Adult Faith Formation: Moving Them Along or Meeting Them Where They Are?

Posted by on April 27, 2011 | 5 comments

One of the great things about having to drive around a diocese covering 28 counties is the amount of time for reflection and conversation it affords. As my associate director and I have been meeting with every pastor in the diocese, it’s given us a lot of time to talk and discuss the various challenges we face.

A recurring theme in our conversations is adult faith formation — specifically, the lack of participation by adults in any ongoing faith formation. We have implemented programs, of course, but they rarely hold up over time. For instance, for the past three years our diocese has been participating in Renew International’s  Why Catholic? program. After a strong start the number of individuals engaged in a small faith group has dropped off, so that our rough numbers indicate that we’ve lost half of the initial participants.

While discussing this point again last week on the way back from a parish, I wondered aloud whether the programs we promote are actually appropriate to the audience. Let me explain:

Catechetical leaders bemoan — and experts agree — that many adults are stuck in an adolescent mode of faith. This means not only that their religious education ended at around the 8th grade (although that is certainly true for many) but that, from a developmental standpoint, they have never progressed beyond James Fowler‘s “Synthetic-Conventional” stage of faith. Some may have made it to the “Individual-Reflective” stage, but a distinct minority ever progress to the “Conjunctive” or “Universalizing” stages.

My uneducated guess would be that most DREs, diocesan catechetical leaders, and catechetical writers have made it to at least the “Individual-Reflective” stage, if not the “Conjunctive” stage; these positions usually require an advanced degree, the pursuit of which leads people to think about their faith in new and deeper ways.

Yet, as I’ve read through and participated in various adult faith formation programs, many seem to assume that this is where the participants are as well, or least that the program will move them there. But should moving people along the developmental continuum be the goal of individual catechetical and formation programs? Or, acknowledging the reality that most are still at the “Synthetic-Conventional” level, should most programs seek to meet people there?

This was certainly a complaint we heard about Why Catholic? — people assumed that it would be more educational and less formational, more content and less faith sharing. Which is not to say that Why Catholic? is a bad program.  But if most adults aren’t prepared for more advanced levels of formation — if most are still stuck in that “school” mindset — should we meet them there and trust that, over time, they will come to the higher levels of faith?

I don’t have an answer to that question, but it is something I’ll be keeping an eye on as we complete Why Catholic? next year and further explore adult faith formation in our diocese.

  • Deacon Greg

    I think the answer to your question is a resounding yes! nn I became actively involved with 3 different Why Catholic? groups attending every other week when I could. Most didn’t have a leader that had the knowledge to truly lead the group, heck most of them were afraid to lead an opening or closing prayer. There was no one to help move them off of the “Synthetic-Conventional” stage and on to the next one. nn If we want or expect them to walk a journey of faith they need a true leader who will “go before them.” Jesus used the sheep metaphor for good reason. Most of the participants could not see the road ahead so the journey wouldn’t begin out of fear or disbelief that there was indeed a treasure of faith ahead for them. They can’t “see” what living in the presence really means and until they do, their faith will not move.nnThese groups that I worked with wanted more. After WC? was over I involved them in a book titled “How Big Is Your God?” and the discussions were better and people began to “see” what a relationship with God looks like. They loved “learning the theology of love and not the rules and regulations of the Church.” In some ways, I think WC is using a 1950′s approach to a group in the new millennium. nnThese groups now only stop meeting during the summer. nnWe have to meet them where they are and gently and lovingly show them what they are missing.nnPeace!

  • http://catechesisinthethirdmillennium.wordpress.com/ catechesisinthethirdmillennium

    You raise a great point about how we engage adults where they are at and lead them to where Christ is calling them to be. Sometimes I’m amazed how uneducated about the faith the educated are. We have to seek ways to help adults see the importance of continuing their education and formation in the faith. This is a discussion that needs to continue as catechetical leaders draw adults and parishioners into not only a deeper knowledge and love of their faith but an greater understanding that the road of discipleship is ongoing.

  • http://platytera.blogspot.com/ Christian

    “Most didn’t have a leader that had the knowledge to truly lead the group, heck most of them were afraid to lead an opening or closing prayer.”nnYes. And what’s odd that I’ve seen is that most well-informed/ self-catechizing Catholics won’t play a leadership role in parish-wide catechesis.

  • http://platytera.blogspot.com/ Christian

    “…people assumed that it would be more educational and less formational, more content and less faith sharing.”nnThat’s interesting. From 1999 through 2003 or so, my wife and I taught Adult Ed/ RCIA. In Adult Ed the class determined the subject material; we had no prepared course. The class members had had experience with some mini-courses, typically around Lent; they were weighted toward faith sharing vs content. The adults that attended generally didn’t like the sharing, which tended toward a few people talking a lot, followed by arguing based on opinions rather than Church teaching. So when we began Adult Ed, we knew that the people attending were more into learning than opining.nnPart of this is environmentally driven. We’re in the Bible belt where Catholics have to know their faith, because they do get called out on it.nn

  • http://stpaulsoutreach.wordpress.com Saint Pauls Outreach (SPO)

    Always good to be reminded of how important it is to reflect on and live our faith to be an example for others. Why would anyone want to be part of a Church that isn’t bursting with the love of Christ?! n