Introduction
John Westerhoff was a professor of theology and faith development and a minister. His theory of faith development is profound in its simplicity. For Westerhoff, faith grows like a tree, adding layers and rings from the inside outwards.
The four main styles of faith are Experienced Faith, Affiliative Faith, Searching Faith, and Owned Faith. The interesting thing about Westerhoff’s model is that faith formation is not linear. We never leave a stage of faith behind. Instead, it remains a part of who we are and how we experience our faith as we mature. This means that people at every stage of faith development have something to offer and something to receive from one another.
Just like children progress through various stages of educational development, they grow through different stages or “styles” of faith formation. This article highlights a few faith practices you can do with your child, depending on their stage of faith development.
Experienced Faith (Ages 0-5)
Young children explore and understand their faith through play and interaction with their surroundings. This includes imaginative activities, imitation, exploration, and observation.
Engage with your kids as they experience their faith through:
- Reading picture books together, such as age-appropriate Bibles for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Even very young children can make connections between books and stories and their lived experiences.
- Singing- Children love music! Introduce your kids to worship music through fun videos by Yancy and Seeds Family Worship. You can also go “old school” and teach them songs you may have learned as a child, like Jesus Loves Me and the B-I-B-L-E.
- Wondering - Young children love questions, especially the WHY question. Practice pausing and taking the opportunity to wonder with them when they ask, “Why?” Encourage them to engage their curiosity and wonder when reading Bible stories or enjoying God’s creation.
Affiliative Faith (6-12)
Children learn how to belong by observing and interacting with their community. These experiences are key to growing their faith because faith is closely tied to community practices and shared experiences.
Engage with your kids as they experience their faith through:
- Faith5- Sharing Highs and Lows, reading the Bible, and praying together. Guiding your sharing with specific questions like these increases engagement and garners more conversation. It is also a ritual that can provide a valuable connection point when families have to spend time apart.
- Drawing, painting, coloring, or sculpting to worship music - Our God is a creator, and that inspires us as creators. A beautiful way to express our faith is by creating as an act of worship. If you don’t consider yourself a creative person, call for reinforcements! Brainstorm with your child about who might have creative practices to share with them.
- Studying the Bible together - Some excellent resources allow you and your kids to study the Bible together. The Kids/She Reads Truth studies enable parents and kids to study the same book of the Bible, but at different experience levels.
Searching Faith (12+)
Taking stock of one’s beliefs and questioning prior convictions is a natural part of the faith formation journey. Testing and sifting through existing beliefs is essential for developing a personally owned faith. Life experiences often trigger this questioning and processing, leading individuals to search for enduring truths.
Engage with your teenagers as they experience their faith through:
- Questions - Parenting a preteen or a teenager is hard work, but it is worth it. Car rides to school, activities, and late nights provide excellent opportunities for presence and conversation. Simply being available to your child so they can share their questions with you is an integral part of this work of parenting. For tips on engaging with older kids’ tough questions, check out this interview with Sarah Cowan Johnson.
- Service projects - Serving others provides a natural path for experiencing and acting on compassion, and it allows kids to see how the Gospel makes a difference in the world, and exposes them to the stories and places God might be calling them into.
- Smartphone Prayers - Love or hate them, we almost all have them in our pockets, so why not use our smartphones as a tool for experiencing and growing in our faith? We love how this creative faith practice can turn scrolling on a smartphone into a holy moment.
Owned Faith
Westerhoff refers to faith that has matured through the previous three stages as “owned faith.” Though a person never leaves the other styles of faith behind, they take on a steadfast quality of stability and settledness, even in the midst of continued growth and development. Those who possess owned faith are like the “Oaks of Righteousness” in Isaiah 61. In their maturity and steadfastness, they display the glory of God. It is the integration of all the styles of faith that make a beautiful maturity. Rather than “growing out” of the other styles of faith, we grow more fully into mature expressions of them. Equipping children with practices that nurture their faith through these styles serves them for a lifelong practice of growing in Christlikeness. Don’t be surprised if you find your own faith growing through engaging these practices with your kids.
Conclusion
Our kids’ faith is always formed, whether they engage in intentional practices or not. These suggestions are ideas for making space in your family’s life to intentionally cooperate with God as you and your children grow in faith. Start by choosing one practice to try for a week. If you’d like more guidance, we encourage you to check out our podcast episode How do I know if my kid is getting it? With Sarah Cowan Johnson.