Children's Spirituality Summit 2024

"The mystery of God and the cultivation of awe and wonder are significant elements of spiritual formation (Stonehouse, 1998; Cavaletti, 1992) and this awareness has prompted increasing conversations in the world of ministry and curriculum. However, in many faith traditions the focus has long been centered primarily on acquiring knowledge about Scripture and tradition (Cavaletti, 1992), and it remains decidedly so. As a result, when children in these faith communities reach their emerging adult years and following, faith is often viewed through the lens of having the “right answer” (Nye, 2009) which can create a disconnect where adults are uncomfortable with the mysterious aspects of faith and thus struggle when questions and complexities cannot be answered by the pre-determined and often over-simplified Bible point (Csinos and Beckwith, 2013; Stonehouse, 1998). This work is intended to examine the connection between children’s spiritual formation and crises of faith in adulthood when praxis places a high value on the reduction of God's narrative to the “right answer” within a children’s ministry. What are practices within children’s ministry that cultivate curiosity and embrace mystery so the inevitable questions individuals encounter hopefully do not diminish their faith but deepen and enhance it? Furthermore, how are those practices emerging within faith communities? This research seeks to better illuminate the connection between the mystery of God, children’s spiritual formation, and the practice of ministry.