…this is a way to understand why we might misunderstand one another.
Stage 1: preschool-aged, usually. They need concrete symbols and stories. Object lessons will NOT connect with stage 1 kids. Trying to say that “Jesus is the rock” will just lead to confusion. They may nod and say they understand, because they want to be approved and agreeable, but they don’t get it, friends.
Stage 2: school-aged. They deal in strong beliefs about right/wrong. Also, God is going to look and act like a human being. This is the old man in the sky stage. That’s all they can really grasp. The idea of spirit is just not going to connect. https://ministry-to-children.com/bible-verses-about-children/
Stage 3: begins with adolescence and large percentage of people remain here throughout their life: there’s conformity here. Youth will know what they need to conform with for your approval, so they will. They will understand the overall version of the faith story as your church presents it. They will be agreeable to that as their identity as a Christian and conform with those values, more or less. https://youthgroupministry.com/
Stage 4: begins with early adults and most will remain in this stage throughout life. People here tend to take personal responsibility for beliefs, values, systems of meaning, and commitments. Many times, they will claim their own by stepping out of or away from what they were asked to conform with. They MUST do this, friends. They need to let go of what they were given so that they can find what they claim for themselves. It’s such a joy to be a safe person they can do this with. Don’t worry when they reject the version of faith they’ve been given. This is maturity in progress and they just need you as a safe person they can talk with as they find their way—not to guide them, but to be a non-judging person whom they can come to, ask questions, and be honest with. If you don’t do it, they’ll find someone else who will.
Stage 5: Conjunctive — It’s rare that anyone is in stage 5. This is where we can acknowledge paradoxes in our faith experience. We will critically reflect upon our faith. The ability to see the validity of other people’s experiences and faith expressions will come here. They will also realize that truth is bigger than any one particular perspective.
Stage 6: very rare — this is where people will live their lives with genuine compassion and love for all people of all faiths, all places, and all perspectives. There will not be energy invested in division or defensiveness with perspective here.
If this interests you, google it and read up. If this doesn’t interest you, then just know it’s normal for people to not all be looking at faith and life through the same lens. Knowing your people—both students and their parents and fellow church members and from what stage they might be operating is extremely helpful when you encounter some resistance in what you’re trying to accomplish.
We’re meant to be diverse here. Different is good. It’d be ideal to have a crew of people you work with who are in different stages. They will help your ministry be well-rounded and able to reach a larger group of people.
https://ministry-to-children.com/best-childrens-bibles/
Enjoy the process and don’t let confusion demand too much of your time. Roll on, keep going, and trust that the Holy Spirit is doing the work in people’s hearts even when their mind doesn’t seem to connect to what you’re doing.
https://sundayschool.store/collections/easter-curriculum-for-childrens-ministry
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