EVERYONE wants to see more children and young people in church. We are offered here a thoughtful, original, and subtle approach to how faith rather than numbers might flourish in churches, schools, and communities, too.
Both authors speak from vast experience as clergy and theologians based at Cranmer Hall, Durham, teaching modules on nurturing the faith of children and young people. Their intentions are refreshing and clear: “This book is for anyone interested in exploring the theology that underpins ministry with children and the visions of all ages learning, living, and growing in the Christian faith together.”
Calls to action and finger-pointing are, thankfully, resisted. Many may be relieved to note that there are no “to-do” lists; neither are there practical tips to try for ourselves. Instead, the tone is reflective and creative. Theological investigation fuels the search to discover how things might be different and fruitful for everyone.
Over and again, thinking “about” God rather than “doing” God is privileged. For instance, chapter one examines God’s relationships with children in scripture. We soon learn how children over and again reveal Christ’s presence to the adults, turning on their head facile presumptions that grown-ups know best. In chapter two, we discover models of how faith tends to develop or dry up in young people’s lives.
Subsequent chapters investigate how, in the Church, faith can be grown in various ways. It might become more abundant if it was passed around rather than passed down. If we honour the whole body and bear witness to the “koinonia”, so evident in the Early Church, transformation is more likely.
Throughout, we are challenged to listen to children, as this has the potential to change the way in which churches think about the place for children in the liturgy. Can adults be curious as children are curious? What might adults miss out on if the children are always hurried into Sunday school so that the adults can do the “serious stuff”?
The authors write about fascinating discoveries after interviews with children from the age of four to the teens. One five-year-old, when asked who God is, sounds as though he has swallowed St John’s Gospel: “God is the son of God who helps everybody and helps us make better choices.” We hear of a four-year-old in prayer saying: “Thank you for the joy-ness you have. Come in.” Another piece of research reveals how faith is and is not shared and experienced at home. This can challenge our presumptions about how children develop a theology of their own.
Such is the depth of thought throughout here that it is unsurprising to discover the authors’ insistence that prayer is at the heart of growth and change. Privileging being over doing can genuinely become a rich source of transformation. “Prayer can fall into the erroneous practice of using prayer as a warm-up act before the ‘real’ ministry.” It is an encouraging and fitting end to a book that is, all at once, serious, optimistic, and reflective in its endeavours to transform the lives of adults as well as of children in their encounters with God and one another.
The Revd Jennie Hogan is a psychotherapist.
Growing Together in Faith: Thinking theologically about ministry with children and teenagers
Emma L. Parker and Sarah Strand
SCM Press £25
(978-0-334-06652-1)
Church Times Bookshop £20