I've been at Fuller Seminary for the last few days with a group of people interacting with the research findings of the Fuller Youth Institute. We're specifically working with the College Transition Project data and they are handing us lot's of documents labeled "Confidential" which means I can't talk about the results here yet.
What I will say though is that what they are learning should have broad implications for how we do youth ministry in the future. I'm not generally a very patient person and in this case nothing has changed. I want practical translations of the research into chunks that parents, volunteers, paid staff and senior leadership can wrap their heads around and understand. This will come in the next year and they are planning on testing it out with a few churches first.
The other side of this event that has been immensely rewarding are some of the new connections I've made. There are people here from a number of great churches and para church organizations. I'm learning a lot as we dialogue with each other.
Fuller is a place where I learned a ton and became the pastor that I am. When I left here though I never stopped learning. Coming back here the last few days has both been immensely rewarding as well as humbling as I realize there is still so much I don't know.
Can’t wait to hear. I’ve written and spoken at length on how the “college age/young adult problem” has actually been fostered by large portions of our youth ministry philosophy, priority and praxis. So, I’m hopeful, in reading between the lines and understanding some of Fuller’s endeavours… that the research and practical translations will begin to answer some of these issues.
Also, I’m hopeful for translations that are easily accessible, in the same way that you are hoping for!
That’s I’m going to Fuller- as soon as I can get back on my feet.
Sounds like a fun conversation.
In principle I get the whole confidentiality thing. I’m sure grants and publishing contracts might dictate what gets shared, what doesn’t, and when.
But we’re not talking about marketing tips and competitive business strategies here. We’re talking about the church. In today’s age, the raw data can easily be made available for our churches to run with. Why do we have to wait for pilot studies and polished publications before an average church can have access to the information? Instead of having 50 pilot churches, why not put the information out there for all the world to see via the web and have any church that wants to take the data and run with it?
I know you aren’t in control of what gets shared in this project, but you are in conversation with those who do. Let them know there are some of us hoping that institutions start to shift the way they think about their relationship to the church.
Matt- I understand the desire to want to see this data sooner than later. I should have mentioned in my post that a big part of what we were doing was interacting with the data they have now and shaping the questions that they will be asking in the next wave of interaction with their test group. Because they havent finished the study yet (it will be done in a year) they cant release the data because it is incomplete. Im a believer in what they are doing and think it will be one of the more helpful studies of youth ministry and will transform how we do things. The publishing thing is always a part of the process but I think they are doing the right thing now.
Lars