Infusing Best Practices of Faith Formation into Your Congregation

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

2. Workshop Outline • Overview of Best Practices • Case Studies • Small Groups • Discussion

3. What is Faith Formation? • An engaged process of learning and practice integrated throughout all aspects of congregational and daily life

4. Best Practices General Approaches/Pedagogies: • Faith formation is a lifelong endeavor. • Faith formation in the 21st century requires a spirit of adaptation to new challenges. • Faith formation addresses the diversity of people’s spiritual and religious needs. • Faith formation takes place in a diversity of settings in order for faith to be fully integrated into individuals’ lives and contexts.

5. Best Practices General Approaches/ Pedagogies (cont.): • Faith formation utilizes a variety of formats and technologies for learning and growing in faith. • Faith formation is both a formal and informal, an intentional and an unexpected, process.

6. Best Practices General Approaches/Pedagogies (cont.): • Faith formation requires intentional intergenerational activity through communities of practice. • The role of the Christian educator is not primarily to be a singular teacher or facilitator, but rather, a co-nurturer. • The role of the Christian educator is not to be a content creator, but rather, a content curator.

7. Best Practices Worship, Mission, Discipleship: • There is a strong connection between a congregation’s faith formation and its worship. • The use of drama, art, and music in faith formation has a profound impact on individuals and congregations. • Service and mission provide profound opportunities for conversation and on-going faith formation. • Faith formation and education, when understood within the broader context of discipleship, creates a more holistic understanding of the task of this ministry.

8. Best Practices Children, Youth, Young Adults, and Families: • 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. • 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. • The role of the home is critical to faith formation.

9. Best Practices Children, Youth, Young Adults, and Families (cont.): • Vital formational children’s ministry is about story, ritual, and relationship. • 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. • Faith formation for young adults is different than faith formation for older adults. • 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.

10. First Congregational Church Battle Creek, MI A “Spiritual Playground” http://www.fccbc.org/pdf/SmallGroups/SM-Faith%20Formation.pdf

11. McFarland UCCMcFarland, WI “Messy Church” http://www.mcfarlanducc.org/ https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151215495860960.506767.187599905959&type=3

12. Kirkwood UCCAtlanta, GA “The City” www.kirkwooducc.com http://www.onthecity.org/

13. Small Group Discussions • What one or two “best practices” speak to you or excite you the most? • How/where might you begin to incorporate these practices in your own ministry context? • What are some indicators of what “success” might look like with regard to your identified best practices?

14. 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 hajbik@ucc.org