Saturday, January 7, 2012

Adult Faith Formation

At the heart of catechesis we find a person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, who is our guide for adult faith formation.  We must know your audience, getting to know as much as possible with those we are leading and guiding. There was a short discussion of our current involvement in catechesis. I’m involved in two areas; adult spirituality and prayer groups. I’m also involved in a small Bible group, but that’s probably more of a faith sharing group than something involving catechesis.

Then we took a few minutes to recall the best learning experience that we had as an adult. My Navel training was certainly memorable. I was competing for grades with two others guys more qualified than I was. After the Navy I joined a company that offered a six month class in medical electronics. This was very interesting because, like the Navy, the systems were very complex. After 20 years as a medical service repair technician I took a two year night course to learn computer network administration. I was very excited about the technology, and because of my US Navy and medical experience I was able to see the big picture. Today, of course I’m in the ILM program, learning as much as I can about my chosen religion and personal faith. I’m beginning to think about working less and volunteering more.

During the discussion with class mates it was pointed out that each of my best learning experiences related to career changes, or job transitions. Each of them included three basic areas that make education memorable; emotional commitment, patterns for living, and life transitions. The reason each of these stood out for me was that the training was always very organized and high quality. It made a difference in my life because I’ve always enjoyed what I do for a living. In affect its included formation as well as information.

The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops says, “Bishops should be especially concerned about catechetical instruction. It should be carefully imparted not only to children and adolescents, but also to young people and even to adults.”  The reason that adult formation is so important is that it enables us to share with others, keep up with change, keep the on-going conversion alive, understand our surroundings, apply our experiences, and to evangelize others. We cannot give what we don't have. We should not be ashamed of our faith, and as adults we have the greatest responsibly and capacity to live out the goal of faith formation. It requires a mature understanding, a willingness to live our faith, an explicit relationship with Christ, and the commitment to be fruitful.

During the discussion on who I know that is a model of a mature adult faith, I thought of a previous Priest and friend, Father George. This was followed by the question, “Are you a model of mature adult faith for others”, which I hope that I am. There are six dimensions of a mature faith; knowledge, education, formation, prayer, communal, and mission. The two areas that contribute to a mature faith are life experiences and scripture tradition. These two can help us grow spiritually if we apply our experience to scripture and tradition to our own lives. The ability to relate one's experience to scripture and tradition may be the single most important skill in adult faith formation.

The principles for guiding adult faith formation begin by orienting Christian learning toward adult Christian living. It’s important to make the information practical, while giving adult formation the best of our pastoral resources and energies. As we grow up physically, we grow up mentally, and we grow up spirituality. The bishops have made this a priority but it is up to us to make it happen. Jesus is our model as the master teacher;  he met others where they were,  comforted them in community, guided, lead, shepherded, and listened to their concerns, engaged them, discussed their needs, enlightened their experiences, and connected to their lives by breaking bread with them.

Adult faith formation should pay attention to what is going on in the lives of adults and listen carefully to what adults are talking about. What do adults say they need, and what are the surrounding events in their lives? What are the surrounding events in our own lives? We must listen to the concerns, heartaches, and joys of others and understand their passions. Adult faith formation targets the transitions and milestones in the lives of adults and families. Conversation starters may be about college, engagements, aging parents, lost time, travel, and marriage. Facebook, blogs, email, and forums can be used to find out who’s talking about what. Informal sources include newspapers and civic programs, twitter, movies, TV, and literature, while formal sources might include surveys and statistics.

Discussing what or who had helped me in a time of transition to regain stability I recalled the faith that God loved me. The presence of God acting in my life is how my faith helped me find meaning during my times of transition. Obviously, God is not done with me yet. Being open to possibility will continue to bring fullness in my personal life. We discussed examples of transitions that people experience. Geographic changes might include moves, and family changes include births, deaths, college, and marriages. Career changes include job loss, career changes, promotions, and retirement. Health changes might include difficult treatments, cancer, and adult care needs.

While it’s true that people are unstable during times of transition, mentors can assist those in need by telling their stories and encouraging others to tell their stories. While in times of transition faith formation can help adults acquire new meaning and perspectives that help them regain order and stability in their lives. Everyone experiences milestone cycles in their lives, such as birthdays, marriages, and deaths. How can the church recognize the people that are going through these life cycles? We should celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, marriages, and baptisms, etc by organizing small group ministries, offering blessings, and making use of symbols.

Adult faith formation should connect with the motivations and interests of adults. Which motivator is particularly important for your parish and why? How can your parish more effectively connect and build upon the motivations of adults in adult faith formation planning? Our challenge as adult leaders is not to organize but to offer options. Adult faith formation should be centered on the spiritual growth processes in the lives of adults. Adults want to see and feel God actively in their lives. They will respond better to faith formation that nurtures their spiritual live and increases their understanding of their faith. Adults seem to want to look through tradition as a lens to put their own life in perspective.

Adult faith formation utilizes as variety of program models to address the diversity of adult backgrounds, faith maturity, interests, and learning needs. Not all adult learning involves programs, both formal and informal learning opportunities should be considered. Every aspect and event in parish life can be intentionally fashioned as an occasion for adult faith formation. Adult faith formation should be designed using a variety of learning methods that respect the diversity of learning styles of adults. It should build on adults experiences and prior knowledge and challenge thinking with real life scenarios. One size does not fit all.

Adult faith formation programs should create hospitable learning environments that build relationships among adults.  Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize that it’s the people, not the room that is the most important aspect of environment. There should be trust, freedom of expression, and acceptance of differences. Actually it’s more acceptance, it should include respect and encouragement. Focus on conversation about things that matter and develop a sense of belonging and a welcoming spirit. Keep the physical environment comfortable and hospitable. The old adage still works, “If you feed them and they will come”.

Adult faith formation requires effective leadership in a variety of roles: pastors, leadership teams, and catechists. The Pastor should be committed and familiar with adult formation theory and practice? The leadership should include a paid staff person and various team members. The catechist must be of mature faith and able to facilitate learning. Start small and use your allies. Adult faith formation programs are should be guided by learning goals and they should measure the outcomes of programs.  Set goals that identify and assess the current reality, concerns, and needs of parishioners.  What do we want people to learn or understand? How do we want people to feel? What do we want people to do? Remember that the longest 18" in the world is the distance between the head and the heart. Engage their head, heart, and hands.

An example of a learning goal might aim to develop a support group for unemployed members of the community. The goals might be to help them learn how Christ can be their strength. How do you help them feel accepted and hopeful in this time of transition? Let them share the stories of their faith and their resources with one another. To ensure that adult faith formation programs are guided by learning goals, it’s important to connect the evaluation questions to the goals. If the goal is to learn how Christ can be their strength in times of difficulty, then the question might be what did you learn tonight that will help you get in touch with the strength that only Jesus can bring? Written questions and answers provide a more permanent reference.

I don’t think we discussed how to adjust faith formation to cultural differences in learning, although this might be less of a problem than I think. People tend to group together with others who are similar and the differences may not appear. I’m not sure who is doing all this work? I understand that we need to be a church that responds to the needs of the adults in our midst.

It’s also important to recognize that there will be some resistance from clergy.  Laity and clergy do not learn the same stuff at the same time or at the same rate. Don't surprise the pastor with some grand plan to revolutionize faith formation in your parish. Begin small and take the time to bring the pastor up to speed. It's about the relationship - not the program. It’s also important to recognize that there will be some resistance from laity. How do you deal with those who are not happy with what is being done? Remind them that the word catholic means universal. Within the Catholic Church we are like a large family, and not everyone agrees all the time. Do it with love and respect.

1 comment:

  1. Hello, This is a nice post I totally agree with you whatever you had said about adult faith formation

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