Uniting Congregations for Youth Development: Lessons Learned

By Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, project director (2000)

Many congregational youth workers draw renewed energy from Search Institute’s asset-building framework. With generous support from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, Search Institute developed the Uniting Congregations for Youth Development (UCYD) to help direct this growing energy toward positive youth development. This four-year initiative (1995–1999) sought to equip the religious community to build Developmental Assets in youth through youth-worker training, resources, networking with other youth workers, and community-wide activities.

Applicability of Asset Building to the Faith Community

  • Most religious leaders (clergy, youth workers, denominational leaders) see the applicability of the asset framework to congregational youth work and congregational life.
  • One area where the faith community seems most eager to apply asset building is in the “public square.” Asset building provides the language, framework, and rationale for the religious community to reclaim their role “at the table” as community leaders.
  • While many leaders quickly connect asset building to their own faith tradition and theology, many people want to see explicit connections between asset building and the theology, beliefs, and scripture of their own tradition and to the core faith-based priorities of congregations.
  • Some groups tend to be more skeptical than others. Evangelical Christians are most likely to want explicit connections to scripture and to see faith-specific language in the asset framework. They are also most reluctant to participate in interfaith activities or to use interfaith resources. Minority religious groups (e.g., Jews) express concern that the interfaith work is primarily Christian and that the asset framework is not grounded in Jewish language and traditions.
  • We’re beginning to talk about asset building creating a readiness for faith development. Many elements of asset building help build the context, relationships, and opportunities in which faith can be nurtured. In addition, building many of the assets can be done in ways that have explicit faith content (e.g., sense of purpose).

Asset Building within Congregations

  • Congregations will find many, many ways to make asset building part of their life, depending on their own sense of identity and priority. Some congregations are eager to engage in community-wide visioning. Others have a passion for advocacy. Still others are more suited for working with a small group of “street kids.” And others are most effective at providing a wide array of programming for youth. There is no need for one size to fit all.
  • An ongoing challenge is to maintain a sense that asset building is a philosophy or lens, not a program that a congregation implements (though many types of programming can be important elements of an asset-building effort). For many reasons (many quite powerful), congregational leaders want to do “the asset program,” which typically means a curriculum or a specific activity. We continue to examine ways to encourage congregations to infuse asset building into many areas of congregational life.
  • Most congregations tend to focus their initial asset-building efforts on “our own” kids. It doesn’t seem to be an initial priority to develop strategies to reach out to disconnected youth.
  • Most youth workers do not have the power within a congregation to introduce major change on their own. Most need the active support of senior clergy and others in the congregation. We encourage congregations to build teams to integrate the assets into their congregation.
  • Many congregations appear to struggle with systematic planning. Most planning focuses on planning specific, short-term activities, not big-picture direction setting plans.
  • Congregational leaders want simple, short, practical tools to help them apply and use the assets.
  • Providing in-depth training in asset building plays an important role in helping teams from congregations “think outside the box” and begin to see specific ways to integrate asset building throughout congregational life.

Networking Congregations for Asset Building

  • A decision to form a network must come from congregational leaders who would be the core of that network and whose congregations will support network involvement. Otherwise, tremendous energy must be expended trying to “sell” the idea to congregations.
  • Networks build slowly. It likely takes at least two years for a network to become established, and it likely takes decades before it is fully functioning.
  • Networks are built one person at a time. They are built through personal relationships that draw people to spend time with one another.
  • Offering training, ongoing networking meetings, and other events provides a structure through which relationships form and commitments to the network can be solidified.
  • Forming a network is much more effective if a local organization plays a convening and coordination role. Having staff with time dedicated to building the network ensures that it remains a priority.
  • Though working interfaith in our pilot sites was initially a major source of anxiety and awkwardness, we found that working interfaith can be one of the most valuable parts of mobilizing the religious community. It has several benefits and challenges:

Some Benefits Some Challenges
• It puts into practice the idea that asset building can unite people across faith and ideological lines who have a shared commitment to young people.

• People enjoy learning with and from people from other traditions. 

• It provides networking and development opportunities for people from all traditions. This is particularly important for those in traditions without a strong presence in the community who may have few opportunities for professional growth.

• It addresses the occasional suspicions that asset building is a sectarian religious cause.

• It helps create a sense of critical mass in the community.


• People do not know each other across faith lines, so it can be difficult to connect and build basic trust.

• People are not used to working interfaith. It’s uncomfortable, and people can be self-conscious about language, etc.

• Scheduling events can be particularly challenging because of different weekly holy days as well as a wide range of holidays and festivals.

• It is more difficult to examine the theology and beliefs that can undergird asset-building efforts.

• Some faith groups are unlikely to participate actively in any activities that are not confined to their own faith group.

  • People are much more likely to participate in any kind of activity (training, event, etc.) if they are personally invited by someone they know. (This is particularly true when reaching out to groups or individuals who have reason to be skeptical.) It is not effective to depend on mailed material to attract attention and participation in training, activities, or events.

  • The religious community can get involved in asset building in at least three different ways:

  • Equipping congregations to integrate assets into their own programming (e.g., offering training, networking for support and ideas)

  • Networking among congregations for shared asset-building action (e.g., joint service projects, joint awareness raising, joint events and programming, joint advocacy)

  • Engaging the faith community in multisector efforts (e.g., being a catalyst for multisector initiatives, serving on task forces and committees, promoting community-wide activities)
  • Existing organizations in many communities are eager to support interfaith networks for asset building, and they provide important stability and infrastructure to keep the effort on track. Potential host or partner organizations include:
       
      • Religious organizations (such as judicatory bodies and interfaith/ecumenical networks)
      • Existing multisector initiatives focusing on asset building and/or youth (Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth initiatives, youth commissions, etc.)
      • Other secular organizations (such as prevention networks)
         
  • Religious leaders like opportunities to learn from each other. One of the most successful models emerging out of the UCYD initiative is informal roundtables that provide a place for religious leaders to share ideas, frustrations, and resources.

Supporting Congregations in Asset Building

Training

  • In-depth training is an essential part of congregations beginning to apply the asset framework to congregational life. It gives people time to assess, learn, reflect, and plan.
  • Training must be practical and immediately applicable to be valued and used.
  • Having teams from congregations participate in the training together seems to be an effective way to build a shared commitment to asset building and to address the high turnover rate among congregational leaders and volunteers. Having young people and clergy be part of that team adds richness and strength.
  • Offering local, in-depth training in a series of shorter events (the model used in this project) has clear advantages and disadvantages:

    Some AdvantagesSome Disadvantages

    • It is easier to include volunteers.

    • It builds a sense of community among participants over time.

    • Congregations have a chance to apply what they’re learning, then bring back stories and questions.

    • It can make the information seem less overwhelming.


    • You can lose momentum and participation between events (particularly if the series isn’t contained within a school year).

    • It is more expensive to provide a trainer (because of travel costs).

    • Congregations aren’t used to that kind of commitment or approach.


    • It can be advantageous for training events to include time for congregational teams to plan together. It can be difficult for teams to find other times for planning.

    • Scheduling is often the most difficult part of offering training for teams from congregations, particularly if you want to include volunteers and if you want to work interfaith.

    Presentations

    • A kick-off event that introduces asset building to the community and the congregations seems to be an important first step in getting congregations to make a deeper commitment to sending a team to an extensive training series.
    • One of the services congregations often want is “someone to talk to us about asset building.” As they work to build interest in asset building, they seek someone to introduce the ideas to various groups within a congregation (parent groups, adult education, congregational boards, etc.). This appears to be a key way new ideas get communicated within a congregation.

    Planning Assistance

    • Congregations can benefit from an outside facilitator who can help them plan how to integrate asset building and help hold them accountable to their plans. In seeking to provide this support, several challenges emerged:

    • It requires a great deal of time to build a connection between a planning partner and a congregation. More effective strategies are needed to match congregations with partners.

    • Some congregations require very basic planning assistance (e.g., developing a calendar, planning a youth meeting) and are not ready for the level of planning assumed in the asset-building model.

    • It is difficult for many congregations to set aside time for intentional planning with a facilitator.

    • To be effective, the facilitator needs to be grounded in asset building.
    • Very simple planning processes and tools are needed to assist congregations in planning.

    MORE INFORMATION: Roehlkepartain, E. C. (2003). “Making Room at the Table for Everyone: Interfaith Engagement in Positive Child and Adolescent Development.” In R. M. Lerner, F. Jacobs, & D. Wertlieb (Eds). Handbook of Applied Developmental Science, vol. 3: Promoting Positive Youth and Family Development (pp. 535–563). Thousand Oaks, CA; Sage Publications.