But what does that say to the young people and children we work with? If we don’t encourage our groups to pray – both together and individually – or demonstrate it ourselves, then it won’t seem important to them and their faith development will be severely hindered.
Now, not everyone connects with God in the same way, so it’s important that we provide lots of different ways to pray so that children and young people can find the best ways for them to chat with God. At this point, it might be good to read about the spiritual styles research done by Canadian theologian David Csinos. He lays out that there are four basic styles – word, emotion, action and symbol – and that people express their faith in a combination of these. Providing children and young people with different spiritual styles different activities to try will help prompt meaningful prayer, laying the foundations for a vibrant prayer life when they move on from our groups.
Here are some ideas to explore further:
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- ‘He spent literally hours with me’: how a youth leader led me to faith and to follow in his footsteps
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- Famous online? Helping your child navigate the allure of social media
- Why loneliness is an increasing problem for youth and children and what to do about it
- ‘Before we point the finger at Russell Brand, the church needs to get its own house in order and educate young people about consent’
- How can Christian parents help their children navigate their sexual desire wisely?
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