Search Institute seeks to include Web sites representing a wide range of perspectives and faith traditions, though the majority of existing research and Web sites available focus on Christian children and youth. This compilation is by no means exhaustive of what is available, and inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by Search Institute, which is a nonsectarian organization that serves all sectors of the community.
Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Religious Involvement among Children and Adolescents
The Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence: This international, interfaith initiative of Search Institute, supported by the John Templeton Foundation, is examining the spiritual lives of young people around the world.
National Study of Youth and Religion: This major project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to understand the religious lives of adolescents in the United States. In addition to several research reports, it features an extensive topical bibliography of scientific articles on youth and religion.
The Study of Exemplary Congregations in Youth Ministry: This three-year study examines congregations that are offering exemplary ministry programs for youth. The study looked at congregations of different sizes, locations, and cultural and Christian traditions.
Research Centers and Networks Addressing Children and Adolescents
The Association for Children’s Spirituality: This international association was established in 2006 to promote research and practice in relation to children’s spirituality. It publishes the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality.
Barna Research Group: This evangelical Christian market research organization periodically conducts polls of adolescents around issues of religions, values, and beliefs. Highlights of past surveys are available.
Child Trends Data Bank: Prosocial Activities and Attitudes: This data bank tracks multiple trends in healthy development, including the latest national data on religious involvement and religiosity among adolescents.
Children’s Spirituality Research Web Page: This Web site provides summaries of key books on research related to children’s spirituality, links to databases that include journal articles on this topic, and links to Web sites that are associated with organizations that encourage or are associated with research in this area. It is Christian in its focus.
The International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry: This international network promotes youth ministry as a profession and academic discipline globally through an association of those involved in youth ministry teaching, training, and research.
Interfaith Understanding and Engagement
Adherents.com: A Web site that tracks membership in all religious traditions around the world.
Beliefnet: A commercial Web site with information on diverse religious traditions and spiritual practices. It is designed for laypeople.
Families of Religions: A Web site dedicated to increasing understanding between peoples of the major religions of the world.
Interfaith Youth Core: A key partner with Search Institute, Interfaith Youth Core works to build mutual respect and pluralism among young people from different religious traditions by empowering them to work together to serve others.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance: A credible, balanced resource that describes a huge variety of world religions.
The Pluralism Project: An initiative at Harvard University to study and document the increasing religious pluralism of the United States.
Religions and Scriptures: Links to online sacred writings from all of the world’s major religious traditions, as well as links to Web sites about each of the religious traditions.
Research Institutes, Projects, and Initiatives
Notable Studies of Congregational Life
The following studies are not focused on children and adolescents, but are important studies of congregational life with relevance to congregational transformation and understanding the faith community:
- Faith Communities Today: An unprecedented interfaith study of congregations in the United States. An online database allows for analyses of specific items within various religious traditions.
- Hispanic Churches in American Public Life: This three-year study seeks to examine the impact of religion on political and civic engagement in the Latino community.
- National Survey of Leadership in Latino Parishes and Congregation: This national, interdenominational study led by Brooklyn College is examining leadership in Latino congregations, the role of congregations in community life, and a specific focus on youth and youth ministry.
- National Congregations Study: This 1998 study includes a nationally representative sample of U.S. congregations of all faiths. The Web site allows users to create their own tables and analyses of the data.
- U.S. Congregational Life Survey: A massive, representative profile of adult worshipers and their congregations (multiple faiths) that examines congregational vitality and describes the U.S. religious landscape based on input from about 300,000 worshipers in more than 2,000 congregations across the United States.
Association of Religion Data Archives
This site seeks to preserve quantitative data on religion, to improve access to this data, to increase the use of the data, and to allow comparisons across data files. The ARDA collection includes data on religion in different nations, congregations, religious professionals, and religious groups (individuals, congregations, and denominations). Datasets from several Search Institute studies are available.
The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
The Cohen Center at Brandeis University is a multidisciplinary research institute that has conducted several major studies of, among other subjects, Jewish youth and Jewish institutions in the United States.
Religion, Culture, and Family Project
This initiative examines the place of family in contemporary society and religion from a range of theological, historical, legal, biblical, and cultural perspectives.
Hartford Institute for Religious Research
Though it does not include a specific focus on children and adolescents, this organization is a leading resource in sociology of religion and has undertaken numerous studies of congregational life. The Web site includes a directory of religious denominations, sociologists of religion, and overviews of major congregational studies.
North American Jewish Data Bank
Established by the Council of Jewish Federations and the Center for Jewish Studies of the Graduate School and University Center of the City of New York, this data bank is a repository for computer-based population and survey data on Jewish communities in the United States and Canada.
Innovators in Strengthening Congregational Life for Children, Youth, and Families
Center for Family and Community Ministries, Baylor University
This center bridges Baylor’s seminary and school of social work. It conducts research and provides resources and an annual conference on congregations, families, and communities, primarily within the Christian community.
Center for Ministry Development
A leading youth, family, and congregation innovator in the Catholic church, CMD uses Developmental Assets extensively in its training and events for youth, family, and intergenerational ministries.
Children’s Defense Fund
Under the theme of “A Moral Start,” CDF provides training and resources
in child advocacy for congregations of all faiths. It sponsors the
annual national observance of Children’s Sabbath as well as an annual
Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry.
Faith Inkubators
This organization develops and promotes innovative models of Christian education, youth ministry, and family ministry for mainline Christian congregations.
Group Publishing
This organization provides magazines, books, curricula, and events for Christian churches in children, youth, and adult ministries.
Institute for Informal Jewish Education, Brandeis University
This institute conducts research, training, and publications to strengthen Jewish informal education with youth.
Institute for Youth Ministry, Princeton Theological Seminary
This center emphasizes theological education for people who work with youth. It conducts research and sponsors continuing education events for youth workers (Princeton Forums on Youth Ministry).
Jewish Institute for Youth and Family
This organization develops programs and materials teaching Jewish values to adolescents and families. It seeks to synthesize ethical values of Judaism with psychology.
MyJewishLearning.com
Produced by Hebrew College and Jewish Family and Life, this Web site is a
content-rich resource for learning about Judaism that is representative of the wide range of perspectives within Judaism.
PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values
With a focus on nurturing Jewish values and social responsibility, the institute sponsors the Center for Jewish Youth Leadership, which provides programs for high school and college audiences that focus on leadership skills, empowerment, and social justice programming across denominational lines.
Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal
STAR seeks to foster innovation among synagogues through research, pilot projects, and leadership development.
Tentmakers
Tentmakers is a leadership training organization for Christian congregations that focuses on equipping leaders with tools, skills, and habits for effective ministry, including a strong focus on youth leadership development.
Urban Youth Workers Institute
UYWI focuses on supporting youth workers in major cities through training and conferences.
The Youth and Family Institute
Drawing extensively on Search Institute research, The Youth and Family Institute develops models of Christian ministries with children, youth, and their families, and provides training, resources, and consultations to congregations. It also is home for the Peer Ministry Network, a major resource for leadership development and training with youth.
Youth Specialties
A major resource for Christian youth ministry, Youth Specialties offers training, conventions, resources, and a comprehensive Web database on youth ministry resources and ideas.
Resource Guides and Bibliographies
Cokesbury
Affiliated with the United Methodist Publishing House, Cokesbury distributes resources for Christian churches from many publishers and denominations, including a wide range of resources on children, youth, and family ministries.
Congregational Resource Guide
Developed by the Alban Institute, this Web site catalogues a wide range of resources, organizations, and tools for Jewish and Christian congregations, including resources on work with children, youth, and families, as well as extensive resources on congregational leadership and change.
Congregational Engagement in Community
The Center for Religion and Civic Culture
A research unit of the University of Southern California that studies the civic role of religion and faith-based organizations. Among other topics, the center studies issues of religion and immigration, religion and culture, and faith-based community organizing and development.
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
This Web site gives access to the various faith-based initiatives that are part of the administration’s faith-based agenda, including information on grants, technical assistance, and conferences.
Interfaith Health Program, Emory University
IHP focuses on building collaborative partnerships between public health and the faith community.
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
This forum conducts research and develops publications that highlight the role of religion in U.S. public life.
