Transcript Infusing Best Practices of Faith Formation into Your Congregation New England Association of United Church Educators May 7-9, 2013

Infusing Best Practices of Faith
Formation into Your
Congregation
New England Association of
United Church Educators
May 7-9, 2013
0 Overview of Best Practices
0 Case Studies
0 Small Groups
0 Discussion
Workshop Outline
What is Faith Formation?
0 An engaged process of learning and
practice integrated throughout all
aspects of congregational and daily life
General Approaches/Pedagogies:
0 Faith formation is a lifelong
endeavor.
0 Faith formation in the 21st century
requires a spirit of adaptation to
new challenges.
0 Faith formation addresses the
diversity of people’s spiritual and
religious needs.
0 Faith formation takes place in a
diversity of settings in order for
faith to be fully integrated into
individuals’ lives and contexts.
Best Practices
General Approaches/
Pedagogies (cont.):
0 Faith formation utilizes a variety
of formats and technologies for
learning and growing in faith.
0 Faith formation is both a formal
and informal, an intentional and
an unexpected, process.
Best Practices
General Approaches/Pedagogies
(cont.):
0 Faith formation requires intentional
intergenerational activity through
communities of practice.
0 The role of the Christian educator is
not primarily to be a singular
teacher or facilitator, but rather, a
co-nurturer.
0 The role of the Christian educator is
not to be a content creator, but
rather, a content curator.
Best Practices
Worship, Mission, Discipleship:
0 There is a strong connection between a congregation’s
faith formation and its worship.
0 The use of drama, art, and music in faith formation has a
profound impact on individuals and congregations.
0 Service and mission provide profound opportunities for
conversation and on-going faith formation.
0 Faith formation and education, when understood within
the broader context of discipleship, creates a more
holistic understanding of the task of this ministry.
Best Practices
Children, Youth, Young Adults, and Families:
0 Intergenerational faith formation—bringing all age
groups together to learn about their faith—is an effective
way to accomplish the goals of lifelong faith formation.
0 Congregations in which children, youth, and young
adults are active participants and leaders in the whole
life of the church are communities of vital faith
formation.
0 The role of the home is critical to faith formation.
Best Practices
Children, Youth, Young Adults, and
Families (cont.):
0 Vital formational children’s ministry
is about story, ritual, and relationship.
0 Vital youth faith formation makes
connections between a personal God,
youths’ communal concerns, and their
role and agency in their own lives and
in world.
0 Faith formation for young adults is
different than faith formation for
older adults.
0 Vital faith formation for children,
youth, and young adults occurs when
adults engage their own faith in
meaningful ways and serve as models
for them.
Best Practices
A “Spiritual Playground”
http://www.fccbc.org/pdf/SmallGroups/SMFaith%20Formation.pdf
First Congregational Church
Battle Creek, MI
“Messy
Church”
http://www.mcfarlanducc.
org/
https://www.facebook.co
m/media/set/?set=a.1015
1215495860960.506767.1
87599905959&type=3
McFarland UCC
McFarland, WI
“The City”
www.kirkwooducc.
com
http://www.onthe
city.org/
Kirkwood UCC
Atlanta, GA
Small Group Discussions
0 What one or two “best practices” speak to you or
excite you the most?
0 How/where might you begin to incorporate these
practices in your own ministry context?
0 What are some indicators of what “success” might
look like with regard to your identified best practices?
Contact:
Rev. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Ph.D.
Minister for Christian Faith Formation Research
Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team, Local
Church Ministries
1-866-822-8224 ext. 3866
[email protected]