Wait a Minute in Stressful Times. A Practical Theological Account of Learning in Encounter.

Inaugural lecture by Prof. Dr. Jos de Kock

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF LEARNING IN ENCOUNTER

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF LEARNING IN ENCOUNTER

Š 2019 Jos de Kock, ETF Leuven All rights reserved.

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times. A Practical Theological Account of Learning in Encounter.

Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven Sint-Jansbergsesteenweg 97 3001 Leuven, Belgium Design Left Lane Cover picture Shutterstock Photograph Jos de Kock DaniĂŤlle Knot ISBN 978 94 6396 102 8 www.etf.edu

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF LEARNING IN ENCOUNTER

Presented in a condensed version as the opening lecture and inaugural lecture by Prof. Dr. Jos de Kock, Professor of Practical Theology, at the official opening of the academic year and on the occasion of his appointment as Rector of the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, September 23, 2019.

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times

Curriculum Vitae A. (Jos) de Kock (1978) is professor of Practical

Theology and rector of ETF Leuven. He obtained master’s degrees in education science (Radboud

University Nijmegen) and religion and theology

(Utrecht University). In 2005, he obtained his PhD (in social sciences) with a dissertation entitled,

“Arranging learning environments for new learning.

Educational theory, practical knowledge, and

everyday practice” (Radboud University Nijmegen).

As a practical theologian, he worked as an assistant professor at the Protestant Theological University,

Amsterdam and its Research Center Youth, Church

and Culture. There he taught courses at the bachelor, master, and post-master levels, was a co-promotor of several PhD students, and contributed as a

lecturer and presenter in several international

networks. As an education expert, he worked as a teacher, consultant, and senior policy advisor in higher education and as a researcher for the

Radboud University Nijmegen and the University of Amsterdam. From 2013 to 2019, he was the

chief editor of the Journal of Youth and Theology.

Currently, he is a board member of both the

International Academy of Practical Theology and the Religious Education Association. His specializations are in the areas of empirical practical theology,

research methodology, higher education, religious education, youth ministry, religious identity

development, catechesis, and youth and theology.

A Practical Theological Account of Learning in Encounter

Summary This lecture explores two questions: (1) How

might learning in encounter be understood as a

concept and as a practice in current-day practices

of religious education and youth ministry? (2) How might learning in encounter be understood as a

concept and as a practice in the theological faculty?

Both questions are explored by taking on a practical theological perspective. From this perspective, (a)

the empirical reality of the here and now is taken as a main source for developing theological reflection, (b) a threefold set of empirical hermeneutical skills is applied (observation, listening, and learning

language), and (c) a thorough reflection on four

layers of normativity in studying religious practices is advocated. The concept and practice of learning in encounter is explored in greater depth, and

an agenda for research into religious education and youth ministry practices with attention to

learning in encounter is presented. Furthermore, a

description is provided for the meaning of learning in encounter as a guiding principle for practicing

practical theology at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (ETF), Leuven, and for the communal

vision of the ETF as an academic and formational institution.

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A Practical Theological Account of Learning in Encounter

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1. Introduction Esteemed Rector, respected Dean, respected vice-deans, respected

administrative director, respected members of the board of trustees, dear colleagues and students, ladies and gentlemen,

My original vision of a scholar, sitting in a beautiful study, arriving at one wise insight after another, was quite a naĂŻve vision, I now know. Over the past few years, I have regularly found myself working under much more challenging circumstances. For example, I have worked on academic texts while sitting by the pool where my children had swimming lessons or the sports field

where they had their Korfball training. Is it typical of my generation, is it

my particular phase of life, or is it just my singular experience? Anyhow, my actual vision of today’s (young) academic is someone who is always on the go, trying to meet a large variety of expectations, puzzling and learning in stressful times.

Wait a Minute in Stressful Times

Stressful Times During the past few years, I have also met young people living in challenging circumstances; young people living in insecure family situations, or having to live with traumas from early childhood. I have met young people struggling

with making life choices, lacking a solid network around them that comforts them. I observe a significant proportion of teenagers and young adults in

church life being challenged by questions of identity. I bring this arsenal of observations together under the umbrella of what I call “stressful times”:

times in which, in different ways, different forms of stress are experienced

by a growing group of young people. This is also the case for those who are growing up in Christian faith communities.

This is not just my own private observation. It is shared by other youth

work professionals who work together in the innov8-network of Christian youth workers and youthwork organizations in the Netherlands.1 On a yearly basis since 2014, the cooperative efforts of different youth

organizations participating in the innov8-network have produced the

so-called “jeugdtrends” [youth trends]: short summaries of trends that,

when considered together, give an overview of the developing lifeworld

of (Christian) youth.2 Trends in the 2018 and 2019 “jeugdtrends” indicated that young people are confronted with a great amount of expectations

from their environment (school, parents, etc.), pressure to achieve, and the complicatedness of finding out who they are when the concept of identity

is more and more ‘liquid’ as a result of a highly fragmented world with an enormous amount of subgroups and temporary choices.

Following Lazarus and Folkman (1984)3 and Taylor (1995),4 stress can be

defined as “… the negative emotional and physiological process that occurs

https://www.missienederland.nl/innov8 For an overview of all “jeugdtrends” since 2014, see https://www.ngkjeugdwerk.nl/downloads/ jeugdtrends/ 3 R. S. Lazarus and S. Folkman, Stress, Appraisal, and Coping (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1984).

4 S. E. Taylor, Health Psychology, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995).

1 2

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as individuals try to adjust to or deal with environmental circumstances that

disrupt, or threaten to disrupt, their daily functioning. Thus stress involves a

transaction between people and their environments.”5 Stress is, in other words,

an emotional and physical response to a situation where an individual is under attack or feels under attack. These situations or environmental circumstances are called stressors, and the way an individual deals with stressors are stress

responses, which can be “physical, psychological, and behavioural responses.”6 Individuals can handle stress and stress responses by applying a variety of

coping strategies, such as planful problem solving, avoidance, or seeking social support.7

In my homeland, the Netherlands, all kinds of recent policy documents on youth and youth care produced by the government or professional

organizations point to the existence of stress in the lives of today’s young

people. Different examples of stressors are mentioned, such as group pressure, bullying, parents divorcing, and social media. The pressure to achieve and the competitive drive among young people seem to be growing in recent

years,8 and many young people experience tiredness, stress, and worry.9 As a reaction to this trend, the government and professional organizations are not only discussing solutions for the existence of particular forms of stress

and responses to it or the existence of particular stressors, but they are also

initiating a broader discussion of what norms and values are at work in the

midst of these ‘stressful times,’ and what young people’s expectations, values, and ideals are in these times. Additionally, in the public domain, the issue of stress is discussed on a regular basis.10

D.A. Bernstein et al., Psychology, 4th ed. (Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997), 431.

Ibid.

Ibid.

8 Rijksinstituut Volksgezondheid en Milieu, De Volksgezondheid Toekomst Verkenning 2018 (2018), see https://www.vtv2018.nl/ 9 Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Jaarrapport 2017 Landelijke Jeugdmonitor (Den Haag: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2017).

10 A good recent example is a column in NRC, a national Durch newspaper from Jeroen Geurts, professor translational neurosciences Amsterdam UMC: Stressende jeugd heeft het te druk voor genot (June 14th 2019), see https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2019/06/14/stressende-jeugd-heeft-het-te-druk-voor-genota3963708 5 6 7

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How can educators in faith communities, whether parent or teacher, whether

pastor or church youth worker, adequately understand today’s young people in these stressful times, and how can they adequately serve young people

with contexts of identity formation that fit their deepest needs? Part of the answer to this question, which is my proposal in this lecture, is providing

opportunities for learning in encounter. Young people are indeed challenged with all kinds of stressors, but at the same time, they bring to life an attitude

of innocence, open-mindedness, boldness, and energy which can help them to really encounter each other. I believe that learning in encounter is a basic and promising approach to learning for religious educators in both schools and

church communities. In this lecture, I shall try to elaborate that thesis stating

that learning in encounter is a form of social support, call it a coping strategy in times of stress, and where understanding the other is part of a reciprocal

process through which the understanding of the self also grows: a growth that keeps one going in stressful times.

Religious Education, Youth Ministry, and the Theological Faculty My lecture is split up into two parts. The core question in the larger part, part I, is: How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and as a

practice in current practices of religious education and youth ministry? I will explore this question by first proposing a practical theological perspective

for addressing the question (section 2), and thereafter, from that perspective presenting an agenda for research on learning in encounter in practices of

religious education and youth ministry (section 3). The core question in the smaller part, part II, is: How might learning in encounter be understood as

a concept and practice in the theological faculty? I will explore this question by first providing my vision for how practical theology is practiced in both research and the educational programs at the Evangelische Theologische

Faculteit (ETF), Leuven (section 4), and thereafter, by providing my communal vision for the ETF as an academic and formational institution (section 5). I will end with a couple of concluding remarks and words of thanks (section 6).

A Practical Theological Account of Learning in Encounter

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Part I How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and as a practice in current practices of religious education and youth ministry? I will explore this

question by first proposing a practical theological perspective for addressing the question (section 2), and thereafter, from that perspective presenting an agenda

for research on learning in encounter in practices of religious education and youth ministry (section 3).

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2. A Practical Theological Perspective How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and as a

practice in current practices of religious education and youth ministry? I will explore this question by first proposing a practical theological perspective for addressing the question. Then, in section 3, I will elaborate further on

what I envision as being a practical theological research agenda at the ETF for

research on learning in encounter in practices of religious education and youth ministry.

The Empirical as a Source for Theological Reflection The study object of practical theology is religious praxis,11 and its strategic goal is the description, interpretation, and ultimately, the enhancement of

religious praxis.12 Taking on a practical theological perspective in the study of

(theological) phenomena is then, more precisely, taking the empirical reality of the here and now as a main source for developing theological reflection.13 For the academic study of youth ministry, for example, my Norwegian colleague Norheim and I recently discussed how studying the empirical can be the

starting point to “gain insight into both the descriptions and interpretations

of religious self-understandings or faith constructs of young people and to be able to build theology and design practices in which these insights are taken seriously.”14 After taking it as a main source for theological reflection, an

important task for the scholar taking on a practical theological perspective is

to then search for interactions between the empirical data and the theological and nontheological interpretative and normative frameworks.15

R. R. Ganzevoort and J. Roeland, “Lived Religion: The Praxis of Practical Theology,” International Journal of Practical Theology 18, no. 1 (2014): 91–101.

12 H. G. Heimbrock, “Practical Theology as Empirical Theology,” International Journal of Practical Theology 14, no. 2 (2011): 153–170.

13 A. De Kock and B. E. H. Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical,” International Journal of Practical Theology 22, no. 1 (2018): 69–83.

14 Ibid., 71.

15 De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical.”

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By presenting the practical theological perspective in this way, we see reflected in it the four tasks of a practical theologian as identified by Osmer (2008): (a)

the descriptive–empirical task, (b) the interpretive task, (c) the normative task, and (d) the pragmatic task.16 What I learned from conducting a large variety of practical theological research together with colleagues and students over the past ten years is that two particular concerns related to tasks (a) and (c)

ask for greater than average levels of attention. The first concern is what skills and attitude are needed for an adequate description of religious praxis as an

empirical phenomenon. The second concern is how to adequately incorporate

a (theological) reflection on normativity that is at work at different levels in an empirical research project on religious practices.

What I propose here as what constitutes a practical theological perspective is particularly addressing these two concerns. To adopt a practical theological perspective in the academic reflection on religious praxis means that the

practical theologian (a) takes the empirical reality of the here and now as a

main source for developing theological reflection, (b) applies a threefold set of empirical hermeneutical skills in the empirical investigation of religious

praxis, and (c) thoroughly reflects on four layers of normativity in empirical research on religious praxis.

Taking the empirical reality of the here and now as a main source for developing theological reflection is based on the assumption, or the

theological belief, that God reveals himself in Scripture, tradition, reason, and also in human experience.17 In my view, considering Scripture as the most

important source of God’s revelation, a practical theologian, at the same time,

gives particular weight to current-day experiences as a ‘source of justification’ in the theological reflection on religious phenomena.18 A practical theological perspective asks for the researcher to encounter the empirical, which results

in learning theologically. The encounter with the empirical can take different R. R. Osmer, Practical Theology. An Introduction (Grand Rapids (MI): Eerdmans, 2008).

See De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical,” 80.

See R.R. Osmer, “Practical Theology: A Current International Perspective,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 67, no. 2 (2011), #Art. 1058, 7 pages. http://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v67i2.1058.

16 17 18

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forms, varying from a somewhat distanced encounter as an observer of

religious practices to an engaged encounter where the researcher is part of and a participant in the religious practice under study.

Threefold Set of Empirical Hermeneutical Skills In encountering the empirical, the practical theologian uses a threefold set of

empirical hermeneutical skills: observing as reception, listening as reception, and learning language.19 This set of skills has been suggested for doing

empirical youth ministry research in particular, but I see no reason not to widen the scope to practical theological research in general. The skill of observation as reception means that the practical theologian is fundamentally involved in observing people’s faith practices, continuously balancing an apophatic mode (being silent and hesitant being unable to describe the One beyond

sensation) and cataphatic mode (trying to describe traces of God and God’s

attributes). The second skill of listening as reception means that the practical

theologian is fundamentally involved in the skill of listening to people’s voices, balancing an apophatic and cataphatic mode, “which makes listening not

mere registration of words and expressions but a hermeneutical struggle in

itself.”20 Both observation and listening are done in a mode of reception, which means a mode of ‘being with the other’ and ‘being with the faith practice,’

thus being open to what comes to the researcher and being attentive to what comes from within the researcher oneself. When it comes to the third skill of

learning language, De Kock and Norheim explain: “The youth ministry scholar and practitioner is continuously learning language with which revelations of God and experiences of faith can be described and theologically reflected on, in a way which is appropriate for the flesh and blood experiences of young

people.”21 In terms of the broader scope of the practical theological perspective I propose here, learning language is the challenge to communicate what can

be learned theologically from the encounter with the empirical in a way that is

19 20 21

De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical.”

Ibid., 81.

Ibid.

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simultaneously appropriate for the practice under study and constructive for theological reflection in a broader academic discourse.

Four Layers of Normativity In encountering the empirical, the practical theologian should also reflect

on four layers of normativity in empirical research on religious praxis. The distinctions between and descriptions of these four layers of normativity

come from the work my colleagues Sonnenberg and Renkema and I recently published with regard to the question of how one could adequately reflect on normativity in youth ministry and religious education research.22 This

question was raised because we found out that in research reports, it was

not uncommon for practical theologians to fail to explicitly reflect on how

normativity is existent in practices under study, or how normativity has been impacting or directing (in both wanted and possibly unwanted ways) the

design, execution, and reporting of the empirical study undertaken. Following De Kock, Sonnenberg, and Renkema (2018), I distinguish between four layers of normativity: (1) the layer of discourse in religious practice; (2) the layer of

professional theory of practice; (3) the layer of academic theory of practice; and (4) the layer of the metatheoretical foundation of the research project.

(1) The layer of discourse in religious practice is about verbal, non-verbal,

and text-based discourses that become visible in practices. “These discourses reflect standards and convictions in the tradition of the practice, as well as the current standards and convictions of actors (including the researcher) in the practice.”23 (2) The layer of professional theory of practice is about

“standards and convictions situated in operant theories of practice or, in other words, theories of practice at work. This layer has particularly to do with

normativity as observed in theories construed on the basis of or directing

performances in these religious practices.”24 (3) The layer of academic theory A. De Kock, R. Sonnenberg, and E. Renkema, “Normativity in Empirical Youth Ministry Research,” Journal of Youth and Theology 17, no. 2 (2018): 81–103.

23 Ibid., 86.

24 Ibid., 87.

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of practice is about “normativity situated in academic theories of practice

that can be found in handbooks, academic journal articles, scientific theories, and so on.”25 (4) The layer of the metatheoretical foundation of the research

project has to do with “how the researcher, the research group, or the research community considers the particular empirical research study in terms of

how the empirical, the theoretical concepts, and the personal convictions and experiences of the researcher are related to one another.”26

Trying to bring this practical theological perspective back to the core, I would say that a practical theologian continuously says to oneself: “Wait a minute: set aside the quick-fix analysis, be open and receptive in encountering the

other and the otherness, to what you see and hear.” A practical theologian

asks oneself: “What do I actually observe and hear when encountering young people of whom it is said that they are living in stressful times? Do I hear

their voices adequately? What normativity is in the interpretation in terms of stress: whose interpretation is it? To what extent may this interpretation

be understood theologically, or is it merely a psychological construct? How

may God or trajectories of God be revealed in stressful times in the practices and voices of young people? How can faith communities be normatively

interpreted in this regard? What ‘pressing’ ideals of adulthood are at work

in these practices?”27 et cetera. The practical theologian is a theologian who

waits a minute, aiming to be open to critically encountering all those questions when encountering the empirical.

25 26 27

Ibid., 88.

Ibid.

See e.g. A. de Kock, “Volwassen worden in de kerk,” Radix 43, no. 2 (2017): 78–84.

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3. An Agenda for Research on Learning in Encounter in Practices of Religious Education and Youth Ministry How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and as a practice in current practices of religious education and youth ministry? This is the

main research question underlying the practical theological research agenda I envision at the ETF for research on learning in encounter in these areas.

Besides presenting important sub-questions in the research agenda, I will

explore the background for the agenda, discuss the concept of learning in

encounter in more detail, and give some directions for research methodologies.

Religious Education and Youth Ministry Practices In literature and in practice, there is a variety of definitions and descriptions of the terms ‘religious education’ and ‘youth ministry.’ Furthermore, depending on which definition or description one chooses, there are different degrees of overlap between the areas of religious education and youth ministry. Let me illustrate this by quoting a description of each term.

In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology, edited by Miller-

McLemore, Hess describes religious education as “the re-asking and re-

engagement of the depth questions a religious tradition has asked. The term religious… refers to that which asks the depth questions of life. The term

education, correspondingly, indicates the process of remembering and re-

asking the questions that are central to a particular religious tradition.”28 De

Kock and Norheim define the term ‘youth ministry’ as referring to “practices C. L. Hess, “Religious Education,” in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology (West Sussex (UK): John Wiley & Sons, 2014), 299–307.

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in which professionals and volunteers, inspired by the Christian faith, work with children and young people to discover, learn, and practice the gospel.

Adults establish meaningful relationships with and among children and

young people and may participate in different roles, like the missionary, the social worker or the pastor. Faith practices of children and young people

refer to such situations as gatherings, habits, actions, rituals, networks, and

communities, in which children or young people are engaged and form their faith, either individually or collectively. Faith practices can be found both within and outside of the church.”29

This is not the place to compare in detail these two descriptions. What I want to show is that both the discipline of religious education research and the

discipline of youth ministry research have to do with formational practices in

which a religious tradition is at stake, located in a variety of localities, such as churches, schools, the public arena, the family, social media, and all kinds of

(faith) communities and networks. While youth ministry practices, at least in the definition given above, are formational practices rooted in the Christian tradition, religious education practices typically refer to a broad range of

formational practices in which any (non‑)religious tradition or some religious traditions are central.

The practical theological research agenda I envision at the ETF for research

on learning in encounter is focused on both practices of religious education

and practices of youth ministry. The reason for using both terms is twofold.

The first reason has to do with the actual use of both terms in academic

discourses. One line of research is focused on school-oriented formational practices for children and youth; for which academic discourse, most of

the time, uses the term ‘religious education.’ The other line is focused on

church-oriented formational practices for children and youth; in this case, the term ‘youth ministry’ is often used. The second reason has to do with

clearly linking up the research agenda with two international learned societies

29

De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical,” 70.

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representing two distinguishable (though overlapping) research bodies that are responsible for publishing two leading academic journals: the Religious

Education Association, of which I am currently a board member, and which

is responsible for the journal Religious Education (Taylor & Francis),30 and the

International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry, which is responsible for the Journal of Youth and Theology (Brill Publishers),31 and of which I was the chief editor during the past five years.

Developments in Religious Education and Youth Ministry and the Context of the Protestant Evangelical Context in Flanders The research agenda will thus focus on religious education and youth ministry practices, particularly on practices rooted in the protestant evangelical

tradition in Flanders. These practices are linked with the lives of about 2%

of the Belgian population who are protestants. The question of how learning in encounter might be understood as a concept and as a practice is first

asked with regard to religious education practices rooted in the protestant

evangelical tradition in schools in Flanders. These practices can be found in

protestant primary schools (of which there are approximately 17 in Belgium)

and in protestants-evangelisch godsdienstonderwijs in public schools in Flanders.32 State schools are a minority in Belgium overall and in Flanders in particular:

68% of all schools are subsidized private Catholic schools.33 The Constitution of Belgium regulates both a pillarized school system and a segregated RE

model in state schools.34 At the Flemish (sub-national) level, the autonomy of the RE subjects is guaranteed, and it is currently regulated that “both in

primary and in secondary schools (official and private), at least two hours of RE must be organised.”35

www.religiouseducation.net www.iasym.net http://pegosite.be/index.php 33 L. Franken, “Deconfessionalising RE in Québec and Flanders: A Comparative Study,” British Journal of Religious Education 41, no. 1 (2019): 54–66.

34 Ibid. [RE stands for Religious Education, AdK] 35 Ibid., 58.

30 31 32

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Currently, there is significant debate about RE in Flanders, circling around

whether and how to establish confessional and non-confessional RE, leading, for example, to the proposal to introduce the compulsory subject (in all

schools) of LEF (Levensbeschouwing, Ethiek, Filosofie—a subject about

religions, ethics, philosophy, and citizenship).36 Franken and Vermeer (2019)

propose to organize a separate, non-confessional RE subject “(education about religion) for all students and in all regular schools, without the possibility to opt out (…). Also in compulsory non-confessional RE with an emphasis on

learning about religions and worldviews, students may still be encouraged to reflect on their own values and beliefs and to develop a personal philosophy

of life.”37 Furthermore, faith-based schools, in this proposal, “can, in addition to this non-confessional subject, still organise (state subsidised) confessional

RE. This kind of RE should, however, not necessarily be organised, nor should it be compulsory for all students.”38 Furthermore, “[t]his combination of

voluntary confessional RE and compulsory non-confessional RE as a state-

organised subject about religion might also be promising for state schools.”39 The latter, namely a combination of confessional and non-confessional RE,

is interesting because, as of now, only confessional RE classes are organized in state schools, although the current societal circumstances ask not for

segregating students along the lines of their religious backgrounds, but instead, for encountering each other in order to develop empathy and

tolerance toward both the religious and non-religious other.40 In a way,

this illustrates the relevance of the research agenda as proposed here, with the main question of how learning in encounter in this societal context,

and particularly regarding RE practices in schools in Flanders, might be

understood. In particular it is interesting to understand ways of encountering the other in contexts where, for many good reasons, there is provision for

L. Franken, and P. Vermeer, “Deconfessionalising RE in Pillarised Education Systems: A Case Study of Belgium and the Netherlands,” British Journal of Religious Education 41, no. 3 (2019): 272-285.

37 Ibid., 281.

38 Ibid.

39 Ibid.

40 See Franken and Vermeer, “Deconfessionalising RE in Pillarised Education Systems.”

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protestants-evangelisch godsdienstonderwijs in public schools. A lot of work has been done in this area.41

The question of how learning in encounter might be understood as a concept and as a practice is subsequently asked with regard to youth ministry

practices in protestant evangelical faith communities in Flanders. Important field partners for understanding and reflecting on these practices are the

Evangelisch Jeugdverbond (federale synode)42, the Pinkster Jongeren Vlaanderen

(federale synode)43 and the Protestants Jeugdoverleg Platform (VPKB).44 First, it is

important to jointly investigate what the actual core developments in the field of Protestant evangelical youth ministry practices in Flanders are in order to

be able to understand the concept and practice of learning in encounter in this context. Let me explain what kinds of developments I mean to search for by giving an example from the Dutch context.

In 2017, I described three important developments with an eye to the Dutch context of youth ministry, arguing that these can also function as mirrors to

reflect on developments in readers’ own countries.45 The first development I

described for the Dutch context was the movement of young Christians, or at least their interest, from local, fixed congregations in the direction of liquid

and trans-institutional networks and communities: “liquid communities are

replacing static or fixed faith communities (see DeKock 2015b). The religiously interested among the younger generations often feel helped, not by traditional forms of religious communities, such as local church congregations and

Christian schools, but by light, temporal, flexible communities (often online or street level), from religious festivals, concerts, and weekend events to modern

Reference can be made to the work on interreligious competencies, see for example https://www.kuleuven.be/thomas/page/interlevensbeschouwelijke-competenties/ 42 https://ejv.be 43 http://www.pjv.be/ 44 https://projop.be/ 45 A. De Kock, “Challenges to Apprenticeship Learning in Religious Education: Narrow Use of the Apprenticeship Model and Current Developments in Youth Ministry,” Religious Education 112, no. 3 (2017): 232–241.

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urban communes and digital communities.”46 The second development I

detected can be characterized as re-establishing the primary responsibility of parents in the religious formation of the youth; in other words, “the

rising prominence of parents’ role in youth ministry practices (see De Kock, Elhorst, and Barnard 2015). After the professionalization of youth ministry practices, including the appointment of paid, professional youth ministers

in church congregations, the emphasis has switched to the role of parents in

the faith formation of young people.”47 The third development observed is an

intensified focus on missionary practices, not seldom mixed up with diaconal initiatives:48 “As more local churches close and draw fewer children, youth ministry efforts are directed toward those outside the church: not young

church members but young non-church members. The ideal of such youth

ministry practices tends to be the sharing of the story of the Gospel rather than the (full) participation in the faith community that preserves and lives the story.”49

As previously stated, these developments are observed with an eye primarily focused on the Dutch context. It is clear that these three developments are

rooted in the context of a strong Protestant presence. The context of Flanders differs significantly in this regard. It is thus important to closely investigate the particular developments in the Protestant evangelical youth ministry

movements in Flanders that are actually challenging. The relevance of the

main question of how learning in encounter might be understood in current

youth ministry practices can at least be sought by analyzing among whom and where exactly encounters that are religiously formative for children and youth are taking place.

Ibid., 7 [in the original quote a reference is made to A De Kock, “Schools and Religious Communities’ Contributions to the Religious Formation of Christian Youth.,” International Journal of Christianity and Education, no. 19 (2015): 121–34.]

47 Ibid. [in the original quote a reference is made to A. De Kock, W. Elhorst, and M. Barnard, “The Comeback of Parents in Catechesis Practices. Journal of Youth and Theology,” Journal of Youth and Theology 14, no. 2 (2015): 155–71.]

48 See A. De Kock, “Being a Church through Religious Learning at the Street Level,” Ecclesial Practices 2, no. 2 (2015): 217–234.

49 De Kock, “Challenges to Apprenticeship Learning in Religious Education: Narrow Use of the Apprenticeship Model and Current Developments in Youth Ministry,” 7.

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Learning in Encounter It is in the midst of these challenges and developments in the fields of current religious education and youth ministry that I propose to more closely study the processes of learning in encounter. In my article “What about Learning in Practical Theological Studies: Towards more Conceptual Clarity”, I give

an overview of descriptions and interpretations of what can be understood as “learning” in relation to faith and religion, together with an overview of

normative and pragmatic approaches to the concept and practice of learning.50

In the article, I argue that in both religious practices and academic research, the way learning is conceived and searched for is partly based in interpretational and normative frameworks that meet particular conditions in a particular context and time. Here, I propose to choose a concept of learning that starts

from the observation that learning is relational; i.e., an intersubjective activity

that can be understood technically and pedagogically as a social process,51 and

theologically understood as a phenomenon situated in the encounter with God and each other.52 Partly following the research outcomes of the PhD projects of

former colleagues Ronelle Sonnenberg53 and Harmen van Wijnen,54 I would say that learning in encounter among youth has both an interpersonal and dialogical aspect, and a participating and acting aspect.

During a paper presentation I held at the annual meeting of the Religious Education Association in 2017, I elaborated somewhat on the concept of

learning in encounter.55 I stated that developing oneself as an individual

cannot be done without others. In other words: Without others, you cannot A. De Kock, “What about Learning in Practical Theological Studies. Towards more Conceptual Clarity,” SAGE Open (2015), DOI: 10.1177/2158244015592682.

51 Ibid., 6.

52 Ibid., 7.

53 P.M. Sonnenberg, and M. Barnard, “Educating Adolescents through Christian Youth Worship. Reclaiming Space for Learning in Liturgical Context,” HTS Theologiese Studies/Theological Studies 68, no. 2 (2012), Art. #1111, 8 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v68i2.1111.; P.M. Sonnenberg, M. Nel, A. De Kock, and M. Barnard, “Being Together in Youth Worship: An Empirical Study in Protestant Dutch Contexts,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 71, no. 2 (2015), art. #2832, 10 pages, DOI: 10.4102/hts.v71i2.2832.

54 H. Van Wijnen, “Faith in Small Groups of Adolescents. Being Together as a Basic Given” (PhD Thesis, Protestantse Theologische Universiteit, 2016).

55 A. De Kock, “Raising a Child is Madness: Learning in Encounter and Foundations of Education,” Paper presented at the 2017 REA Annual Meeting, St Louis (MO), Nov 3-5.

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become yourself and be yourself. Who you are as an individual depends

on others with whom you are in a relationship. It is difficult to speak about yourself without speaking about others. However, in how upbringing is

written and spoken about nowadays, we commonly observe “the individual

without the others”: “To grow up means to discover who you are as a unique human being”; “In the end, education’s aim is the child being able to be

authentic.” The implicit message of these kinds of comments is that the child should not be brought up to be dependent on others or even be influenced

by others. Frequently, this slips into high rates of individualism, pressure to achieve, and consequently, “stressful” educational ideals.

In response, various pedagogues, teachers, and politicians are pleading for

a more relational approach to the individual and, as a consequence, a more

relational approach to education, whether in schools or in the home. The most

important prerequisite for such an approach is education that gives space, also

in a literal sense, to share life with others; to provide opportunities to the child to let others’ lives be part of the child’s life. To let others’ lives be part of your own life is not a passive thing, but something active: it demands a conscious choice. Through these encounters, the child becomes more human and the other becomes more human.

One might say that a great number of expectations from the environment,

pressure to achieve, and the complicatedness of finding out who you are in a liquid world, and even a liquid church,56 lead young people to a stressful

(religious) identity development process accompanied by feelings of tiredness and forlornness as main stress responses.57 In struggling with this, children

and youth can be helped by educators who say: “wait a minute, let’s take time to be attentive to each other and oneself”; these are the educators (whether as parents, as teachers in school, or as youth workers in the church) who

P. Ward, Liquid Church (Peabody (MA): Hendrickson, 2002).

Compare C. Klaassen, Socialisatie en moraal. Onderwijs en waarden in een laat-moderne tijd (Leuven/ Apeldoorn: Garant, 1996); A. Verbrugge, Tijd van onbehagen. Filosofische essays over een cultuur op drift (Amsterdam: SUN, 2004); A. De Kock, “Religieuze identiteitsontwikkeling en -vorming van christenjongeren in een moderne context. Master thesis Godgeleerdheid, Universiteit Utrecht” (PhD Thesis, Universiteit Utrecht, 2008).

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stimulate learning in encounter as a key part of formation in general and

faith formation in particular. In the words of Castelli, such an approach asks for a pedagogy of faith dialogue.58 Besides taking time, faith dialogue as a

pedagogy of religious education entails “seriousness, humility, hesitation,

articulation and imagination.”59 Castelli suggests that “[a]n encounter through dialogue will entail change if only a growth in an understanding of the

other. Self and the other may not be seeking assimilation or domination, but

neither are they totally detached or unchanged by the encounter.”60 A growth in the understanding of the other is in itself a win, but at the same time,

understanding the other is part of a reciprocal process in which there is also a growth in understanding yourself. In this way, learning in encounter can

be a basic and promising approach to learning for religious educators in both schools and faith communities.

Pedagogical and Theological Reflections on Goals, Identity, Authority, and Safety Learning in encounter as a promising approach is echoed in (academic)

discourses on religious education in different ways. With regard to formation at school, in one of his blog posts, my colleague and Flemish religious

educator Bert Roebben recently stated: “One learns to get engaged in the “together” of society (socialization) by learning experiences in the living presence of others. To become a person (subjectification) requests time –

collision and affirmation, feedback and appreciation”61 Learning in encounter in schools, including in religious education in schools, is thus needed for

becoming a successful participant in society. However, this necessity is not

limited to schools. Religious education in faith communities is, in the words of

M. Castelli, “Faith Dialogue as a Pedagogy for a Post Secular Religious Education,” Journal of Beliefs & Values 33, no. 2 (2012): 207–216.

59 Ibid., 213.

60 Ibid., 210.

61 English translation from a passage in B. Roebben, “Menswording als vorming. Pleidooi voor meer eenvoud op school,” Blog May 9, 2019: https://bertroebben.blogspot.com/2019/05/menswording-alsvorming-pleidooi-voor.html 58

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Thomas H. Groome, a ‘pressing social issue,’62 and in line with that statement, faith communities should stimulate respectful encounters for their (young)

participants. Groom states: “[T]he first responsibility of religious educators

is to inform and form people in their own particular tradition, giving them a

sense of belonging to a spiritual home. We must ground them in the particular, however, in a way that diligently discourages sectarianism and bitterness

toward ‘others’. Let us enable people, instead, to embrace the universality

of God’s love for all humankind and to respect and appreciate all life-giving religious traditions.”63

This exact metaphor of an embrace is also used by Miroslav Volf, but in

relation to embracing others: “the most basic thought that it seeks to express is important: the will to give ourselves to others and “welcome” them, to readjust

our identities to make space for them, is prior to any judgment about others, except

that of identifying them in their humanity. The will to embrace precedes any ‘truth’ about others and any construction of their ‘justice’. This will is absolutely

indiscriminate and strictly immutable; it transcends the moral mapping of

the social world into ‘good’ and ‘evil’.”64 My Czech colleague Frantisek Stech recently linked Volf’s theology of an embrace with the ‘youth theology’ Bert

Roebben portrays in his reflections on religious education and youth ministry: “Youth theology is a form of living theology in the presence of the (young)

other; it is doing theology with open arms ready to embrace our fellow human beings, the realities of this world, as well as God who is the (Triune) One

searching for each of us with open arms.”65 This is how learning in encounter can be related to faith formation among young people.

These different voices illustrate how the concept of learning in encounter is present in current debates on religious formation. These and other voices

T. H. Groome, Will There Be Faith? A New Vision for Educating and Growing Disciples (New York: HarperOne, 2011), 11.

63 Ibid.

64 M. Volf, Exclusion and Embrace. A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (Nashville (TN): Abingdon Press, 1996), 29.

65 F. Stech, “Emerging youth theology and the theology of embrace,” Unpublished paper (2019), https:// www.academia.edu/39581926/Emerging_Youth_Theology_and_the_Theology_of_Embrace.

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need further reflection by professionals in schools and faith communities, and also by practical theologians involved in research on practices of religious

education and youth ministry. We can detect at least four key issues for further reflection in terms of both theological and pedagogical consequences of an approach of learning in encounter: goals, identity, authority, and safety.66

When it comes to the issue of goals, a main question for religious educators is: is there any important goal involved in encountering the other which steers

the educational learning process or the process of bringing up the child? If so, what is that goal?

With regard to the issue of identity, a second main question for reflection is: from what conception of identity do religious educators arrange the

educational context? Different views of identity can be at work in practices of religious education and youth ministry that can be both pedagogically and theologically loaded.67 Who is the child, from a theological and/or

pedagogical perspective, and what does that mean for why and how they are learning in encounter?

Next, an important field of reflection on theological and pedagogical

consequences of learning in encounter is the issue of authority. What or who is authoritative when it comes to decisions in life: voices ‘from outside,’ like structures given in society or the local community, or voices coming ‘from

within,’ from the heart, so to say? An encounter with someone who is different might challenge authority structures that the child is used to. The conscious choice to share life with the other who is different is a conscious choice to

open up the realm of possibilities, by way of authority located in the other,

to critique one’s own voice and views, to correct one’s own opinions, and to develop one’s own identity further.

A fourth key issue for further reflection is that of safety. Learning in encounter with the other is not without risk. A child might lose the sense of self through De Kock, “Raising a Child is Madness.”

Ibid. In the paper three conceptions of identity are discussed: an intra- , inter- , and suprapersonal conception.

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contact with others; in the relationship between the educator and the child, there is also a risk of children losing themselves through becoming totally focused on meeting the expectations of educators in all kinds of ways.

Learning in encounter thus asks for a safe atmosphere in which the child’s

integrity is safeguarded and where the child is not forced to lose that sense of self. Education directed toward the encounter with the other who is different should reflect on the issue of integrity: how do we safeguard it; where do

we define limits (if at all / if needed) in challenging children to “lose” parts of themselves? Helpful texts for further reflection on these kinds of issues include l’Anson (2010): “RE: pedagoy – after neutrality”,68 Castelli (2012):

“Faith dialogue as a pedagogy for a post secular religious education”,69 and Reed et al. (2013): “Narrative theology in religious education”.70

Learning in Encounter: a Research Agenda Developments in the fields of religious education and youth ministry and

initial reflections on the meaning of the concept and practice of learning in

encounter as outlined above form the reason for a practical theological research agenda I envision at the ETF for research on learning in encounter in current

practices of religious education and youth ministry. This research agenda di-

rectly serves research track 3 from the ETF’s research program “Religious For-

mation and Leadership in Pluralistic Network Societies,” at the heart of which is research on the contemporary place and roles of religious leadership and

religious pedagogy. Furthermore, it directly serves the further development of

the Educational Master for Protestant Religious Education, which the ETF will set up within the next few years, and which will replace the current teacher’s training.

The main research question underlying the research agenda is: how might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and as a practice in current

J. L’Anson, “RE: Pedagogy – after Neutrality,” British Journal of Religious Education 32, no. 2 (2010): 105–18.

69 Castelli, “Faith Dialogue as a Pedagogy for a Post Secular Religious Education.”

70 E. D. Reed et al., “Narrative Theology in Religious Education,” British Journal of Religious Education 35, no. 3 (2013): 297–312.

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practices of religious education and youth ministry? The primary focus at the ETF

will be the protestant evangelical context in Flanders, but it will not be limited to that. Research might include comparative studies in which other national

contexts or other religious or non-religious contexts are also objects of study.

Starting from the main research question, the research agenda is then formed by four sets of possible sub-questions, to which the ETF can contribute from its particular perspective:

Sub-questions with regard to what is known from past research. What sorts of

practices of learning in encounter in religious education and youth ministry

practices exist? What beliefs and professional theories do educators hold with regard to learning in encounter in these practices? How are these practices

of learning in encounter theoretically understood in terms of theological and pedagogical interpretations? What kinds of results of empirical studies are

available with regard to the functioning of learning in encounter in religious education and youth ministry practices?

Sub-questions with regard to practices of religious education, both confessional

and non-confessional. How can practices of learning in encounter in schools

be described? What beliefs and professional theories do teachers hold with

regard to learning in encounter in these practices? What sorts of encounters are envisioned in private and state schools in general and in RE subjects in

particular? What sorts of encounters are actually practiced in these schools, with whom, and how are they religiously formative? How can learning in

encounter in these practices be understood theoretically in terms of theological and pedagogical interpretations? Who or what are actually authorities, and how is the “authority structure� at work in these practices of learning in

encounter (including the particular role of the Bible)? How is the issue of

(religious) plurality dealt with in these practices? What kinds of goals are set for learning in encounter? How might the practices of learning in encounter

in schools contribute to the (religious) identity development of young people and subsequently be understood? How can a safe learning environment be developed for learning in encounter in religious education in schools?

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Sub-questions with regard to youth ministry practices. How can practices of

learning in encounter in youth ministry practices be described? What beliefs and professional theories do youth workers and pastors hold with regard to learning in encounter in these practices? What sorts of encounters are

envisioned in formational practices in churches, such as catechesis and youth work, but also in more fluid communities and networks? What sorts of

encounters are actually practiced in youth ministry practices, with whom, and how are they religiously formative? How can learning in encounter in these practices be understood theoretically in terms of theological interpretations and pedagogical interpretations? Who or what are actually authorities, and how is the “authority structure” at work in these practices of learning in

encounter (including the particular impact of charismatic leaders in global Christianity, as exposed on the Internet)? How is the issue of (religious)

plurality dealt with in these practices? What kinds of goals are set for learning in encounter? How might the practices of learning in encounter in youth

ministry contribute to the (religious) identity development of young people and subsequently be understood? What are young people’s perspectives or longings in these encounters, and what are adults’ normative formational ideals with regard to these encounters? What do rituals and sacraments function formatively in learning in encounter?

Sub-questions with regard to the religious identity development of children and youth in general. How do encounters influence identity development in general and spiritual development in particular for children and youth?71 What sorts of

encounters are stimulating and what sorts are disturbing? Who or what are

actually authorities in these encounters, and what are the particular formative roles of the home, family, and parents? What sorts of encounters, and with

whom, are envisioned by parents and actually practiced by children? How are these encounters religiously formative?

A recent overview article of Tony Eaude might function as an excellent starting point to explore this question further: T. Eaude, “The Role of Culture and Traditions in how Young Children’s Identities are Constructed,” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality (2019), DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2019.1619534 71

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Learning in Encounter: on Research Methodology The set of sub-questions in category (a) asks for systematic literature reviews.

For conducting research on sub-questions in categories (b), (c), and (d),

research designs are needed for empirical practical theological studies. In developing these designs we can learn from research designs applied in

previous (PhD) research in religious education and youth ministry that I was engaged in in the context of the Research Center Youth, Church and Culture

at the Protestant Theological University, the Netherlands (OJKC).72 These were and are qualitative research designs using a variety of research instruments, being examples of how to apply elements of the practical theological

perspective I presented earlier. In terms of gathering data, these research

designs are efforts to enable the researcher to actually encounter the empirical world by observing carefully and listening attentively; the data analyses from

these designs provide good examples of how to find language to communicate what is found as result of the research project.

First, we can learn from interviewing techniques that have already been

developed. In Visser-Vogel’s and De Bruin-Wassinkmaat’s PhD projects, for example, interviewing and analysis techniques were developed to study

religious identity development processes during the adolescent phase of Muslim and Christian youth in a retrospective manner.73 In Markus’s PhD project,

interviewing and analysis techniques were developed to study how and why

teachers work in mono-religious school environments; as another example, in De Kock’s interview study, interviewing and analysis techniques were constructed to study how catechists envision ideals for catechesis and how, in accordance with it, they arrange catechetical learning environments in congregations.74

www.ojkc.nl E. Visser-Vogel, “Religious Identity Development of Orthopraxy Muslim Adolescents in The Netherlands” (Universiteit Utrecht, 2015); A.M. De Bruin-Wassinkmaat et al., “Being Young and Strictly Religious: A Review of the Literature on the Religious Identity Development of Strictly Religious Adolescents,” Identity 19, no. 1 (2019): 62-79.

74 See e.g. J.J. Markus, G.D. Bertram-Troost, A. De Kock, A. De Muynck, and M. Barnard, “Stimulating Inquisitiveness: Teachers at Orthodox Protestant Schools about their Roles in Religious Socialization,” Religious Education (2019), DOI: 10.1080/00344087.2019.1581874; A. De Kock, “Catechists’ Conceptions of Their Catechetical Learning Environments,” International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 14, no. 1 (2014): 3–21.

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Second, we can learn from mixed and ethnographical methods that have

been used in three other PhD projects. In Sonnenberg’s research project, a qualitative study was conducted on youth worship in protestant contexts

using cultural-anthropological tools in empirical fieldwork combined with theological perspectives in the analysis of the data.75 In his PhD project on learning outcomes of catechesis practices, Meerveld used multiple

research tools, including interviews, observations, and a learner reporting tool generating data on realized learning outcomes in the domain of faith

learning.76 Another good example is Van Leersum-Bekebrede’s current PhD project, which used participant observations in congregational practices of worship with children.77

All these research designs and instruments used are examples of research

approaches that meet the conditions of bottom-up and qualitative research that is necessary for fully understanding how children and youth are developing themselves and acting religiously in today’s societies. These research

approaches meet the plea of Tobias Faix, who states that “[m]ore research needs to be undertaken in the future with regard to the methodological approach of using mixed methods and also in relation to adolescents’

ability to speak about and understand their own faith constructs.”78 This is not only helping to understand young people in relation to faith and religion; it

also serves theology as a discipline by challenging theological reflections from the perspective of a new generation.79

R. Sonnenberg, “Youth Worship in Protestant Contexts. A Practical Theological Theory of Participation of Adolescents” (PhD Thesis, Protestantse Theologische Universiteit, 2015).

76 H. Meerveld, “Opbrengsten van jongerencatechese. Een kwalitatief empirisch onderzoek in vier protestantse geloofsgemeenschappen in Nederland” (PhD Thesis, Protestantse Theologische Universiteit, 2018).

77 See e.g. L. Van Leersum-Bekebrede, R. Sonnenberg, J. De Kock, and M. Barnard, “Setting the Stage for Children’s Participation in Worship,” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality (2019), DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2019.1619533.

78 T. Faix, “Semantics of Faith: Methodology and Results Regarding Young People’s Ability to Speak about Their Beliefs,” Journal of Empirical Theology 27, no. 1 (2014): 51.

79 See also the editorial I wrote for the last issue of Journal of Youth and Theology in my responsibility as chief editor earlier this year: A. De Kock, “Editorial,” Journal of Youth and Theology 18, no. 1 (2019): 1.

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Research Networks It is not only at the level of designs and instruments, but also on the level of theories, concepts, and research outcomes that the research agenda on learning in encounter as proposed here builds on the knowledge base as

developed in the OJKC. Actually, the ETF’s research on practices of religious

education and youth ministry will stay in direct conversation with the OJKC

through the ETF’s research partnership with the OJKC, as will colleagues from the Universiteit van Tilburg (the Netherlands) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Furthermore, the research agenda is in direct conversation

with the broader international networks of religious education scholars in

the community of the Religious Education Association and the community of the International Academy of Practical Theology: I currently serve as a

board member in both organizations. In the end, the research agenda should lead to several international journal articles as well as contributions to

academic handbooks and textbooks in the fields of practical theology, religious education, and youth ministry.

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Part II How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and practice in the

theological faculty? I will explore this question by first providing my vision for how practical theology is practiced in both research and the educational programs at the

ETF (section 4), and thereafter, by providing my communal vision for the ETF as an academic and formational institution (section 5).

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4. Practicing Practical Theology in Research and in the Educational Programs at the ETF How might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and practice in the theological faculty? I will explore this question by first providing

my vision for how practical theology is practiced in both research and the educational programs at the ETF. This vision is in line with the practical

theological perspective outlined in section 2, where practical theologians are envisioned as (a) taking the empirical reality of the here and now as a main source for developing theological reflection, (b) applying a threefold set of

empirical hermeneutical skills (observation as reception, listening as reception, and learning language) in the empirical investigation of religious praxis, and

(c) reflecting thoroughly on four layers of normativity in empirical research on religious praxis.

Learning in Encounter: Faith Seeking Understanding To practice the ETF motto, Fides Quaerens Intellectum, or “Faith seeking

understanding,” it is necessary to have a practical theological approach that is based on learning in encounter. This means encountering faith practices and theological practices (having both interpersonal and participating aspects) as well as encountering the discourses and professional theories in and

academic theories about these practices, which contributes to good theological observation and listening, opening up possibilities to receive insights and to learn language to communicate about these insights.

The element of understanding in “faith seeking understanding” should be understood as a continuous hermeneutical struggle80 rooted in the belief 80

De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical.”

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that experiences in faith practices, whether by practitioners or scholars,

do not necessarily fully coincide with ‘how God is’ and ‘how God reveals

Godself’:81 “The link between the human communication, the interpretation

of messengers, and the God-human communication is theologically anchored

in the freedom of God, in his initiative and his being semper maior, as well as in the fragmented and particular knowledge and acting of people.”82 In other

words, the understanding, and what might be called the theologies, including theologies functioning as understanding frameworks within the realms of

practical theology, religious education, and youth ministry, are always under

construction.83 Thus, the understanding in “faith seeking understanding” is, at least from a practical theological perspective, always under construction.

The element of seeking in “faith seeking understanding” can be best

characterized by the notion of creativity. I believe that it is a creative process

for the practical theologian to construe theology on the basis of the encounter with religious praxis (by observation as reception, listening as reception, and

learning language) and a thorough reflection on the four layers of normativity.

Osmer envisioned this creative process using the metaphor of the artist:84

Practicing practical theology is working like an artist in the artist’s studio, searching and grasping, ending up with an insight, an interpretation, a

theology or an intervention which is the result of a creative process. To seek is to be creative: practical theologians construe theology by an intense creative process.

Methodological Consequences One of the important consequences of this practical theological approach based on learning in encounter with the empirical world for practical

De Kock and Norheim, 80.; P. M. Sonnenberg, “God in Youth Worship.,” Jaarboek voor Liturgie-onderzoek 30 (2014): 223–241; A. De Kock, “Theologiseren met kinderen als construerende theologie,” Handelingen 42, no. 4 (2015): 59–66.

82 Sonnenberg, “God in Youth Worship.”, 241.

83 De Kock, “Theologiseren met kinderen.”; De Kock and Norheim, “Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical.”

84 Osmer, Practical Theology. An Introduction.

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theological research and classes in the ETF is that students are to be stimulated to constantly engage critically with practical theological approaches taught in the handbooks they might use. These include for example Osmer’s practical theology handbook from the US,85 Ward’s more recent practical theology

handbooks from the UK,86 and Dillen’s and Gärtner’s handbooks from Leuven and Tilburg.87 The approaches in these handbooks contain lots of wisdom,

and we can definitely use them to be educated as practical theologians. At the same time, the practical theological perspective as proposed in section 2 asks for critically exposing normativities in these approaches and bringing them

into critical dialogue with what can be experienced in encounters with faith practices and theological practices in the here and now.

Furthermore, methodologically, this means that for those specializing in practical theology at ETF, the principal of learning in encounter should

be translated into qualitative research designs using good interviewing

techniques and ethnographical methods through which data are gathered

by observing carefully and listening attentively, and subsequently analyzed in such a way that sufficient language is found to communicate about the results of the research. This resembles the approach of a hermeneutic-

phenomenological methodology for theology that Horner recently proposed in the International Journal of Practical Theology.88 This hermeneutic-

phenomenological methodology encourages practical theologians to refrain “from making judgements in advance about the kinds of phenomena it is

possible to encounter.”89 It asks the practical theologian to open oneself to

“what gives itself and use phenomenological, hermeneutical, and possibly,

also, theological tools to uncover its meaning.”90 Horner argues, for example, that “[i]n evaluating what research participants describe of their experience

Ibid.

P. Ward, Introducing Practical Theology. Mission, Ministry, and the Life of the Church. (Grand Rapids (MI): Baker Academic, 2017).

87 A. Dillen and S. Gärtner, Praktische theologie. Verkenningen aan de grens (Tielt: LannooCampus, 2015).

88 R. Horner, “Towards a Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Methodology for Theology,” International Journal of Practical Theology 22, no. 2 (2018): 153–173.

89 Ibid., 153.

90 Ibid., 160.

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in relation to God, we may well be looking for events, which we can (…)

define as descriptions of happenings that are of such significance that they radically transform the world of the participant. Such transformation will not prove the

divine origin of events but will enable us to interpret experiences in light of this possibility.”91

In order to learn this methodological approach in practical theology, I

found Deborah Court’s excellent book Qualitative Research and Intercultural Understanding – Conducting Qualitative Research in Multicultural Settings to be extremely helpful.92 The book is helpful precisely because it positions

qualitative research as a personal encounter of the researcher with the other and with otherness: “In qualitative research the researcher is a research

participant no less than those whom s/he is studying. Qualitative researchers collect and analyse data through the lens of who they are. Their research journey involves both utilizing and seeing beyond their experiences,

knowledge bases and values in order to arrive at understanding of the lives of the research participants.”93 This book can help students to critically engage in the strengths and weaknesses of research designs and instruments used in actual research projects (I gave some examples of interview studies and ethnographic studies in section 3) and to critically engage with ideas for research designs and instruments to be developed.94

All in all, I plead for a practical theological approach at the ETF that will

help students to wait a minute. To wait a minute and give a real encounter with the object of research a chance; reflecting on how to best try to

understand what is going on. To wait a minute to weigh alternatives to

practical theological theories with which to design research instruments and data analyses. Of course, the ultimate consequence is also that the practical

Ibid., 172.

D. Court, Qualitative Research and Intercultural Understanding. Conducting Qualitative Research in Multicultural Settings (Londen: Routledge, 2018).

93 Ibid., x.

94 For example, what is proposed with regard to interviewing techniques in practical theology in E.R. Campbell-Reed and C. Scharen, “Ethnography on Holy Ground: How Qualitative Interviewing Is Practical Theological Work,” International Journal of Practical Theology 17, no. 2 (2013): 232–259.

91 92

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theological perspective I envision in this lecture should be an object of critical engagement, including its meta-theoretical foundation and methodological consequences for theology.95 The very reason to lay down this practical

theological perspective at this stage is to provide possibilities for encounters with what are my thoughts, professionally, academically, and personally.

95

Compare e.g. Horner, “Towards a Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Methodology for Theology.�

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5. A Communal Vision for the ETF as an Academic and Formational Institution The concluding question in this lecture is: how might learning in encounter be understood as a concept and practice in the theological faculty? I will

now explore this question by providing my communal vision for the ETF as

an academic and formational institution. I envision the ETF as a community which seeks understanding by being creative. Creativity is at the base of

construing theologies, and creativity itself is the result of academic learning in encounter.

As a theological research community and a theological education program,

the ETF is a particular form of religious education, and as such, it is engaged in what Hess describes as “the re-asking and re-engagement of the depth

questions a religious tradition has asked.”96 For the ETF as a whole, I would also therefore propose to choose a concept of learning that starts from the observation that learning is relational; i.e., an intersubjective activity that can be understood technically and pedagogically as a social process, and

theologically understood as a phenomenon situated in the encounter with God and each other. Learning in encounter at the ETF has both an interpersonal

and dialogical dimension as well as a participating and acting dimension. It

can be envisioned as a form of living theology in the presence of the other: “it

is doing theology with open arms ready to embrace our fellow human beings,

the realities of this world, as well as God who is the (Triune) One searching for each of us with open arms.”97 However, this raises the question of what that would look like.

96 97

Hess, “Religious Education,” 299.

Stech, “Emerging Youth Theology.”

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Facilitating, Co-learning, and Community Building Based on the examples of three outstanding congregational rabbis, through combining their biographical portraits with analyses based on educational

scholarship, Sarah Tauber has come up with three crucial roles adult religious educators should hold: being facilitators, being co-learners, and being

community builders.98 Although these three rabbis’ learning groups in their

synagogues are different from the student community engaged in academic

theological education at the ETF, I find this threefold teacher role inspiring for

the academic staff of the ETF. The threefold role mainly serves what I conceive of as learning in encounter. To be a facilitator as a teacher means, among other things, to be approachable, moderating discussion, guiding text study, and motivated by “a commitment to the dignity of every learner.”99 To be a co-

learner requires humility which “helps establish an inclusive and egalitarian learning environment”100 where teachers and learners are fellow learners

engaged in a transformative learning process. To be a community builder

means that the learning process generated empowers learners “to contribute to the vitality of their communities”101 by being directed toward cooperation with others and not primarily their own agency.

As facilitators, co-learners, and community builders, the ETF staff enhance learning in encounter, which is a creative process in research, education,

and valorization. The particular goal of this learning at the ETF is to deepen,

strengthen, and equip the international evangelical movement at an academic level. The encounters are not restricted to internal encounters, but include different forms of encounters with all kinds of partners in the context and networks of the ETF. In the midst of these encounters, four challenging

observations for theological faculties in general can be made:102 (1) the current

S. M. Tauber, Open Minds, Devoted Hearts. Portraits of Adult Religious Educators (Eugene (OR): Pickwick, 2015).

99 Ibid., 116.

100 Ibid., 131.

101 Ibid., 146.

102 See J. De Kock, and H. Van den Bosch, “Waar begin je? En waar eindig je?,” Handelingen 41, no. 3 (2014): 64-68.

98

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and universal search for sense in life is the “riverbed” for doing theology;

(2) theological faculties should help prospective theologians to develop the language for religious and existential questions in society and culture; (3)

theology itself should continuously be in encounter with other disciplines,

both in academia and in the work field; and (4) in doing theology, there should be space for encounters with church contexts and faith communities—a critical and distanced encounter, a critical and engaged encounter, and a believing and kerygmatic encounter.

Encountering Normativities For the ETF as an academic and formational institution, it is important to

balance the believing and kerygmatic encounter with faith practices with a

critical and engaged as well as a critical and distanced encounter. These types of encounters can be understood as different ways a scholar can relate to the empirical world of the religious practice he is investigating. In deepening, strengthening, and equipping the international evangelical movement at an academic level, students at the ETF should be helped with sufficient

reflexivity on normativity on different layers in the engagement with religious praxis. Erwich (2018) rightly points at the importance of spiritual guidance

and the formation of students of theology by providing community events,

personal tutoring, and working on the integration of theological knowledge and personal spiritual practice.103 In my view, this support in the identity

development process of students is definitely served by a thorough knowledge of and reflection on the four levels of normativity I outlined in the first part of my lecture with regard to studying faith practices in general.

For the ETF as a theological education institute, I believe that the theme of normativity should be reflected on with contributions from the full range of biblical, historical, systematic, and practical theology, religious studies

and missiology. It is highly important to work within the ETF on a sufficient R. Erwich, “Studying Theology: Between Exploration and Commitment – Researching Spiritual Development of Higher Education Students of Theology.,” International Journal of Christianity & Education 22, no.

3 (2018): 214–232.

103

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understanding of the role of normativity and its different aspects among scholars. As a consequence, in-depth attention to how normativity is ‘at

work’ in research studies and in the personal thoughts and practices of the

ETF’s teachers and students is critical. Explicit and structured attention to the four layers of normativity would help the ETF community to strengthen its scholarly, pedagogical, and theological work.

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6. Concluding Remarks and Words of Thanks In this lecture, I explored the concept of learning in encounter and its meaning as a guiding principle for practices of religious education, youth ministry, and for practicing (practical) theology at the ETF as an academic and formational institution. In this regard, I suggested taking on a practical theological

perspective in which (a) the empirical reality of the here and now is taken

as a main source for developing theological reflection, (b) a threefold set of

empirical hermeneutical skills is applied (observation as reception, listening as reception, and learning language), and (c) a thorough reflection on four layers of normativity in studying religious practices is advocated.

Humility In encountering the other or otherness, I believe wisdom is being received;

this is wisdom in the sense of doing wise in the encounter with reality, others, and otherness. In academic work, wisdom is also about doing wise; it is not

restricted to just producing wise words for each other and the world. Wisdom as doing wise is at the heart of a Bible verse in the New Testament: James 3:13 (NIV): “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Here,

wisdom has to do with practical insight into spiritual implications. Humility is such an implication. This reminds us of faith dialogue as the pedagogy

of religious education, as proposed by Castelli, entailing humility,104 and of

Tauber describing the religious educator as a co-learner requiring humility.105

It is with this wisdom and humility that I wish our ETF community would be built, and encounters would be sought, not only in our own community, but also in the international academic networks and the work field.

104 105

Castelli, “Faith Dialogue as a Pedagogy for a Post Secular Religious Education,” 213.

Tauber, Open Minds, Devoted Hearts. Portraits of Adult Religious Educators.

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45

Under the motto of Fides Quaerens Intellectum-“Faith seeking understanding,”

we have a beautiful job to do at the ETF. At the same time, it can be a hard job, being always on the go, trying to meet a large variety of expectations, from

the external environment and from within, experiencing pressure to achieve,

and confronted with the complicatedness of finding out who we are in a more and more ‘liquid’ and highly fragmented theological landscape, continuously puzzling and learning. I would say, when times are stressful, let us help each other, encountering and remembering: wait a minute, wait a minute.

Words of Thanks It is from an enormous series of encounters with the wisdom of others during my whole lifetime that the celebration of this special day with this lecture is

originated. Here, I concentrate my words of thanks in particular to a selection of people who were closest to me during the past few years of my academic life.

From my former university, the Protestant Theological University, Amsterdam, I thank Marcel Barnard for his leadership, and for giving me the opportunities to develop academically. I thank Ronelle Sonnenberg for her cooperation and

inspiration in the OJKC. I thank Mirella Klomp for being an example of always aiming for quality. I thank the PhD students for whom I was allowed to be,

or still am, a co-promotor for sharing their wisdom with me: Elsbeth VisserVogel, Ronelle Sonnenberg, Hans Meerveld, Hanna Ploeg, Hanna Markus, Anne-Marije de Bruin-Wassinkmaat, and Lydia van Leersum-Bekebrede.

I thank the ETF community of students and staff for enabling me to become one of them. In particular, I thank Jelle Creemers, Andreas Beck, and Jack Barentsen for their trust and wisdom, and for proofreading the final concept for this

lecture. I thank Filip De Cavel for thinking along with me during the past year.

I thank my parents for everything they have taught me. I thank my wife,

Belianne, for her loving wisdom. Together, she and I are blessed with the daily encounter with the wisdom of our children: thanks, Ruth, Esra, Patrycja, and Rebekka!

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