Theological Horizons for a Pedagogy of Accompaniment

One perceived concern in the process of educating in faith in the context of our Western societies is the temptation of approaching this experience primarily in terms of observable and measurable criteria (e.g., church growth, reception of sacraments, acquisition of factual knowledge, study of trends). Although Religious Education requires attention to such criteria, it cannot be limited to them. This article proposes a series of theological principles grounding what is presented here as a pedagogy of accompaniment that defines Religious Education as a journey leading to a transforming encounter with God. The proposal invites religious educators to appropriate biblical, theological, and spiritual categories within the Christian tradition and to remain open to the emergence of new categories as they reflect on the uniqueness of their own contexts.