Effects of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media: Examining Belief System Changes, Behavioral Changes, and User Preferences

This research examined the efects of Chrisian faith sharing through social media on the belief systems and behavior of users who encounter those messages. In addiion, it explored methods of Chrisian social media faith sharing to discover if users had consistent preferences for certain methods or found some methods more ofensive than others. To explore these topics, a quanitaive survey was completed by 79 students, faculty, and staf at a Chrisian college in the Midwestern United States. From this survey, social media users that encountered Chrisian faith sharing reported a slight to moderate efect size in their changes of both their belief systems and behavior as a result of that message. Furthermore, they reported appreciaing certain methods of social media faith sharing from Chrisians more than others, with personal stories about how God changed others’ lives as most impacful and most preferred to encounter. Finally, they indicated that Chrisian chain messages on social media and posts that requested likes or retweets were most ofensive. These indings demonstrate that Chrisian faith sharing through social media impacts the beliefs and behavior of those who encounter it and that users strongly prefer some methods that Chrisians use over others.

“Growing Young” in Australian Baptist Churches: Surveying Formation, Belonging and Mission

Australian Baptist Churches are seeking to respond to the broader trend of increasing disengagement of young people from church and faith. This article discusses Australian Baptist perspectives on generational ministries from the 2016 National Church Life Survey and interviews of generational pastors and young adults. In conversation with Fuller Youth Institute’s research, it explores how churches are “growing young”: fostering spiritual formation and discipleship with a range of spiritual practices; cultivating relationships and belonging including less “siloed” and more “generational” connections; and catalysing holistic mission including faith-sharing, community service and creation care.

Rediscovering ‘disciplemaking’ and the role of faith-sharing

According to the Gospel of Matthew, disciplemaking seems to be the signature mark of faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ (cf. Mt 28:18–20). Van Aarde refers to this, with reference to Von Harnack and Lohmeyer as the manifesto of the church, being on the same level of meaning as Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. It may be fair to say that this ‘natural’ way of being and doing was in more than one way exchanged for evangelism practices that did nothing to show forth that following the Christ is a better or best way of living life, here already, to its fullest. These practices even reflected negatively on disciplemaking as such. A personal conviction is that ‘discipling’ may even be one of the missing links in the so-called missional conversation. This article will reflect on current theory on discipling and the natural necessity thereof. It will also draw upon findings in empirical research conducted by the National Church Life Surveys during 2014 in South Africa that may give an indication whether discipling is a common praxis among selected South African denominations and congregations. The focus will be on ‘Faith-Sharing’ as a core quality among adult attenders and includes several measures of the involvement of attenders in the outreach of the congregation (e.g. evangelistic activities, readiness to share their faith with others and whether outreach is a highly valued part of the ministry of the congregation).

Lens of Liminality: A Reflection on Faith Sharing in Young Adult Retreat Ministry

This article presents a reflection on a Catholic retreat for young adults, focusing on participation in faith sharing. After describing the retreat, the author incorporates the thought of Victor Turner, primarily his concept of communitas, to explain why a retreat can be a setting which prompts the sharing of such deep testimonies of faith. The cultural forms of symbols, rituals, sacred space, silence, and solitude converge to form a communitas conducive to faith sharing. To conclude, the author offers that using this lens of liminality can help to shape retreats for young adults across the ecumenical spectrum.

CATEQUESE E EXPERIÊNCIA DE DEUS EM JESUS CRISTO

O processo da renovação catequética adquire cada dia consciência mais clara de que a catequese deve ser obra de toda a comunidade eclesial. É na Igreja local que o cristão deve aprender a dizer a própria fé com palavras e gestos, como expressão de uma experiência pessoal de Deus. A confissão da fé cristã só pode nascer do reconhecimento da voz do próprio Deus na figura de Jesus Cristo transmitida pela Igreja. Reconhecer Deus em Jesus Cristo significa encontrar nele o Sentido pleno não apenas da própria vida, mas da vida do mundo todo. Para as comunidades cristãs serem lugar privilegiado da socialização da fé, a eucaristia dominical, enquanto mistagogia ao Mistério de Cristo, deverá ser o centro da catequese. Tirar as consequências disso levaria a Igreja a rever, em profundidade, a configuração das comunidades locais e consequentemente dos ministérios.ABSTRACT: The process of catechetical renovation acquires each day a clearer consciousness that catechism should be the work of the entire ecclesial community. It is in the local Church that the Christian should learn to articulate one’s own faith with words and gestures, as expression of a personal experience of God. The perseveranconfession of the Christian faith can only emerge from the recognition of Gods own voice in the figure of Jesus Christ transmitted by the Church. To recognize God in Jesus Christ means to find in him the full meaning not only of one’s own life, but of the life of the whole world. For the Christian communities to be the privileged place of faith sharing, the Sunday Eucharist, while mystical expression of the Mystery of Christ, will have to be the center of the catechism. To obtain the consequences of this would bring the Church to review, indepthly, the configuration of the local communities and consequently the configuration of the ministries.