At the forefront of The Boys’ Brigade’s Object is “The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom”. For 140 years, through our weekly meetings, residential experiences and other events, we have been seeking to fulfil the Object by introducing children and young people to a Biblical narrative that offers them the opportunity to live “life to the full” (John 10:10) through coming to know Jesus for themselves.
Every child and young person is different, so the BB Faith Journey model is not a perfect formula (or a ‘sausage machine’) where young people enter at one end and exit as fully formed, mature, on-fire Christians at the other. It is, however, a framework that allows us to engage with young people, allows them to explore what the Bible tells them about who they are and why they are here, gives them the opportunity to encounter Jesus and acknowledge him as their Saviour and then helps them expand his kingdom by stepping into everything that God has planned for them.
We recognise that for some of our members, we will just be sowing the seeds of faith, sparking their curiosity and seeking to answer some of their questions. It will be for others to nurture those seeds and for God to meet them elsewhere on their journey. We are not, however, content with just seed sowing and we want as many of our members as possible to encounter Jesus and have their lives transformed. Importantly, we also want them to have fun along the way!
Introducing and embedding the Faith Journey model is simply a way of trying to define how our activities support our Object in relation to the Christian faith and the lived experience of our members. It acts as a framework that allows us to review our provision and support for our leaders as they journey with children and young people. It helps us identify areas we are doing well in and areas in which we maybe need to step up.
The Faith Journey: The 4 E’s
The Faith Journey has four steps to it as follows:
Step One: Engage
“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20 (NLT)
The BB has a highly attractive programme which allows young people to learn, grow and discover in a caring and fun environment. We are a trusted and effective way for Churches to engage with children, young people and families.
Some of the ways we do this include:
- Engaging with children and young people and inviting them to join a group
- Welcoming them into the group and ensuring they have a positive experience
- Equipping leaders to develop strong and lasting relationships with the young people
Our plans to enhance support in this area include:
- Developing new resources to help Churches understand how the BB can support their ministry to children, young people and families
- Developing new resources to help existing groups strengthen their relationships with their Church
Step Two: Explore
“With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.” Mark 4:33-34 (The Message)
The BB offers a varied programme which includes resources to help young people explore the Bible in an environment that models Christian values.
Some of the ways we do this include:
- Using programme and other resources to unpack the Bible
- Relating Christian beliefs and practices to everyday life
- Leaders sharing their personal testimonies and faith journey experiences
- Providing space for questions
Our plans to enhance support in this area include:
- Ensuring ‘Get into the Bible’ is comprehensive in enabling young people to explore the key elements of the Christian faith
- Ensuring exploration opportunities are not just confined to ‘Get into the Bible’ activities
- Enhancing training to increase leader confidence and skills in supporting young people explore faith
- Providing access to external faith development resources e.g. Youth Alpha, Stir
- Developing bespoke faith discovery resources
Step Three: Encounter
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
The BB offers opportunities for young people to encounter Jesus and make a personal decision to become a Christian. This may be within regular group meetings or on residential or other experiences.
Some of the ways we do this include:
- Offering opportunities to encounter God through the Bible, prayer and worship
- Offering the opportunity for young people to make a personal commitment to become a follower of Jesus
Our plans to enhance support in this area include:
- Programme resources to support prayer and worship
- Helping leaders increase their confidence and skills in supporting young people on their faith journey
- Providing greater access to faith building events (national & local) internally (e.g. Unite) and external (e.g. Satellites)
Step Four: Expand
“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20 (The Message)
The BB offers opportunities for young people who have said ‘yes’ to Jesus to grow in their faith and to expand his kingdom through outreaching to their friends, taking on leadership roles in their group and making a difference in their local community and beyond.
Some of the ways we do this include:
- Helping young people grow in their faith and discover their calling
- Enabling young people to step into leadership
Our plans to enhance support in this area include:
- Helping leaders prepare for success – how do we provide ongoing support to a young person who has said ‘yes’ to Jesus?
- Inclusion of ‘Expand’ element within Company & Seniors Programme Activities
- Provide faith building resources young people can access directly e.g. Grow Faith app
- Equipping young people to reach their peers
- Connecting into external development opportunities e.g. Amplify Academy
Conclusion
Whilst this model is rightly centred on the faith development journey of the individual young person and the equipping of leaders to journey with their young people, there are additional benefits that this model may bring. These include developing young leaders who are better placed to pass on the baton of faith and making the BB more attractive to Churches seeking to reach children, young people and families. The result of this will be increased capacity and more opportunity for young people to experience the journey of faith with the BB for themselves.
Questions or Support
If you have any questions about the Faith Journey please get in touch with our Ministry Team at ministry@boys-brigade.org.uk