Emerging from the Valuegenesis study are 41 characteristics of families, congregations, and schools that are associated with both a deep, maturing faith and a commitment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We refer to these characteristics as Effectiveness Factors.
Young people who experience these Effectiveness Factors display greater faith maturity and/or deeper denominational loyalty. As each of the factors increases, the faith maturity and/or denominational loyalty of the person increases.
20 Family Effectiveness Factor
Family Practice
1. Engages in family worship
2. Family worship is interesting and meaningful
3. Engages in projects to help other people (See: Service)
Mother
4. Mother is religious
5. Mother is comfortable talking about her faith
6. Mother talks about her faith with child
7. Mother and child talk together about faith
Father
8. Father is religious
9. Father is comfortable talking about his faith
10. Father talks about his faith with child
11. Father and child talk together about faith
Support
12. Parent/child communication is frequent and positive
13. Family life is experienced as loving, caring and supportive
14. Parents help child with schoolwork
Control
15. Family enforces substance abuse standards
16. Family enforces Adventist "way of life" standards
17. Family enforces Adventist "popular culture" standards
18. Parents punish wrong behavior
19. Parents have strong standards against alcohol use by child
20. Parents set limits on use of time
Analysis: Although all 20 Family Effectiveness Factors show a positive impact, the least impact is made by factors within the control theme. The strongest Family Effectiveness Factor is the quality of family worship. It is in the family context that standards enforcement plays a positive role, whereas such control is not particularly associated with the effectiveness of congregations or schools.
Finally the power of parents sharing their own faith experiences is evident. Such sharing is particularly important to youth, because it both models a dynamic faith and also gives opportunity to reflect on and expand one’s own religious understanding. – From Valegenesis, Report 1, page 17, 18
12 Congregational Effectiveness Factors
Congregational Climate
1. Emphasizes learning, discussion, question-asking, and independent thinking
2. Feels friendly and hospitable
3. Youth frequently experience support and concern from adult
4. Youth frequently experiencing support and concern from peers
Religious Education Programming
5. Sabbath School and other church youth programs are viewed as interesting
6. Sabbath school and other church youth programs are thought provoking
7. Emphasizes drug and alcohol education
8. Emphasizes sexuality education
9. Emphasizes involving youth in helping the poor and hungry
10. Emphasizes the teaching of the Adventist standards
11. Involves youth in intergenerational programs and events
12. Religious educators are experienced as warm, caring and supportive
Analysis: Looking across the 12 Congregational Effectiveness Factors, we see that several themes predominate. Clearly, one is warmth and support. A second theme has to do with intellectual challenge. A third theme has to do with relevance to the adolescent experience, as evidenced by life related topics such as drugs and sexuality. – From Valuegenesis, Report 1, pages 20,21
9 School Effectiveness Factors
Religious Programming and Faith Talk
1. Religious education program is of high quality
2. Students frequently talk to teachers at school about God and faith
Characteristics of teachers
3. Caring and supportive
4. Competent
School Climate
5. School spirit is high
6. Discipline is fair
7. Students have a voice in school policy
8. Teachers refrain from "putting down" students
9. School enforces Adventist "way of life" standards
Analysis: Although each of the School Effectiveness Factors is important, the most powerful of the nine is the quality of the school religious education program.
A dominant theme in the nine School Effectiveness Factors is the affective nature, or “climate,” of schools. Effectiveness is associated with a supportive, encouraging, open community marked by school spirit” treating students with respect, fair discipline, and teachers who care.
This kind of warm and supporting climate stands in contrast to a climate premised more on strict enforcement, authority and obedience. Such emphases on strictness were also measured in the study, but they do not appear to be associated with the development of faith maturity or denominational loyalty.
Only one of the nine school effectiveness factors relates to such an emphasis, namely, enforcement of Adventist “way of life” standards. It functions to promote denominational loyalty but not faith maturity. Strictness of enforcement of standards concerning Adventist “popular culture” standards is not related to either faith maturity or denominational loyalty. Strictness of standards concerning substance abuse is also unrelated.
It can be said with surety that there is no evidence that increasing the strictness with which the “popular culture” or substance abuse standards are enforced would have a benefit for either faith maturity or loyalty to Adventism. - From Valuegenesis, Report 1, pages 22, 23
From: ABZ’s of Adventist Youth Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group
