@Orchidaceae
Junior High Faith Is Relational
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."*** @Orchidaceae
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