A series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Introduction
Canadian scholar Joyce Bellous identified four pathways of spiritual expression in her books Educating Faith and Conversations that Change Us. David Csinos, a former student of Bellous, used these styles as a framework in his research into the spiritual lives of children.
In a first tailormade series for UK congregations, David Csinos wrote six articles (published during 2013) to help users of both ROOTS magazines think about the ways in which they draw upon four sections of the ROOTS weekly resources – Gather, Open the Word, Prayers and Respond to the Word/Explore & respond. In amongst these six articles you will discover practical ways to help people of each style feel nurtured in their dominant style and challenged to explore other styles.
2014 continued the series with articles designed to help you plan and prepare for different types of worship service and children's and youth groups.
At the end of 2014, we started a new series, considering our journey through the church year and how we can offer diverse provision within the flavour and feeling of each season.
Follow the links at the foot of the page to read the articles.
Watch David Csinos introducing the series on YouTube.
About the author
David M. Csinos is a Canadian practitioner who has studied some of the most insightful research on spiritual development published in recent years and used this as the foundation of his own research into different spiritual styles found in children.
His book Children’s Ministry that Fits, published by Wipf and Stock in 2011, is very readable, delightfully practical and extremely well referenced, providing an overview of a great deal of recent thinking about religious development. The book goes on to show how this understanding can be employed in developing genuinely supportive teaching programmes and meaningful worship in varied congregations.
David is currently Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also serves as founder and president of Faith Forward, an ecumenical organization for innovation in ministry with children and youth.
Dave writes widely about faith formation, children’s ministry, youth ministry, and culture. As well as Children’s Ministry that Fits, his books include:
- Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus (with Ivy Beckwith)
- Faith Forward (with Melvin Bray)
- Faith Forward, Volume 2 (with Melvin Bray)
- Faith Forward, Volume 3.
Dave holds a PhD in practical theology from University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto as well as degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University, and Union Presbyterian Seminary.
Spiritual Styles Part 1: Overview - Different ways of knowing God
The first of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual Styles Part 2 of 6: Praying with style
The second of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual Styles Part 3 of 6: Gather and welcome
The third of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual Styles Part 4 of 6: Opening the Word
The fourth of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual Styles Part 5 of 6: Ready to respond
The fifth of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual Styles Part 6 of 6: Send them out
The last of a six-part series exploring the variety of ways in which people experience God and make sense of the world around them.
Spiritual styles: Meet the styles
Meet children and adults who use Word, Symbol, Emotion and Action in different ways to experience God and make sense of the world around them
Spiritual styles: Planning all-age worship
Using spiritual styles to overcome the challenges of engaging everyone when they worship together
Spiritual styles: Planning mixed-age childrens groups
Using spiritual styles to engage the diverse spiritual preferences of your group as you worhship God together
Spiritual styles: Planning worship for adult congregations
Using spiritual styles to enrich the worship of largely adult congregations
Spiritual styles: Making all young people welcome
Using spiritual styles to plan sessions that allow each individual to access and explore his/her relationship with God
Spiritual styles: Meeting the needs of very young children
Victoria Goodman considers the part that three- to five-year-olds play in our worship and suggests diverse ways of meeting their spiritual needs, as well as discovering how we can learn from very young children.
Spiritual styles: In the context of fresh expressions of church
Continuing our series, Andrew Roberts and Jonathan Dowman reflect on their experience of fresh expressions of church and how an understanding of the variety of spiritual styles can inspire worship in these new communities.
Spiritual styles through the church year: Part 1 Advent and Christmas
Ideas for involving your church and its surrounding community in the Advent journey and Christmas activities/services
Spiritual styles through the church year: Part 2 Lent, Holy Week and Easter
How to offer diverse provision within the flavour and feeling of the Lent, Holy Week and Easter seasons.
Spiritual styles through the church year: Part 3 Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Word, Emotion, Action and Symbol-based activities for Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Spiritual styles through the year: Part 4 Summer
Do something different: Services, worship walks, creative ideas, community activities and summer study
Spiritual styles through the year: Part 5 Autumn
Using word, action, symbol and emotion for harvest and the new school year
Considering spiritual styles
Darren Philip, National Stewardship Consultant for the Church of Scotland, explores ways of incorporating Word, Emotion, Symbol and Action in an all-age Communion service.
