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:
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