Educating young people through Christian youth worship: Reclaiming space for learning in liturgical contexts

Abstract

This article dealt with the relationship between education and youth worship in Protestant contexts in the Netherlands. Consequently, it dealt with the relation between Liturgical and Educational Studies. Our interest in the research project on youth worship in Protestant contexts centred on the question: How do young people, in a late-modern context, participate in youth worship? In our qualitative research, it appeared that ‘learning’ is a key word with regard to youth worship. This article discussed the questions: How are youth worship and ‘learning faith’ related? And, what are the qualities of learning faith in youth worship? Empirical results of the research in local youth worship services and national youth worship events were presented. These results concentrated on the dialogical dimension in youth worship gatherings and gave indications about the contents of what adolescents learn in youth worship gatherings. This ‘what’ referred, amongst other aspects, to the important content of ‘rules and freedom’. Respondents often valued and appropriated youth worship along the line of ‘(do not) have to’, with regard to a Christian life style, their relation with God, ethics, and doctrines. Moreover, themes in youth worship gatherings often focused on a specific Christian lifestyle, on its boundaries and its spaces. Some reflections with regard to the question ‘Why is learning faith a dominant element in youth worship?’ were given. The conclusions that the cognitive element is important in youth worship and that the explicit aspect of learning is a main approach in youth worship were discussed in relation to J. Astley’s (1984) theoretical notion that the language of worship is ‘performing non-cognitive’.<p><strong>How to cite this article:</strong> Sonnenberg, P.M. & Barnard, M., 2012, ‘Educating young people through Christian youth worship: Reclaiming space for learning in liturgical contexts’, <em>HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies</em> 68(2), Art. #1111, 8 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ hts.v68i2.1111</p&gt

A typology of catechetical learning environments

“…The scheme enables, for example, to label youth worship events as particular religious learning environments and to compare these with more traditional forms of learning environments in church life; a perspective recently elaborated on by Sonnenberg and Barnard who are reclaiming space for learning in liturgical contexts for young people. 65 Besides, an often-made distinction between three concepts of religious learning is mirrored in the distinction between the behavioural, developmental and apprenticeship model of catechistcatechumens roles. Alii draws these three lines of thinking on religious learning from a learning theoretical point of view.…”

What About Learning in Practical Theological Studies? Toward More Conceptual Clarity

“…Meerveld defines faith learning as a form of learning in which what is strived for or in which the result of the learning process is in the field of faith content, behavior (praxis), attitudes, experiences, or perceptions. Sonnenberg and Barnard (2012) present a definition of faith learning: They see, following Roebben (2007), the learning of faith as a "discovery of meaning." Next, we observe several interpretative frameworks with which (faith) learning can be understood: learning as a socialization process, as an identity-development process, as a physical process, and as a quality of youth worship.…”

“…A key finding was that "learning faith" is one of the qualities of adolescents' participation in youth worship. Based on empirical findings (collected by participative observation and interviews), Sonnenberg and Barnard (2012) distinguish learning impulses from learning products. Important impulses in youth worship events are discussions, sermons, speeches, and song texts.…”

“…Meerveld (forthcoming) defines faith learning as a form of learning that leads in the field of faith content to results in terms of behavior (praxis), attitudes, experiences, and perceptions. Sonnenberg and Barnard (2012) compress the field of faith learning into a discovery of meaning.…”

“…Our research on learning is carried out in practical theological studies on the practices of religious education, whether in church communities or in schools or wherever these practices are located. Increasingly, the primary focus is shifting from religious education toward studying young people in certain faith practices, which emphasize the concept of learning in academic studies (see, for example, Sonnenberg & Barnard, 2012). Although learning is becoming a common feature in many practical theological studies on young people in faith practices, the way learning is conceptualized varies.…”