Updated 2/15/12
If you work with college students than you likely have spent some time thinking about how we help them “claim ownership” of their faith.
Most students come to campus with a faith that is not truly their own. It’s a faith that has been passed on to them, or cultivated in them, by their parents or pastors over the course of the first 18 years of their life.
For many of these students, that inherited faith was never tested or questioned. These young people simply believed what they were told by the adults who had influence in their life.
And that’s really how it works. Right?!
Much like learning how to walk or talk, or tie one’s shoes, or brush one’s teeth – people who are older and wiser trained us up to be able to do certain things… and they likely did more than just show us how to do these things… they likely — or hopefully — told us why we should do such things.
Knowing how to do these things is important to functioning properly in life.
And that’s important.
And for most families of faith, instructing their children on how to live a life of faith, and what to believe, and even why to believe it, falls smack into the middle of this category of things that need to be learned in order to “function” in the “right way” in the world.
And that works… for a season.
“Because my parents (or pastors) told me so,” can be a perfectly acceptable explanation for why we do this – or believe that – or think a certain way… up to a point…
But at some point individuals needs to transition from an ‘inherited’ set of practices and beliefs, to one that is ‘owned.’
If this transition hasn’t happened by the time students arrive on campus, a transition in this area must be a part of their collegiate experience.
But how does that happen?
How do we facilitate, or assist, in this important transitional process?
Can we program for it?
- Design a teaching series around it
- Create a bible study that walks students through it
- Facilitate certain experiences that set students up to step into it
Or do we attempt to force the transition?
- Calling into question their beliefs
- Critiquing their values
- Pointing out the holes in their logic? The inadequacies in their parents, or pastors, logic?
- Exposing the inconsistencies in their belief (orthodoxy) and they way they live it out (orthopraxy)
OR, do we have to wait for those Divine moments when God makes it clear that NOW is the time to raise the question?
- The teachable moment in a one-on-one counseling session
- The natural (and not forced) part of the lunch conversation
- The intentional instruction in a class, training, debrief, etc.
I suppose one could find a part of the answer in each of the categories mentioned above.
And my guess is that we will all take a slightly different approach to this in our particular ministry contexts… but the key will likely be the same: challenging students – really challenging them – without turning them off to God, while helping them to see the need to take “ownership” of their faith.
So what does it look like for you?
- How do you help your students to transition from an inherited faith to one that is owned?
Please take a moment to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.
4 thoughts on “How Do You Help Students Transition From an Inherited Faith to One That Is Owned?”
thank you for this Blog!! The question you posted is something I personally and other college students in Ireland have struggled with. Having Christian parents, growing up in church and suddenly being plunged into college life makes for a difficult transition as a christian.
Your Sunday school faith is suddenly blown out the window, your concept of God is shattered, at one stage you thought there was only one God but now you are taught there are many supposed Gods, you feel like you have been brain washed by your church and you personally cannot cope with the big world and all this new information.
I have often been told that the best way to learn or transition from an inherent faith to one that is your own is to be thrown right into the deep end and see how quickly you learn to paddle.
firstly, I think we should encourage students before they go to college to ask questions and think for themselves.
Secondly, we should at some stage teach students that the Bible is a complex book and the fact that what we here on a Sunday morning or from our parents only serves as a foundation/ platform to everything else we can learn.
Thirdly, we need to equip students to verbally use particular language to explain their faith so they don’t come across like Sunday school pupils. Just tell ” Your own story” is sometimes not good enough, we need to be better equipped.
finally, God uses relationships to transform life’s and this takes time. Stop thinking ” we must get them saved or into church” but build long lasting relationships with people and that will eventually bring fruit, but be prepared for a long but satisfying road.
now back to work,
Andrew
Ireland.
Andrew, so sorry I missed this 10 months ago!
These are great thoughts. Thank you for sharing (all the way from Ireland)!
I especially like your first point about getting students to ask “hard questions” and think for themselves.
Good stuff.
May I suggest that most of the time a faith that is only inherited has no roots and must die in order for a new, vibrant, life-altering, fruit bearing faith to be born?
Hey Justin!
Yes, I would agree with you, but only in some instances.
In other instances though, I think there are roots that are present, but the process of tending to their faith (caring for their faith, nurturing it, growing it, etc.) can only happen through a thorough examination and exploration of their inherited faith — which should bring the student to a point of decision — and either they will retain all (or much) of what they had inherited (not making it more fully “their own”) or they’ll choose to do away with most (or all) of it and either start all over… or sadly, just walk away.
Does that make sense?
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