Following Jesus together

“THE Bible is a source of joy and comfort: but its format and language create barriers to engagement.”

That was one of the findings of a small-scale research study with young people conducted by Jen Robertson from the Scottish Bible Society in 2019.

Jen had the idea of creating the research to figure out what young people really felt about the Bible when she joined the staff of the Scottish Bible Society.

“A significant part of my MA was the focus on young people’s agency – the need to hear their voices, and for their voices to influence decision making.

During my MA I was able to complete a couple of pieces of research with children and young people and therefore when I started my role with the Scottish Bible Society I was committed to hearing what young people think about the Bible, and what they needed in the resources that we were going to develop.”

Jen grew up in Rutherglen, near Glasgow (where she still lives) and was baptised as a baby at Burnside Parish Church.

“All through my childhood I was part of Burnside Church, as nearly everyone in the community was at that time,” she said. “I learned lots about the Bible, I even got first prize in a Bible test that we all had to sit at the end of Sunday School!”

“I knew my Bible, but it wasn’t till I was a teenager, and my Dad became a Christian, that I discovered that I could get to know Jesus through the Bible.

“I met people in my church family who talked about Jesus as their friend, and that was transformational.”

Jen found life in her new-found community was inspiring and had no doubts that God was at work.

“Looking back now I can see God’s guiding hand all through my childhood. When I was 13 I asked Jesus to lead me through life and to be my Lord and Saviour. I am so grateful to the older friends at that time that opened their homes and lives to me, it was with these people that I learned to talk about the Bible, ask questions, ponder and find out what God was saying to me through this ancient, and often strange book.

“That experience of a supportive Christian community was vital in my nurture as a young Christian,” she says.

After school, Jen continued her interest in people and working with them.

“I studied for a BA in Nursing Studies at Glasgow College of Technology (now Caledonian University). My student nurse placements were in the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Hospital. Learning to be a nurse is hard work, but the range of people you meet and care for is vast and God widened my experience of life through all those encounters.”

She kept up her interest in the church, and working with young people too.

“When I was 18 I was invited to help cook at a Scripture Union Scotland (SUS) holiday,” she says. “It was a disaster. The chief cook told me years later that my incompetence in the kitchen had caused her to take a number of long walks to cope with my many mistakes!”

She laughs at the memory.

“I did really enjoy my times out of the kitchen though – chatting with the young people, the games, the times exploring the Bible. My skills and gifts lay in a different area of ministry!

“From then on every opportunity I had I was on teams at SUS holidays as a group leader, and also leading in the children and youth ministry teams at Burnside Church.” Around that time, life was moving on for Jen.

“When I qualified as a nurse I worked for three years as a Staff Nurse at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, a brilliant nursing experience, and a privilege to care for people in their last stages of life.”

But eventually, something had to give. “However, I was so busy all the time that it became evident that it was getting very difficult to continue all my voluntary youth ministry and continue working full time as a nurse. Something had to change!”

Jen prayed about her dilemma and asked for guidance.

“I believed God was calling me to full time children/youth ministry,” she says.

“I turned to what I knew and spoke to SU Scotland about this. Fortunately, they were able to employ me full time as a local area worker in Cambuslang and Rutherglen. I was very grateful for the generous donations of local Christians, who gave enough money to allow me to be paid for my work.

Jen Robertson

„Looking back now I can see God’s guiding hand all through my childhood. When I was 13 I asked Jesus to lead me through life and to be my Lord and Saviour.“

“I spent two years working alongside local churches in school chaplaincy and church-based children’s work. The work flourished and at the end of my two years it was evident that there was a place for a full-time paid worker in the area.

“With three other church leaders in the community I helped set up the Cambuslang and Rutherglen Reachout Trust (CRRT) and we employed our first worker in 1994.”

Jen had married Alan, her husband, having met at the Youth Fellowship at Burnside Church.

“I would have to say, 1994 was a very good year. Not only did we set up CRRT, but we were blessed with the birth of our first child, a son called Andrew.

“I really felt that I wanted to be a full time mum for my children’s early years and was glad I was able to do that. Our daughter, Fiona, was born in 1996. When Andrew and Fiona were eight and six years old I started working again, part time for CRRT.

“I had to resign as a trustee and management committee member to apply for the job! In the four years with CRRT, we grew excellent relationships with our local schools and I was able to work with Education Scotland and the Church of Scotland delivering training across Scotland on Religious Observance.

“In 2005 I began work as the Church/ Schools Development Worker with Hamilton Presbytery and Scripture Union Scotland.

“For the next 12 years I worked with congregations within the presbytery to help them develop meaningful relationships with their local schools and start and maintain good children’s and youth ministry. I was a team leader at numerous Scripture Union holidays during this time, from the disastrous cooking experience I was now leading teams of 30 leaders and helping them care for up to 50 young people for week-long events.”

It was during this time that Jen did the masters degree that was to lead to the Bible Society research and its findings.

Again, she prayed and waited for God’s hand to guide her.

“During this time I completed a MA in Childhood and Youth Studies with the Open University. As I came towards my 50th birthday I spoke to God about the need for my work to change, I no longer had the energy to lead large youth events, and I felt there was another role for me where I could use my experience and knowledge. I had no idea what that role world be, but one day, while scrolling through social media, I saw the advert for a Children’s Resources Manager with the Scottish Bible society. The opportunity to write resources within a team focussed on the Bible and with an intergenerational emphasis seemed to be perfectly suited for me! “

Digital book at Bibleworld

Jen was able to bring her experience to bear in the role and determined that she needed to hear what young people wanted to say and were getting from the Bible.

She created a piece of research that she hoped would get some insight into these questions.

“We had conversations with 60 young people (aged 8 – 14 years) from eight different Churches and Christian groups across Scotland,” she said.

“Underlying the methods for this qualitative case study was the belief that research is done with children and not to them. The researcher/participant relationship was vital. Throughout the process respect was given to the children, treating them as equals, and building trust with them. A mixed method approach was taken so that each child would have different ways of participating available to them: drawings to help them express their emotions, writing to describe experiences, and games to express associations.

“The research took place in the building and room where the children were used to meeting. A careful plan was made of how the research would proceed, this was not to control the event, but to ensure that the time was used effectively, giving space for the children to contribute within a comfortable and secure environment.

It also ensured that the children could be told what was happening next and how long each activity would last. The group discussions were audio recorded.

We used an assortment of activities to gauge responses.

“We utilised both a word association game, starting with two neutral words and then using the word “Bible” to elicit reactions and impressions and also an emoji response sheet; where the participants responded to the questions – what do you like about the Bible (smiley emoji), what puzzles/confuses you about the Bible (neutral emoji), what don’t you like about the Bible (frowning emoji)?”

“One of the principal findings is that the Bible is a great source of comfort for Scottish young people. Nearly a third of those surveyed spoke about actively seeking verses that made them feel good, happy and safe.”

The findings from the survey have proved to be interesting and thoughtprovoking.

The Bible was liked, and revered, but many found it difficult to engage with because of its format.

Jen said: “One of the principal findings is that the Bible is a great source of comfort for Scottish young people. Nearly a third of those surveyed spoke about actively seeking verses that made them feel good, happy and safe. However, the traditional format and language of the Bible makes the Bible difficult for them to read.

“Another is the Bible is taken seriously and raises serious issues. The young people in the research took the Bible seriously and are eager to discuss the ethical and moral issues raised by the Biblical text. The research highlighted the need for opportunities to discuss the clashes between the Biblical worldview and surrounding culture,” she says.

“Another interesting finding is that school remains a significant place to interact with the Bible particularly primary schools which provide regular opportunities for Bible engagement, especially where there is a school chaplain. However, the narrow range of Biblical texts used within schools demonstrates both a need and an opportunity in the school context.

“Another fascinating finding is that images and pictures greatly improve Bible engagement. “Illustrations and pictures help Scottish young people understand the Biblical text. For this generation film and video are key media, yet few of those surveyed receive Bible stories in these formats. Again, that’s a hugely instructive message to come from the research.

This generation is very visually stimulated. We need to take account of that.

“The other principal finding was that community is key.

“Intergenerational communities are key to Bible engagement. Community makes the biggest difference to the Bible engagement of Scottish young people.

There is a need to create spaces for real conversations about the Bible, so that young people can apply it to all of life, particularly around topics and subjects that adults may perceive as too difficult.”

Jen says she had felt that her prior experience of working with young people had prepared her for some of these findings.

“It somewhat confirmed what I already thought was the experience of young people regarding the Bible. These thoughts were based on previous research I had read and from my experience of spending time with young people and children over the last 30 years or more!

“It’s been great to hear these thoughts to help us build our products and resources around these concerns and expressed needs.

“This research should encourage us to create intergenerational gatherings where young and older people can meet to have conversations around the whole Bible, not just the parts that we find easy or comforting. These places need to be relaxed and safe, where strong supportive relationships are built across the generations, where stories can be told, questions answered, and struggles shared as we seek to follow Jesus together.” ¤

“This research should encourage us to create intergenerational gatherings where young and older people can meet to have conversations around the whole Bible.”