Journey to Adulthood is an online, downloadable youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th-12th grades. Fully revised and updated, it is centered on inclusive, relational ministry and uses Bible study, prayer, rites of passage, and service projects. Creative, developmentally appropriate lessons are arranged within three categories of Self, Society, and Spirituality.
The curriculum is arranged into three modules: Rite 13, J2A, and 4Ward.
The Rite 13 program assists young people as they begin to take the first steps of independence from their families into their own lives and creates a safe haven in which to explore new ideas, new interests, and new abilities.
- A two-year cohort for ages 11-13
- Includes the Rite 13 ceremony
- Uses serious and fun activities, reflection, and discussion
- Introduces Bible study, prayer, service projects
J2A helps teens create and understand the importance of Christian community as they develop critical thinking and other skills they will need in adulthood.
- A two-year cohort for ages 13-15
- Helps develop critical thinking and responsibility
- Introduces new ways of engaging with scripture and prayer
- Concludes with the Pilgrimage experience
4Ward is a mentor-based program helps older teens discern and carry out a ministry within their church or in the larger community. A final rite of passage sends them out into the world as ambassadors of Christ.
- A two-year mentor-based cohort for ages 15-18
- Emphasis on discernment and vocation
- Robust Bible studies and focus on service to the church and community
- Concludes with the 4Ward ceremony
- Streamlined and standardized lesson formats (goals, background, talking points, activities, with preparation lists for leaders)
- New content to address current topics: racism, creation care, times of crisis
- Stronger biblical, theological, and liturgical foundations including more content from the Book of Common Prayer
- Revision team comprised of clergy, youth ministers, and academics with experience in youth faith formation
- Newly revised Rite 13 ceremony shifts the focus away from gender identity, instead emphasizing the journey aspect of adolescence
- Less emphasis on the traditional family structure of youth
- Processes to increase the biblical literacy of youth
- J2A lessons have been revised to follow the Rite 13 redesign
- More than one activity option for most lessons
- Provides a structured method for gathering youth input
The cost of an annual subscription to Journey to Adulthood is based on your church’s Average Sunday Worship Attendance (AWA). There are four tiers ranging from the lowest of under 100 to the top tier of 500+ attendees.
The cost of the program provides access all three modules (Rite 13, J2A, and 4Ward). Each module builds on the next, so you can reference earlier material on the same subject. It also provides greater flexibility in programming across different age groups, and access to lessons for responding to tragedy, crisis, and catastrophe, and prayers and liturgies for various occasions.
Subscriptions will be automatically renewed each year.
To learn more about Journey to Adulthood and using the planner, calendar, and other features, take advantage of our free webinars. See the schedule of upcoming webinars here.
A 14-day free trial to Journey to Adulthood includes unlimited access to preview content. You may build plans and add additional users for the complete experience. A free trial comes with three free downloads. One lesson is intended to be used across 2-3 sessions.
It’s a good idea to write down your subscription number, in case you need it after your free trial has expired. When you’re logged in, select My Account/Subscription from the main navigation area:

Your subscription number will be displayed as below. It includes the RF at the beginning of the series of digits:

To upgrade your free trial to a paid subscription, click the Subscribe link in the Subscription Type row. A pop-up window will appear. Click the Sign up button:

You will be taken to the Journey to Adulthood page of the Augsburg Fortress webstore, where the Trial Subscription Number field will be pre-filled with your number:

Select the appropriate Average Weekly Worship Attendance option from the drop-down menu, click the Sign up button, and continue with the process.
If your free trial has expired, you won’t be able to pre-fill the Trial Subscription Number field, but if you wrote the number down as noted above, you can go to the product page and enter it manually.
Please note that the Augsburg Fortress webstore and the Journey to Adulthood website are two separate sites. You may already have an account on the Augsburg Fortress webstore, but it will be separate from your Journey to Adulthood subscription, as well as any account you may have with Church Publishing Incorporated.
If you run into any difficulties with the upgrade process, please contact our software support team at webhelp@augsburgfortress.org, or call 844-993-3811, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Central Time).
Journey to Adulthood features three distinct modules: Rite 13, J2A, and 4Ward. At any time while you are navigating a module, click on the Journey to Adulthood logo on the upper left corner to return to the home page.
The top navigation bar includes links to the Planner (detailed planning); Calendar (your calendar of planned content), Help (this help area), Contact Us, and My Account (subscription, billing, and account information).
My Account allows you to manage all aspects of your Journey to Adulthood subscription, including subscription status, downloaded files, and enrolled Leaders.
For questions, or to get help with Journey to Adulthood, please contact our software support team by email, or call 844-993-3811, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Central Time).