A Question of Capacity: Can Adolescents Practice Discernment?
Sharon G. Ketcham 

David White proposes adoption of the practices of discernment in youth ministries, built on theological and philosophical foundations.  Do the practices correspond to an adolescent's capacity for making meaning as proposed by Robert Kegan's theory of development?  This article evaluates the practices of discernment in view of adolescent developmental capacity and the implications for youth ministry.

Dialogue Toward a Practice of Discernment with Youth
David F. White 

As a proponent of teaching the practices of discernment to adolescents, David White provides an engaging response to Sharon Ketcham's article which calls into question the developmental capacity of adolescents to engage in meaningful discernment.

Identifying the Essential Questions for Successful  Ministry with Catholic Youth
Charlotte McCorquodale and Leigh Sterten 

Recent findings from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) reveal that the Catholic Church in the United States does not have effective answers to the important questions concerning the engagement of the majority of its youth in matters of faith.  The church may not be asking the correct strategic questions when considering the many critical issues. This paper suggests that the time is now for the Catholic Church to engage in reflective dialogue and strategic action that affect not only the future of young Catholics but indeed the future of the whole church.  Key questions for shaping such dialogue are presented.

The Search for Lasting Faith: Development of a Scale to Predict Continued
Faithfulness in Church Attendance Following High School Graduation
Wesley Black 

The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive scale to determine the propensity for youth to continue in faithful church attendance following high school graduation. Finding answers to the problem of why youth drop out following high school has been an on-going concern for parents, church leaders, youth professionals, and young adult ministers for a number of years. Faithful church attendance was defined as attending church services, youth group meetings, or bible studies an average of two or more times per month. Using a pool of survey items found to be significant indicators from previous studies, an initial list of 80 items was refined to 33 items. Pilot tests (n=121) and input from a panel of 14 experts in youth ministry provided validity checks on clarity and strength of scale items. Internal reliability was tested using item-total analysis and Cronbach's alpha in two administrations of the scale (n=481, alpha = .869; and n=463, alpha = .867). Test-retest reliability was checked through two administrations with matched pairs using Pearson's r (n = 78, r = .851). The conceptual framework of four domains of influence on youth faithfulness - discipleship and spiritual depth; family influence; mentoring and intergenerational influences; and relationships - was confirmed through factor analysis resulting in 7 factors.

The Vocational Model of Confirmation
Jana Struková

The history and theology of confirmation, combined with an analysis of the contemporary context for young people in Slovak society and the Slovak Lutheran Church indicates that a vocational model of confirmation is best suited to meet the needs of this population.  The article defines vocational confirmation, distinguishes it from catechetical confirmation, explains its three goals: ownership, membership and citizenship, and suggests faith practices which can promote these goals among confirmands. 

Adolescent Brain Development: An Oxymoron No Longer
Kelly D. Schwartz

The advancement of MRI technology has enabled neurology research concerning the adolescent brain to the extent that numerous studies have found important implications for those concerned with adolescent development.

This article reviews the most significant research findings which provide numerous implications for youth leaders and parents who desire to understand what is happening to obedient and malleable children as they enter the second decade of life. One of the most consistent findings from these studies is the massive change that takes place in both the grey and white matter of the brain over the course of adolescence.

Findings confirm that there is nothing inherently defective or abnormal about adolescents. In fact, adolescents were found to confront major, emotional - laden life dilemmas such as peers, time pressure, parental conflict, etc. with amazing cognitive and behavioural dexterity.