Fear, Failure, and the Freedom to Learn

To what extent do your students see school, participating in youth group, and other challenges as opportunities to grow? To what extent do they experience those responsibilities as pressure to prove themselves? What about you? Is your next sermon, lesson, or meeting a chance for you to learn something new about others and yourself, or are you concerned that the next task will reveal whether you are really good enough at what you do? Most of us, teachers and students alike, possess a spectrum of attitudes about performance and failure, which can impact what we learn and how we disciple. In this workshop we will discuss how failure can be a barrier to and an opportunity for learning, as well as the freedom Christians have to not be perfect and therefore learn with another.