Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey: Guidance for Those Who Teach and Nurture

by Catherine Stonehouse, Scottie May

Overview

How do children experience and understand God? How can adults help children grow their life of faith? Throughout more than a decade of field research, children's spirituality experts Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May listened to children talk about their relationships with God, observed children and their parents in learning and worship settings, and interviewed adults about their childhood faith experiences. This accessibly written book weaves together their findings to offer a glimpse of the spiritual responsiveness and potential of children. Through case studies, it provides insight into children's perceptions of God and how they process their faith. In addition, the book suggests how parents, teachers, and ministry leaders can more effectively relate to and work with children and pre-adolescents to nurture their faith, offering a helpful picture of adults and children on the spiritual journey together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801032363
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/01/2010
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Catherine Stonehouse (PhD, Michigan State University), prior to her retirement, served as the Orlean Bullard Beeson Professor of Christian Discipleship and dean of the School of Practical Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. She continues to serve Asbury as an adjunct professor. She is the author of the award-winning Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey. Scottie May (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of Christian formation and ministry at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and coeditor of Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community. Both authors speak regularly on topics related to the spirituality of children.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Why Listen to Children?
2. Knowing God in Childhood
3. Experiencing God in Everyday Life
4. Children Experiencing God at Church
5. The Formative Power of God's Story
6. Let the Children Come: Loving, Knowing, and Following Jesus
7. Celebrating Compassion
8. The Church Partnering with Parents
Appendix A: The Research Designs
Appendix B: Resources and Ideas