Ways Adults Learn

How do adults learn faith? For some, true faith cannot be learned; it is only absorbed through worship, meditation on the Bible, and attending conferences.

Several years ago I was teaching a coed class for couples in their 30s. After class I casually asked a woman why she attended Adult Sunday School. Her response was disappointing yet not surprising. Her answer was, "I'm here because of my children." She attended regularly and contributed generously to the lesson discussion. But her frank admission of her motivation indicated that she was just "doing time" in my classroom while her children were engaged in Bible study.

What was she saying? She indicated that she already knew all the stories. She was familiar with key Bible passages. She knew all the Sunday School answers. She had no need for any further spiritual growth because she, at age 34, had arrived and needed no more Christian growth. Her children needed to learn in Sunday School, but she did not.

I learned from that experience: she did not need more and more information about Scripture that she had learned from her own childhood. I did not need to study harder to bring out things that she might not remember. How could I challenge her to engage in adult discipleship? I realized that merely wanting my class to attend more regularly was a low and superficial description.

One of the hallmarks of Christian living to which adults are particularly suited is Christian living as vocation. I am not suggesting that all adults need to become professional ministers—not in the least. We move through life not just with our feet or by the calendar as one day replaces another. But we are moved by the compelling call of God. Life depends on us, even as we depend on God. Not only do we have a calling, but we also live in dependence not upon ourselves but upon God our Maker. Frederick Buechner, in Wishful Thinking, a Theological ABC (Harper & Row, 1973), provides a lively description of this double dependence.

It comes from the Latin vocare, to call, and means the work one is called to by God. There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of Society, say, or the Superego, or Self-Interest.

By and large, a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you've missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you're bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a) but probably aren't helping your patients much either. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

The second metaphor, which describes adult discipleship, is journey. Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14).

Spiritual reflection is one avenue for this journey. Thousands have practiced it as they worked through various books such as Experiencing God. Spiritual reflection may be an outgrowth of one's daily Bible study and prayer. It may concur with moments of despair or joy. Usually spiritual reflection happens when assessing one's life story or a portion of it. While it is easy to assess and contemplate the mere facts of one's life, especially in adulthood, one may also attach meaning to those events. So life is understood by tracing the finger of God through various life experiences.

How can an adult incorporate spiritual reflection into the disciplines of life? The method is to ask reflective questions about how God is, or can be, involved in life activities. Persons interpret the past by asking, "What did God teach me about myself? about others? about His created order?"

In the present tense adults can examine and imagine how God could be working with us and through us in the future. We can ask questions such as: "How is God related to my life today? Is this what God expects of me? Is this God's will for my life? Would this advance the kingdom of God? How would the rich resources of the Christian faith help me?"

Spiritual reflection consists of laying our stories alongside the biblical story to give us guidance in daily living. Though talking about pastoral theology, C. W. Brister's comments in Pastoral Care in the Church (HarperCollins, 1992) apply to spiritual reflection as well. "Pastoral theology at its best interfaces the oughtness of the Scriptures with the isness of existence, so that human experience is brought to fullest self-awareness and accountability in intimate engagement with divine Reality." So the cycle moves from action or life events to reflection, to action. Through theological or spiritual reflection believers think about their life in biblical context.

Scripture tells us that we ought to love God with our heart, our emotions—and many believers feel that this is the only legitimate way to relate to God. However, on the same page is the admonition to love God with all our minds. Adult believers can love God with their minds when they make sure that their beliefs are in accordance with an orderly formulation of biblical truth. Because Christians have different understandings of God, the mission of the church, the Holy Spirit, and the person and work of Christ, it is inevitable that differences of opinion erupt in the adult years. Some would offer a minimum requirement—we must only agree on the minimum doctrine. Others go to the other extreme and attempt to force everyone to agree with every one of their theological presuppositions. Whether in the home during private reflections, or in the midst of sermon or song, or in small-group Bible studies, adults are engaged in theological reflection. It is often hard work, but it is also spiritually rewarding, resulting in greater discipleship.

"The church's theological essence sets her apart from other social organizations such as a welfare agency, a psychotherapy clinic, a social club, or an aesthetic experience. A fundamental purpose of theology is to guide and serve the process of church formation, preservation, and mission—that is, to enable the church to realize her essence to be a community of faith, hope, and love" (Paul E. Robertson, "Theology and the Healthy Church," The Theological Educator, Spring 1998).

For teaching suggestions, use the resource Teaching Adults: A Guide for Transformational Teaching by Rick Edwards (Nashville: LifeWay Church Resources).

For curriculum resources, consider the following:

Sunday School (available by calling 1–800–458–2772)
      Explore the Bible
      Family Bible Study for Adults

Discipleship Training (available by calling 1–800–458–2772)
     Baptist Adults

Adults on Mission (available by calling 1–800–968–7301)
      Dimensions
      Missons Mosaic

Women on Mission (available by calling 1–800–968–7301)
      Missions Mosaic

Baptist Men on Mission (available by calling 1–800–448–8032)
      Missions in Motion

AdultApplication: Do you think the better image of growing adult discipleship is vocation or journey? What examples from your own life or the lives of your class members support your answer? Are adults in your church encouraged in personal worship/daily prayer and Bible study? How can you plan times for personal reflection for adults to consider their own growth and encourage others to grow spiritually?