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The "Great Emergence" is a generalized social,
political, economic, intellectual, and cultural
shift.
Every 500 years or so, the church—and the world—experience
huge social, political, economic, and cultural
shifts.
"Every 500 years the church feels compelled
to hold a giant rummage sale."
500 Year Cycles
Time of Christ Monastic Culture & Dark Ages Great Schism: East-WestReformation Great Emergence
IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT AUTHORITY!
New, nimble ministries emerge Older systems renew themselves Older systems push back Violent!
WHAT HAPPENS?
We do ministry in the world of…kindle, nook,
twitter parties, APPS, declining
denominationalism, house churches, flipboards,
emergent churches, wiki’s, the long tail, micro-chunking, facebook, veetle, hulu, stumble,
ning, amazon, web 2.0, iphones, ipads, and
you can get viral without catching a cold.
REGARDING CHRISTIAN DECLINE IN AMERICA…
AMERICAN GRACE: PUTNAM AND CAMPBELL
The rise of the “nones”! “I’ll have none of it!”
Perceive Christians as fighting, judgmental, hypocritical, political, ungracious, harsh, ignorant.
What can be said is what has always been said…from Deuteronomy…to Jesus…
Acts 2…to Luther…to current research…
TEND TO THE YOUNG “ACROSS” GENERATIONS and CHURCH IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE HOUSEHOLD AND THE CONGREGATION
Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant
Congregations: 1988-89Search 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
Up the Creek With a Paddle: Effective Youth Ministry
Practices 1995Center for Youth Ministries
Focus question: According to 20 youth ministry leaders, what are the critical
factors in faith formation?
Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative
Communities, 2003Dartmouth Medical School
Institute for American ValuesYMCA
Focus: What is the state of American youth and what do they need in order to be
healthy?
Adolescent Health Study cont.
“What’s causing this crisis inAmerican childhood is a lack of
connectedness…close connectedness to other people, and deep connections to moral
and spiritual meaning.”
Barna ResearchNovember 2003
Citing research showing that a large proportion of church-going people
dropout of church between the ages of 18 and 24, Barna states the importance
of families, not churches, taking the lead in the spiritual development of
children.
Results continued…
“””To became mature Christians we usually found a symbiotic partnership between their
parents and their church.”
Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American
Teenagers: Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton ’05
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 cont.
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.
Longitudinal Follow-up:
Five of the six scenarios identifying faithful and active young adults started with “parents” practices and “parents” attending
religious services
Exemplary Youth Ministry Study:Luther Seminary, Lilly Funded,Seven Denominations – 2005
(book just came out!!!)
Focus: What are the characteristics of congregations with exemplary youth
ministries?
The Results:
Study identified 44 Faith Assets or Practices
Of most significance:
1. Theology matters: God is the subject of sentences
2. Pastoral leaders are fully engaged in ministry with adolescents
3. Hospitality is critical
Exemplary Study cont.
Family Involvement:
1. Parents possess and practice a strong faith
2. Promotes family faith practices
3. Reflects family harmony
4. Equip, instruct and guide parents for a faith nurturing home
5. Fosters parent-youth relationships
Bishops’ Initiative for Raising Up the Next Generation of
Leaders
Focus: Does a five year effort (and $1.2 million) to embed the Vibrant Faith Frame
in six synods of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan transform lives and help people
discover their vocation?
The Results
The Vibrant Faith Frame has significant impact upon those immersed in the
ecosystem of faith nurture.
The leadership is critical to implementing the frame.
The Vibrant Faith Frame
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 FrameThe Spirit blows in six places or locations
where the potential exists for faith formative relationships to happen.
The Vibrant Faith Frame
Five Principles to serve as a compass heading for ministry:
1. Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal, trusted relationships-often in our own homes.
1. The church is a living partnership between home and congregation.
Vibrant Faith Frame
3. Where Christ is present in faith, home is church, too.
4. Faith is caught more than taught.
5. If we want Christian children and youth, we need Christian adults.
All who are called masters, stand in the place of parents.
Luther, Large Catechism, Explanation of the 4th Commandment
Vibrant Faith Frame
There are FOUR KEY faith practices that make up the lifestyle of lifelong faith
formation:
1. Caring Conversation2. Devotions3. Service4. Rituals and Traditions
Vibrant Faith Frame
What are the characteristics of discipleship?
AuthenticityAvailabilityAffirmation
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
…and there is more research
Vibrant Faith Ministries’
Faith Formation Learning Exchange
“one stop shop” for effective faith practices through the lifecycle
www.faithformationlearningexchange.net
VIBRANT FAITH MINISTRIES
is sponsored in part by…
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
and
Seafoam Sales
Vibrant Faith Ministries 1601 West Old Shakopee Road, Minneapolis, MN 55431 952-405-7300 www.vibrantfaith.org
“Great Emergence” Social Characteristics
First Generation of Truly Global Citizens First E.C.E (Energy-Climate) Generation Most Culturally Diverse Generation First Social Networking Generation First Entrepreneurial Generation Most Socially Engaged Generation First Generation of 21st Century Learners First Generation of the "Great Emergence" First Generation of "Spiritual Tinkerers"
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