Young People’s Concepts of Personal Spirituality

Abstract

This qualitative study seeks to understand spirituality from the point of view of young people, and to portray their personal spiritual life and experiences. This study was done in Asia with eleven young people (ages 15-20) who were born into Adventist homes. The respondents shared their experiences and perceptions about spirituality, including worship services, their participating during family worships, their personal devotional times, and their feelings about God. Results showed that adult teenagers were more mature in terms of understanding of spirituality than early teenagers. To a certain extent, this study found that young females tended to be more spiritual than young males, and that young people favorably respond to church and home worship services, especially when then is variety and opportunity for personal participation.