YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
  • Programs and Events
    • Calendar
    • Ignite Youth Rallies & Confirmation Days
    • Camp Bosco
    • Manus Christi
    • HS Winter Retreat
    • Pursuit - Parish Tour
    • NCYC >
      • General Information
      • Step by Step Planning & Forms
      • Scholarship Information
      • Fundraising Ideas
    • Youth Board
  • Staff
    • Office Staff
    • College Campus Ministers
    • Summer Staff
  • Thrive! Journal
    • Previous Editions of Thrive! >
      • Edition #1 - September 26, 2018 >
        • Crisis in the Church
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Daily Offering
        • Synod
        • Culture Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #2 - October 10, 2018 >
        • Call Your Mother
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Celebrations!
        • Video Catechism
        • Ideas Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #3 - October 24, 2018 >
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Time to Feast
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Synod October
        • Discipleship Toolbox
        • Juuling
      • Edition #4 November 7, 2018 >
        • V Cat
        • Playlist Pump up
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Celebrations!
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Thanksgiving Toolbox
      • Edition #5 November 21, 2018 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Synod
        • World Youth Day Toolbox
        • Prayer
        • Skibidi
      • Edition #6 November 22, 2018 >
        • Celebrate
        • Prayer
        • Ministry Team Toolbox
        • VCat
        • Christmas Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #7 December 16, 2018 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Prayer
        • Synod
        • Ice Breakers
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #8 January 16, 2019 >
        • Politics & Ministry
        • Events
        • Game Night Toolbox
        • Litany of Humility
        • Celebrate
        • VCat
      • Edition #9 January 30, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Events
        • Prayer
        • Graphics & Design Toolbox
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #10 February 13, 2019 >
        • What The Youth Think
        • Events
        • Stations of the Cross Part 1
        • Lent Toolbox for Your Ministry
        • VCat: The Creed
        • Celebrate
      • Edition #11 February 27, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Events
        • Lent Toolbox
        • Lent for You!
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #12 March 13, 2019 >
        • Culture: Is It Wrong To Evangelize?
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Stations of the Cross Part 2
        • Spring Cleaning Toolbox
        • Celebrate: Patrick Meinster
        • VCat- How To Go To Confession
      • Edition #13 March 27, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis: Experiential Learning Cycle
        • Events
        • Spring Cleaning Toolbox Part 2
        • Divine Mercy
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #14 April 10, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Surrender
        • Easter Toolbox
        • Celebrate: Brigitte Schmidt
        • VCat- Holy Water
        • Christus Vivit! Christ is Alive!
      • Edition #15 April 24, 2019 >
        • Events
        • Summertime Toolbox
        • Resurrection!
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #16 May 8, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Sheepy Sheep
        • Summer Reading Toolbox
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • VCat- The Beatitudes
      • Edition #17 May 22, 2019 >
        • Summer Reading Toolbox
        • Totus Tuus Maria
        • Young Adults
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK! The Ice
      • Edition #18 - June 26, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Culture: Social Media
        • Bible Study Toolbox
        • Prayer: Litany of Trust
        • Young Adults
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • VCat- Freedom
      • Edition #19 - September 1, 2019 >
        • Join Our Youth Board!
        • DAY OF YOUTH MINISTRY TRAINING!
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #20 - October 2, 2019 >
        • Teach: The Church and the Environment
        • Training Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • Setting a Sacred Rhythm
      • Edition #21 November 2, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel 21
        • Sustainable Discipleship
        • Christ is Alive!
        • Teach: The Eucharist
        • Advent Spotify Toolbox
      • Edition #22 November 28, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel 22
        • The Art of Boomerang Throwing
        • Ministry Evening
        • St. Paul, Kanye West, and Conversion
        • Keep Christmas Going!
        • NCYC Youth Video
  • Consultation
  • Resources
    • Insta Stations of the Cross
    • Any Given Sunday Project
    • Journey to Emmaus
    • For Your Bulletin...
Picture
Picture
Thrive! Journal - Edition 4



​Adventure Catechesis:
You're Already Doing It!

This is article #2 in a series on Adventure Catechesis
Picture
First article in the series
People learn from their experiences. This simple fact is why I suggest to people that they use experiential education to evangelize and catechize. I go one step further, however. I contest that you are already doing it weather you think you are or not. If you are working to pass on the faith, then you are doing experiential education in one of three ways:
  1. You are providing an experience to your audience that they perceive* as lame, dumb, boring, and/or stupid while teaching them about God. They learn your lesson: God is lame, dumb, boring, and/or stupid.
  2. You provide an experience that is exciting, engaging, fun, etc. and then when that is over you take a moment to tell them about God. This is often done in an attempt to avoid option #1 in many youth settings. People are perceptive and have learned your lesson. There is time for fun/exciting/engaging things and then there is time for God; There is Saturday night and Sunday morning. 
  3. You provide an experience that engages people in an enticing adventure while not separating the adventure from the faith. 
Whatever our intentions going into an event, to the degree we offer option 1 or 2 we let those down that we are working with. 

In the next installment we will look at some educational theory involved in making number 3 the more common reality and start sharing activities to start putting it all into practice
​
* Note: you probably don't intend the experience to be perceived that way, but people own their experience. While truth is not relative, experience is and we cannot dictate to someone their experience. How they perceive the experience is their experience. 
Written by Shawn Madden from components of a forthcoming book.
Shawn@BishopHodges.org
Picture


304-335-2165

  • Programs and Events
    • Calendar
    • Ignite Youth Rallies & Confirmation Days
    • Camp Bosco
    • Manus Christi
    • HS Winter Retreat
    • Pursuit - Parish Tour
    • NCYC >
      • General Information
      • Step by Step Planning & Forms
      • Scholarship Information
      • Fundraising Ideas
    • Youth Board
  • Staff
    • Office Staff
    • College Campus Ministers
    • Summer Staff
  • Thrive! Journal
    • Previous Editions of Thrive! >
      • Edition #1 - September 26, 2018 >
        • Crisis in the Church
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Daily Offering
        • Synod
        • Culture Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #2 - October 10, 2018 >
        • Call Your Mother
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Celebrations!
        • Video Catechism
        • Ideas Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #3 - October 24, 2018 >
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Time to Feast
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Synod October
        • Discipleship Toolbox
        • Juuling
      • Edition #4 November 7, 2018 >
        • V Cat
        • Playlist Pump up
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Celebrations!
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Thanksgiving Toolbox
      • Edition #5 November 21, 2018 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK The Ice
        • Synod
        • World Youth Day Toolbox
        • Prayer
        • Skibidi
      • Edition #6 November 22, 2018 >
        • Celebrate
        • Prayer
        • Ministry Team Toolbox
        • VCat
        • Christmas Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #7 December 16, 2018 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Prayer
        • Synod
        • Ice Breakers
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #8 January 16, 2019 >
        • Politics & Ministry
        • Events
        • Game Night Toolbox
        • Litany of Humility
        • Celebrate
        • VCat
      • Edition #9 January 30, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Events
        • Prayer
        • Graphics & Design Toolbox
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #10 February 13, 2019 >
        • What The Youth Think
        • Events
        • Stations of the Cross Part 1
        • Lent Toolbox for Your Ministry
        • VCat: The Creed
        • Celebrate
      • Edition #11 February 27, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis
        • Events
        • Lent Toolbox
        • Lent for You!
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #12 March 13, 2019 >
        • Culture: Is It Wrong To Evangelize?
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Stations of the Cross Part 2
        • Spring Cleaning Toolbox
        • Celebrate: Patrick Meinster
        • VCat- How To Go To Confession
      • Edition #13 March 27, 2019 >
        • Adventure Catechesis: Experiential Learning Cycle
        • Events
        • Spring Cleaning Toolbox Part 2
        • Divine Mercy
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #14 April 10, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Surrender
        • Easter Toolbox
        • Celebrate: Brigitte Schmidt
        • VCat- Holy Water
        • Christus Vivit! Christ is Alive!
      • Edition #15 April 24, 2019 >
        • Events
        • Summertime Toolbox
        • Resurrection!
        • Young Adults
        • Ice Breakers
        • Confirmation
      • Edition #16 May 8, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Sheepy Sheep
        • Summer Reading Toolbox
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • VCat- The Beatitudes
      • Edition #17 May 22, 2019 >
        • Summer Reading Toolbox
        • Totus Tuus Maria
        • Young Adults
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK! The Ice
      • Edition #18 - June 26, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • Culture: Social Media
        • Bible Study Toolbox
        • Prayer: Litany of Trust
        • Young Adults
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • VCat- Freedom
      • Edition #19 - September 1, 2019 >
        • Join Our Youth Board!
        • DAY OF YOUTH MINISTRY TRAINING!
        • Events Highlight Reel
      • Edition #20 - October 2, 2019 >
        • Teach: The Church and the Environment
        • Training Toolbox
        • Events Highlight Reel
        • BREAK! The Ice
        • Setting a Sacred Rhythm
      • Edition #21 November 2, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel 21
        • Sustainable Discipleship
        • Christ is Alive!
        • Teach: The Eucharist
        • Advent Spotify Toolbox
      • Edition #22 November 28, 2019 >
        • Events Highlight Reel 22
        • The Art of Boomerang Throwing
        • Ministry Evening
        • St. Paul, Kanye West, and Conversion
        • Keep Christmas Going!
        • NCYC Youth Video
  • Consultation
  • Resources
    • Insta Stations of the Cross
    • Any Given Sunday Project
    • Journey to Emmaus
    • For Your Bulletin...