Exposure Based Youth Ministry
Ok, so if this is an original thought, I am considering this my copyright. I am taking a class in my Masters program on Youth Ministry. It is a scholarly approach to youth ministry not a 10 different ways to play Chubby Bunny class. Our topics for our final paper are coming due and I am thinking about this as my topic. I have read some Kohlberg lately and really identify with his theory of Moral Reasoning. My Prof. said our goals as youth ministers could be to just advance the youth one stage in Moral Reasoning before they left the group. As I looked at my own progression through the stages I noticed that all my "Crisis" points. As Eriksson would say, that advanced me into the next stage were from exposure to other cultures, types of people or religions. Piaget calls this accommodation as opposed to assimilation. So I am thinking about developing an Exposure Based Youth Ministry theory. In this theory or Practice the youth would be exposed to many different types of people, cultures, religions, denominations, experiences and so on. This would all be done in hopes of destroying stereotypes that prevent them from their full Moral Reasoning Potential. It could be groomed to whatever context you are in. For the right winged south it would involved exposing them to a Christian Democrat, a Christian Homosexual, a Muslim and so on. Do not get me wrong, this would not be all that the youth are taught but it would be a regular part of their youth group experience, accompanied with the denominations understanding of Christianity and solidified with spiritual practices i.e. lectio divina, centering prayer etc. I could be way off but it makes sense to me, what do you think?
Pax
Stephen
posted by Mary Liz Ingram @ 10:58 PM
5 Comments:
I don't think I want a Christian homosexual exposing himself to me.
"10 different ways to play Chubby Bunny class" That's hilarious! I could really use a class like that right now to lighten my load.
It's not a bad idea, but I don't think you can create crisis points. I like the idea of the exposure, but I think youth would still view it from a set worldview that wouldn't change because after the exposure they could return to their comfort zone. That being said, I think you should write the paper because its an idea worth exploring.
Adam,
I do understand your thought on them going back to their same thought systems because of the comfort factor. I, after looking back at my own life, can see the catalyst for change always coming from these types of exposures. I do think many if not most will in whatever way go back to their systems, and I am comfortable with that, the goal is not to convert them into a system of belief but rather expose them to something other than stereotypes and rhetoric and let them make their choices based on realife experiences, not second hand spin. Just a thought.
Pax
Stephen
I think Adam is right in that they will return to their conformtable worlds, but this isn't a bad thing as Adam seemed to imply. The way I see it, some, admitedly not all, will return to their comfort zones CHANGED from the experience, and in doing so they might see that they're not so comfortable in their comfort zones after all. At least not more comfortable that others are in theirs. And upon returning some might work for change in their comfort zones, and I've never been in a comfort zone that didn't need some changin'! With this understanding, returning home is a good thing, not a regrettable after effect of a life-changing experience. As Stephen said, these types of exposures were catalysts of change, not just for him on the inside, but with ripple effects throughout his whole sphere of influence, especially those in the comfort zones from which he came and to which he returned...
Tim,
I really appreciate your thoughts, that is really the point of the exposure, The language of the ripple effect is right on. Thanks for helping me clarify my original intent.
Pax
Stephen
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