James Fowler of Duke University conducted research in the field of fith
development and discovered-as Piaget did in the field of cognitive
development-that there are progressive stages of faith common to
almost everyone. He identified six stages of faith in all, including one
that applies specifically to junior highers.
This is his third stage-which he calls the
synthetic or conventional stage-beginningat around age 11 or 12 and ending (usually) at late adolescence, around 16 or 17. He found that young adolescents at stage three
base their faith largely on what others say or think-according to popular convention Chence the word conventiona). In Fowler's view, junior high faith "is anxious to respond
faithfully to the expectations and judgment of significant others. As yet the person is without a sufficient grasp of his or her own identity to make autonomous judgments from an independent perspective."
What this means is that the faith of a junior higher is extremely dependent on relationships. Junior highers need to have their faith validated by significant others in their lives. And since they are in the process of pulling away from their parents, those significant others are
more often than not peer friends and unrelated adults. It's not easy for a junior higher to feel secure in his or her faith without friends who share the same faith. On the other hand, if they have friends who believe as they do, they will feel rather courageous about standing up for their convictions. In that sense we can say that junior high faith is very relational. God communicates best to junior highers through relationships.
This understanding underscores the importance of doing junior
high ministry. One of our goals is to provide kids with a place where
they will feel affirmed and validated as a follower of Jesus Christ. Junior
highers need to know that they are not alone. In a sense we want to
provide some "positive peer pressure" to encourage kids to stand firm
in their faith.
Likewise, we need to provide junior highers with positive role
models-older youth and adults who are people of faith. So much of
what junior highers learn about faith and values comes not from words
but by example. It is vitally important that we surround junior highers
with people they can look up to and who will inspire them to follow
their example and to follow Jesus hrist, the ultimate model for all of us.
Junior highers are incurable hero-worshipers. They are easily
led (or misled) by anyone able to capture their admiration and
allegiance. In many cases, this amounts to near worship of teen idols,
singers, actors, and other celebrities who are marketed directly to this
age group. Howard and Stoumbis emphasize the importance of role
models:
This is the time for admiration and imitation of the hero figure, which
makes important that the proper figures for emulation are
presented to the adolescent. While their parents and teachers are no
longer likely to be the persons to be imitated and admired, partly
because of their faliblity, familiarity, and authority symbols, the
eary adolescent will still seek an older model to emulate-preferably
one who is competent and successful by his adolescent standards."
One of the most effective ways to reach junior highers for Christ, or to encourage junior highers to remain strong in their faith, is to point
toward models who are willing to identify themselves with Jesus Christ .
They don't have to be famous or talented, although I am thankful for the Christian recording artists and Christian sports figures who have become successful and accepted by the adolescent crowd.
We need more of those kinds of people.
But even more important than celebrity Christians are those
adult role models who really care about them. Early adolescents need and want adult friends who are
willing to walk with them across the bridge from childhood to
adulthood. Rather than isolate our young people from adults in the
church by creating a "youth ghetto," we need to find ways to encourage
interaction between the young and the old.
Like it or not, we who work with junior highers are more often
than not thrust into the position of model, simply because we are one
of the few adults who have regular contact with the kids. They watch us,
and we show them what adult Christians are like. We should not be
intimidated by this; we do not have to be perfect and give kids the
wrong impression. That's why it's a good idea to let kids see you in
different settings, not just at church when you are on your best
behavior. They need to see you at home, with your family, on the job, at
play, and whenever you are just being yourself. This is a tremendous
responsibility. We should strive to set as good an example for our junior
highers as we can. We shouldn't let our lives contradict the gospel that
we represent.
Most importantly, we need to love our junior highers. They will
follow us and become disciples of Jesus not because of what we teach
or say, but because of our love for them. The renowned psychologist
Bruno Bettelheim recently made this observation about Christ's
ministry to his disciples:
Most of us, when hearing or using the word disciple are likely to be
reminded of the biblical apostles. Their deepest wish was to emulate
Christ. They made him their guide not just because they believed in
his teachings but because of their love for him and his love for them.
Without such mutual love the Master's teaching and example,
convincing though they were, would never have persuaded the
disciples to change their lives and beliefs as radically as they did."
