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A Religious Based Study for Teaching Adolescents and Young Adults: Toward a
Framework with Implications for All Churches

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Abstract
This study explores the strategies that can be used in teaching religion to unwilling
teenagers or young adults. Findings from this study depict the development and understanding of
adolescents, youth pastors, praise and worship, and gender differences of adolescents and young
adults. Implications are offered for current and future young adults or adolescents, youth pastors,
and practitioners.

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Research Statements
Topic: Teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or young adults
Statement of problem: The research problem that is motivating this study is the lack of
knowledge on strategies that can be used in teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or young
adults.
Research question: What strategies can be used in teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or
young adults?
Purpose of this study: The purpose of this study is to provide new knowledge regarding the
strategies that can be used in teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or young adults.
Theoretical Framework
Fowlers Faith Stage Theory is used as a lens in understanding how to teach religion to
teenagers or young adults. Fowlers Faith Stage Theory provides insight on the beginning stages
of understanding who you are trying to teach. First, you must understand where the teenager is in
development before you can teach. However, with this theory, you can understand that most
teenagers are trying to find a sense of identity. James Fowler emphasizes that at this stage
teenagers are conventional; meaning that most people in this stage see themselves as believing
what "everybody else" believes, and would be reluctant to stop believing it because of the need
to stay connected with their group (James, 2014). Additionally, most adults stay in this stage
through out there lives.

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Literature Review
The Development and Understanding of Adolescents
Before I can obtain any strategies to successfully teach any teenager or youth group about
a religion, I must first understand the various developmental stages of who is being taught. In
this section, I compare the difference between three different works that highlight research on the
development and understanding of adolescents. The works that I have chosen did a very
insightful job on analyzing different adolescents. Adolescence is a time that most experience a
lot of adversities and difficult issues. During the time of adolescence, God tends to be working
on and building resilience within them. Dekker (2011), defines resilience as the ability to
thrive, mature, and increase competence in the face of adverse circumstances or obstacles and as
the ability to come through trying times and makes it through to the top, (Dekker, 2011).
Resilience is also a movement within a person to realize and surpass the negative impact of a
circumstance combined with the fact that God has a tendency to reveal himself in and through
adversity. Although most teens tend to go through many adversities, adversities build Christian
character. This article, in particular, studies the formality of resilience in youth. From the study,
the researchers conclude that resilience cannot be formed from a youth program or formal
educational process, however, resilience forms through different everyday issues and adversities.
The leader or pastor should be there for moral support, not to be impatient and quick fix the
situation. It also advised the leader to formulate patience. The strengths of this article in
comparison to other articles are that it talks about the situations that most adolescents face. The
understanding of the situations that adolescents face is the right path to understanding
adolescence and their development.

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The groundbreaking research in this study is James Fowlers 6 Stages of Faith. This
study which solely illustrates the Protestant religion supports the contention of Fowler and others
with the notion of ones faith stage. This theory is an excellent predictor of the way respondents
reacted to mentor of in-groups and out-groups. The flaw of this study was just no randomization
or variety of religion in the study. Also the study lacked the randomization of specific race,
because no two races are the same. The final research comparison gives a weak description of
development; however, it does give a better description of the people in the adolescent stage.
Carter et. Al. illustrates that Early adolescence (i.e., 11 to 14 years of age) is a time of
biological, psychological, social, and spiritual evolution and is characterized by dramatic
changes for self and relationships with family and peers (Carter et. Al, 2013, 150). At this stage
many teens are going through a lot. Puberty, emotions, identity development are just a few things
that happens at this stage. This study aims to explore associations between adolescent spirituality
and the common adolescent experience of peer victimization (Carter2013). In this stage of
development many teens are victimized. In other words, teens are persuaded or are dealing with
peer pressure. As Carter et. Al, (2013) emphasized, Spirituality and peer relations are relevant
factors in adolescent development. With the experiences throughout adolescents development,
adolescent need a coping mechanism. The article states the importance of spirituality as well as
peer relations. Carter et. al. (2013), also stated The findings of the current study suggest that
peer victimization and certain aspects of spirituality (i.e., spiritual forgiveness, religious
attendance, and daily spiritual experiences) are negatively related. The study suggests that
adolescents with spirituality are not affected by victimization because of their spiritual acts. The
study took place in a Christian school setting, however, it didnt tell us about the adolescents
without a Christian surrounding.

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Youth pastors
In this section, we compare the difference between two works that illustrate research on
the effectiveness of youth pastors or ministries. I believe this is the most important section in this
review, because youth ministries can be outlets for adolescents. From my own experience my
youth pastor was the only one I could talk to at times about tough situations. Youth ministers
help to make the adolescent group motivated to worship God. Out of the whole literature review,
this is the most important section because it gives incite to the Shepherd over the lives of
adolescents. Shepherd, meaning pastor or leader, can have a positive and negative effect on a
teenagers life. Being that this is so, the two articles, or studies give new perspective on youth
ministries and pastors. In the Kagler (2010) study, the researchers choose to use a web based
survey. Surveys are weak when it comes to obtaining information in a study. Many of surveys are
not taken seriously. However, future researcher should change the experimental method of
getting information and gathering more. The information that this study is lacking is the detail
about the youth workers or minsters. I would love to know how they feel or some strategies that
they feel that work for the youth.
Ji and Tameifuna (2011) suggest their findings that adolescents tend to feel church
programs more meaningful when they are frequently allowed to take leading roles in the
programs also supports our expectation. The study is formulated to attempt to change the
decrease in youth attendance. I believe this is an insightful study; however, there is a need for
more details on how the pastor relates to the different adolescents. This study also uses surveys

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to obtain data. This is not a good way to obtain data. Being that this is so, I believe that a new
study should be done with a better experimental method. Also, I believe in this section that this
survey should be annual. I believe that adolescents change constantly; on the other hand, the
effectiveness of youth pastors should be measured more frequently.
Praise and worship
This section gives new knowledge on how to understand adolescents. In this section I
compare the difference between each work that describes praise and worship. The first work that
I chose in this study is a study that data came from the conversations at church with teenagers
(Jansen, 2012). The problem motivating this study is the lack of knowledge on the formation of
teenagers faith. The goal of worship service always should be to ensure that God receives all the
glory and honor; therefore, the teenagers faith should be restored. Another purpose of this
article is to find new knowledge to help insure that teenagers attending service learn the
awareness of Gods presence. The sample size of forty youth members completed a
questionnaire. The whole sample chose prayer as the most important activity. Also the results
of the questionnaire show that the sample group believes that the music was uplifting,
transforming and a sense of connection. This study may have needed a bigger sample size with
more ethnic and racial groups and a wider age span. The study did a poor job with including all
age groups in the sample size.
Gunnoe (2009) notes Participation in a religious congregation has been linked to a
variety of positive outcomes and to a healthier development in identity for the youth (236). For
example, it goes into depth about meaning when it states that We are humans and we need
affiliation and some meaning (Gunnoe 2009). Within this work, it compared ten measures with
four formal worship experiences. This should be characterized as ground-breaking research.

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Gender Difference
Gender difference is not as important as the studies. However, it does play a rule in
understanding how to understand adolescents. With gender difference, this is more of a
comparison. In this section, we compare the difference between each work that facilitates
research on the gender differences as it correlates with religion or faith. This is imperative for
getting a better understanding on adolescents. Some believe there is no significance of gender in
comparison to religion. However, with this understanding you will have a great key in teaching
adolescents. The first work in understanding gender differences is the comparisons formulated in
this study which gender is more religious. In the study they found that females were more
religious. This was a good study but a lot more research should be done on religion in different
denominations. I believe it may have a different effect within different religions. According to
Nelsen (1981), the data collected in 1975, from a national sample of adolescents and analysis is
limited to protestant groups such as Baptist, Methodists and other sect. The research in this study
needs to be updated and have a sample variety. For example, this sample study was in the
southern United States.
The last study was way more detailed. It did not just compare gender. It also incorporates
age, stress, and specific religious variables. This study was better because it had a better
randomization in its sample. The participants were between the eighth and twelfth grade. The
study was very detailed about the correlation of religiosity and spirituality and gender.

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Conclusion
These studies that Ive chosen give a better pathway in the understanding of new
knowledge on strategies that can be used in teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or young
adults. However, by tying research together on understanding the development of adolescents,
youth pastors, praise and worship with gender differences of adolescents and young adults, the
studies still had a lot of flaws. Many studies lacked the randomization and variety of religion or
denomination. Also, it lacks variety on race, because no two races are the same. Also, future
researchers on this topic should include details about youth pastors and workers. They should
note some areas or strategies that work on adolescents and young adults. There is still research
that may be done on strategies that can be used in teaching religion to unwilling teenagers or
young adults.

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References
Carter, J., Flanagan, K. S., & Caballero, A. B. (2013). Spirituality and Peer Victimization in
Early Adolescence: Associations within a Christian School Context. Journal of
Psychology & Theology, 41(2), 150-160.

Dekker, J. (2011). ,Resilience, Theology ,and the Edification of Youth: are we Missing a
perspective. Journal of Youth Ministry, 9(2), 67-89.

Fowler's Faith Stage Theory (2014) Retrieved from

http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/fowler_stage.htm

Green, C. W., & Hoffman, C. L. (1989). Stages of Faith and Perception of Similar and Dissimilar
Others Review Of Religious Research, 30(3), 246.

Gunnoe, M. (2009). And a Teen Shall Lead Them: The Relationship Between Worship
Experiences and Youth Religiosity in the Panel Study of American Religiosity and
Ethnicity (PS-ARE). Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 28(3), 236-247.

James Fowler's Stages of Faith Development 2009 Retrieved from

http://www.exploring-spiritual-development.com/JamesFowlersStages.html
Jansen, H. P. (2012). Faith Development of The Teenager During The Sunday Evening Worship Service.
Acta Theologica, 32(2), 86-102. doi:10.4314/actat.v32i2.6

Ji, C. C., & Tameifuna, T. (2011). Youth Pastor, Youth Ministry, and Youth Attitude Towards The Church.
Review of Religious Research, 52(3), 306-322.

Kageler, L. (2010). A Cross National Analysis OF Church Based Youth Ministries. Journal of Youth
Ministry, 8(2), 49-68.

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Moodley, T., Esterhuyse, K., & Beukes, R. (2012). The Ways in Which Adolescents Cope and their
Relationship to Age, Gender and Specific Religious Variables. Journal Of Psychology In Africa
(Elliott & Fitzpatrick, Inc.), 22(1), 10-20. doi:10.1080/14330237.2012.10874516

Nelsen, H. H. (1981). Gender and Regional Differences in the Religiosity of Protestant Adolescents.
Review Of Religious Research, 22(3), 268.

Tshabalala, B. J. (2010). The role of praise and worship activities in spiritual well-being: perceptions of a
Pentecostal Youth Ministry group. International Jansen, H. P. (2012). Faith Development of The
Teenager During The Sunday Evening Worship Service. Acta Theologica, 32(2), 86-102.
doi:10.4314/actat.v32i2.6

Ji, C. C., & Tameifuna, T. (2011). Youth Pastor, Youth Ministry, and Youth Attitude Towards The Church.
Review of Religious Research, 52(3), 306-322.

Kageler, L. (2010). A Cross National Analysis OF Church Based Youth Ministries. Journal of Youth
Ministry, 8(2), 49-68.

Moodley, T., Esterhuyse, K., & Beukes, R. (2012). The Ways in Which Adolescents Cope and their
Relationship to Age, Gender and Specific Religious Variables. Journal Of Psychology In Africa
(Elliott & Fitzpatrick, Inc.), 22(1), 10-20. doi:10.1080/14330237.2012.10874516

Nelsen, H. H. (1981). Gender and Regional Differences in the Religiosity of Protestant Adolescents.
Review Of Religious Research, 22(3), 268.

Tshabalala, B. J. (2010). The role of praise and worship activities in spiritual well-being: perceptions of a
Pentecostal Youth Ministry group. International Journal Of Children's Spirituality, 15(1), 73-82.