Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing a Life of Faith (BridgePoint Books)

This is by far the most thoughtful presentation I have read about children's spiritual nurture (and I've read most of the titles now available on the market). Fowler's clsssic may be the standard for explaining stages of spiritual formation, but Dr. Stonehouse truly fleshes out children's experience of faith and how parents and educators can most effectively feed children spiritually. She writes from a Christian perspective. Her approach is scholarly and draws from solid research, yet the text is engaging and highly readable with wise suggestions parents will want to implement. It is not a gimmick-filled idea book, but rather a well grounded guide in understanding, encouraging, and joining children on a shared spiritual journey. Dr. Stonehouse shows great insight into children's experience of faith at various stages, and gives parents and the wider church family a solid understanding of how to share a rich, worshipful life with kids. Besides the clear writing, the strength of this book is the wisdom it imparts that nurturing a life of faith is as much about adults growing and maturing as it is about their modeling and encouraging spiritual growth for children. This book will prove valuable to parents, christian educators, Sunday school program directors, and those in relational ministry to children. She includes a great bibliography.

This is by far the most thoughtful presentation I have read about children's spiritual nurture (and I've read most of the titles now available on the market). Fowler's clsssic may be the standard for explaining stages of spiritual formation, but Ms. Stonehouse truly fleshes out children's experience of faith and how parents can most effectively feed their children spiritually. She writes from a Christian perspective. Her approach is scholarly and draws from solid research, yet the text is engaging and highly readable with wise suggestions parents will want to implement. It is not so much a detailed "how to" guide as it is an encouragement to join children on a shared journey. Ms. Stonehouse shows great insight into children's experience of faith at various stages, and gives parents a solid understanding of how to share a rich, worshipful life with their kids. Besides the clear writing, the strength of this book is the wisdom it imparts that nurturing a life of faith is as much about parents growing and maturing as it is about their modeling and encouraging spiritual growth for their children. She includes a great bibliography.

Stonehouse does a wonderful job of wedding faith development and modern psycology to help Christians be more intentional and wise as they seek to lead children into a maturing faith in God.