This book is incredibly researched and written in such a beautiful poetic way. It explores this idea we call "Teen confirmation" in the christian communities. It gives lots of different ideas and things to chew on as leaders of formation programs. It affirms modern ways of teaching, experiential learning, mentoring, involving parents..

This book was a very interesting read. With a teen and a preteen, I found it very helpful and insightful. I appreciated all of the research and detail. I feel a lot of the suggestions and tips were actually doable instead of the kind of never-gonna-happen advice from some books about parenting teens.

One of the most important aspects of Christian leadership is about the preparation for the next generation of leaders. However, there are major obstacles that stand between the young and the Church. The pattern is similar. The young are simply not interested about the Christian faith. Youth ministries often have limited success. Even if the children who grew up in Church are not keen to come. Such similar concerns spark the confirmation project, a three-year study of over 3000 congregations in America, spanning five different denominations. The twelve researchers gather both empirical data as well as apply their reflection on practical theology. Those who responded include parents, youths, workers, and leaders of church ministries. The name "confirmation" is traditionally used to symbolize the beginning of youth ministry. The researchers discover that youth ministries cannot be reduced to a one-time program or experience. Instead, they must be a process of intentional discipleship strategies. Using qualitative research methodology known as portraiture, they whittle down the selections to 12 success stories. It is also encouraging that youths who participated in the research find the following topics important for confirmation programs: God, Bible, The Lord's Prayer, Death & Resurrection, Experiencing God, Apostles' Creed, Meaning of Life, History, and Miracles. Interestingly, it was found that young people strongly mirror the faith of their parents. Those who participate in confirmation ministries are also more religious than their peers. At the same time, learning more about their faith does not mean they automatically grow. Significant factors include regular attendance at youth programs, VBS, Sunday worship, and camps. Youths who attend Sunday services regularly also feel a greater sense of belonging. The contributors take these five major findings and propose five ways to cultivate teen faith.

Addressing the top subject of theology, Katherine Douglass and Gordon Mikoski try to merge theological knowledge with holistic relevance to help youths encounter God more. Anchoring on Trinitarian doctrine and the Imago Dei, they show us the importance to relate to youths through engaging science and culture through the process of building dialogues. Mentoring is proposed to address the need to build relationships in faith formation. Here, Lisa Kimball and Kate Harmon Siberine shares several ways to mentor youths. Teach interdependence instead of self-autonomy. Connect youths with adult mentors. Mentoring involves deep listening, preferring the relationships more than the curriculum. It means creating a safe space for learning. It also includes spiritual modeling and mutual mentorship. About camps and retreats, Kermit Moss and Jacob Sorenson look at the benefits of having a special time away from familiar grounds to connect with one another. We need to be careful not to turn such times into sessions of information download. Instead, cultivate participatory learning, caring for one another, and adhering to a rhythm of daily living. The fourth theme is about family participation. Joy Arroyo, Kate Unruh, and Katherine Douglass believe that faith formation of youths is directly related to the faith formation of their parents. Thus, churches need to have a strategy to integrate parents into confirmation programs of their kids. This single factor of parental influence has direct bearing on the youths' believing, behaving, and belonging. They point out that greater understanding between the various generations are the benefits of having such interactions. They share a letter to parents that contains amazing exhortation to connect with their kids. Reginald Blount and Gordon Mikoski shares stories about various forms of teaching instructions. Apart from direct teaching, we learn about "flipped classroom" where learners watch online materials and share their learning and applications with the group. Lest we succumb to dependence on human works, they remind us that God is at work with the young. They give us further points about teaching to transmit, transform, and transgress. Team learning is encouraged.

My Thoughts
This book is heavily based on empirical data. I really appreciate the efforts to collect and consolidate the data into qualitative findings. This requires herculean organization. Not only have the contributors done the data mining, they highlight key themes and learning for our convenience. They give us suggestions and strategies to build on these themes. Collaboration efforts like this help churches at large, especially smaller congregations. Churches with limited resources will have limited capabilities to implement the strategies. There are several caveats to note. First, the survey results are to be seen as snapshots of a particular context at a particular time. That means the results could vary when done at another time and another place. Second, qualitative responses may mean different things to different people. This means that the study should be interpreted with a broad understanding rather than any specific description. Third, contextualization is necessary. Just like not all churches are the same, the more important exercise for church leaders is to know their churches. What works for one church may not necessarily work for yours. Nevertheless, for such a huge project, thanks must go to the Lilly Endowment for sponsoring the work. More caveats in the book can be found in the last chapter.

Having said that, there are many good things to say about this book. It distills five main strategies for us to take and implement. Church leaders would be encouraged that a lot of teens still see the importance of direct learning with regard to knowledge about God. Mentoring is something often talked about but not practiced as much. The ideas in chapter two should provide some impetus to do something about it. The chapter on Practical Theology summarizes everything together for our convenience. Thanks to the authors for practical insights based on factual data to help us plan our outreach to youths.

Richard Osmer is Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and teaches practical theology. Katherine Douglass is assistant professor of Educational Ministry and Practical Theology at Seattle Pacific University. She helped direct the Confirmation Project with a $1.1 million grant from the Lily Endowment.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of William B. Eerdmans and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

First of all, full disclosure- I'm an Evangelical Christian. Cultivating Teen Faith is written based an extensive survey of other denominations: Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran. However, in my experience, teenage kids are similar, no matter what denomination they are. They have similar motivations, fears, anxieties, curiosities, etc. With that in mind, I dug in and found some good information here. Cultivating Teen Faith surveyed hundreds of congregations- leaders, parents and teens- to find out what mattered to them.

One of the toughest challenges of any congregation, regardless of denomination, is keeping teenagers in the church as they get to their late teens and young adulthood. Many- dare I say most- leave the church during their late teens. As teens embark on their journey into adulthood, so many decide that their faith is better left behind as something irrelevant to their lives. Teenagers are very good at spotting hypocrisy, and they can see what is really making a difference for people and what isn't. This book examines the different methods that are used to funnel kids through the church, such as "confirmation" classes- what different youth groups look like, what has been tried and what seems to work best. Teens surveyed related what subjects they are interested in and what they are trying to get out of confirmation classes and youth groups. Adults surveyed have their own topics they feel are important to teach teens- the differences in their answers is surprising and may give some insight into why some things work and others bore kids to death.

Also discussed are church camps and retreats and other events that take place outside of the church walls. Are they effective in reinforcing the teachings of the church? The short answer is Yes. Parents' beliefs and involvement in church were also surveyed and correlated to how likely their teens were to share their parents' belief in the things of God, to follow Biblical morality, etc. The surveys found, of course, that hypocrisy was a major component that turned teens off to the faith- whether on the part of their parents, mentors, or church leaders. Teens wanted to know that their faith made a difference in their lives- how they interact with other people, with God, with the world around them.

There were some dry parts to the book for me, maybe due to my background in the Lutheran faith. All of us kids in confirmation class were bored to tears learning about church history, traditions, etc. It wasn't until one youth leader took us on trips and taught us through end times stuff and the life of Jesus and how the Bible related to us, that I became interested. He ended up moving, and I didn't see any life in the church (adults are experts at doing things out of ritual and habit even if they don't believe in them). so I left the Lutheran church. However, that youth leader sparked something in me that led me back to the faith a few years later.

This book has a survey included at the end, which they sent out originally. I don't know that there is anything really dynamic and groundbreaking here that will give you a road map to holding onto teens (if there is such a thing). However, there are some good insights here about what may or may not work, and what teens say is important to them. If you can skip over the dry patches, there is some useful info here.

This well researched and beautifully written exploration of teen confirmation in Christian communities provides much food for thought for those leading Christian formation programs. This study affirms the use of modern methods of teaching, experiential learning, the importance of mentoring relationships, and the involvement of parents in teens' faith formation. Highly recommended for youth ministers, clergy, and lay leaders.

This book has revolutionised how I prepare my church kids for confirmation. The writers deliver such a personal and promising insight into how to deliver something that will stay with teens for a long time.

I wish I had read this book or got involved in the study when I was taking my Confirmation classes! Well written, very relatable especially if you have an understanding of what Confirmation is and what it means to Christians who take part in it. I started out reading this book, hoping to learn more about immersive mentoring and how to help young people shape their faith during this time and even after it. I found insights on more including mentorship and the power of innovation. This is a great guide for Christians, but more than that, it's a testimony in itself, a collection of shared experiences to build on the experience of Confirmation and the faith journey.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and the authors for sharing this wonderful work.