Does Research Really Make A Difference?

By Steve Huerd

This morning I found myself trying to comfort a mother who was very concerned about passing along her faith to her emerging adult-aged children.  Fortunately, I knew that the latest research indicated that emerging adults are the least religious adults in the United States today due in part to all the transitions they encounter in the 18-23 year age group.  She and her husband had walked faithfully with the Lord and done everything they could to pass on their faith to their children, yet she had still had a sense of uncertainty.  Having just completed my dissertation examining the social factors affecting adolescent faith development, I was in a great position to speak of the latest social research findings to her.

Being three months down the road from finishing my research has given me opportunity to reflect back upon how research has shaped my thinking.  I’ve come up five observations as to how my life has been influenced thus far from engaging in scholarly research. 

First, I’d have to say is that the value of research has greatly increased in my thinking.   Coming from a highly pragmatic ministry background, I was steeped in the practical approach of “if it works, then let’s use it.”  Though well-intentioned and trained in successful ministry practices, I confess to rarely understanding or often even considering they “whys” behind why a certain practice was effective.  All one had to do was simply do it and you would get results.  Yet, now because of my research, I am able to explain why certain practices and effective and others are not, why many people respond the way they do, and others do not.  I can even suggest shortcomings in our understanding of certain phenomena which eventually could lead to new tools and strategies designed for greater effectiveness. 

Second, research helped reaffirm truths I‘ve lived by for years.  For example, the old saying, “students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” is really a popular phrasing of the recent empirical findings indicating that the quality of relationships between a mentor and a mentee are of primary importance to mentoring effectiveness.

Third, research confirmed some foggy ideas floating in my thinking.  Research clearly spells out that programming in youth ministry is not nearly as important as developing relationships with the students.  I had essentially “come to the same conclusion,” years ago in my field ministry of trial and error, but no one had ever really confirmed this truth to me.

Fourth, and maybe the most profound, is that research helped me explain my own experience.  Let me explain.  One of the most important findings of my research dealt with how attachment theory related to adolescent spirituality.  Attachment theory is the emotional bond formed between a child and their primary attachment figure, a parent/guardian, etc. who cares for them.  If a child, for whatever reason, forms an insecure attachment with their parent/guardian, then they are more likely to experience a sudden conversion in adolescence.  If a child forms a secure attachment with their parent/guardian, then they more likely to become socialized into their parents’ religious views.  This helped me, in part, to explain why I experienced such a strong conversion to Christ in high school while others, who are brought up in Christian homes, often do not experience such sudden changes in their religiosity.

Finally, knowing the latest research findings liberates me from the false claims of others.  For example, many who claim that we are “losing our kids” or that this generation may be the last “Christian” generation may mean well, but research reveals that American teenagers largely adopt their parent’s religious views and are not dramatically less religious than former generations.

To someone who was initially somewhat skeptical of the value of empirical research toward ministry practice, I’ve come a long way in my thinking.  And while others may find many more compelling reasons justifying the value of empirical research, at least I know of one person’s thinking who has been changed.