The role of the pastor with preschool children.

Abstract

The present inquiry was initiated to examine the relationships of the pastor with preschool children, and to show their significance for the religious development of children in order to arrive at specific conclusions concerning the role of the pastor in serving them. The inquiry concerns itself with four aspects: 1) a developmental trend in the attitudes of the historic church to young children, 2) theoretical considerations concerning the religious significance of interpersonal experiences of children, 3) an exploratory survey of pastoral work among contemporary parishes, and 4) religious implications and applications of the theoretical considerations for the work of the pastor with preschool children. It is the hypothesis of this investigation that the pastor has a distinct contribution to make to the growth and development of the young child. It was the expectation of the writer before the investigation was undertaken that pastors are not sufficiently aware of the processes of religious growth in young children to implement parish programs for the religious nurture of young children. Until the needs of the young child are well-understood, any attempts ar a pastoral ministry to this age group, five years and under, may go far astray because of poorly defined objectives. [Truncated]