Intergenerational Formation
Christian formation doesn't happen in a vacuum! It also doesn't happen in just one setting, in one group, at one location, only on Sunday mornings. Transformative Christian formation occurs in those places where life and faith meet. It occurs at the dinner table, on ball fields, at work, on the playground, in the classroom and too many other places to list. Relationships are the key to a faith that will last and grow. It is in these relationships with one another where we connect with God, where Jesus is revealed and the foundation for discipleship is fostered. Research done by the Search Institute shows that Christian formation happens when others in our lives express care for us, challenge us to grow, provide support, share power and invite us to embrace possibility.
As an institution that invites and encourages people of all shapes, sorts and sizes, the church can be a natural place where these types of relationships occur. The programs that we use to encourage people to be known and to know each other are merely the vehicles, but it is the relationships that bring us back together time and time again in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ that sustain growth.
Familying is one way that we can be intentional about cultivating relationships within our congregations and communities of faith. Faith formation is for the entire community, is anchored in the community in which our lives are known. If the church is not the place where we find this sense of belonging, we will look for it in other places.
Eight Processes for Growth in Faith
In each of the following 8, how is your congregation, mission or community engaging these items?
Are the people you minister with growing in faith because of these things or in spite of these things?
If your current programs (vehicles) are not meeting these needs, what vehicle could you dream that would?
How can these eight processes be intertwined to our lives at church? when we are at home? online? in our community?
Assessment form and example provided by Vibrant Faith
- Caring relationships
- Rituals and milestones
- Church year seasons
- Learning the tradition
- Prayer/spiritual formation
- Reading the Bible
- Serving others/working for justice/caring for creation
- Worship
Five Moments in Daily Life Where to introduce the Sacred
How can we resource people/families on the go?
How can we package faith as something that can be shared in the car headed to baseball practice?
- Exits and entries
- Bed time
- Car time
- Meal time: food
- Memory making time: holidays, family customs
There are 167 hours each week that we spend at home, at play, at work and at school. If we are lucky, those that we minister with may spend 1 hour a week at church. So if we desire to make disciples that make a difference, we must equip them not just the 1 hour they are at church, but the entirety of their lives. We cannot continue to count on the faith of our fathers to be the faith of our children. So we urge you to consider the vehicles for faith formation that your congregation is currently using and develop a plan that incorporates faith formation into all aspects of daily life. Challenge your congregation to change the culture of your church, making faith formation a priority. The diocesan children's and youth staff would love to walk with you along this journey. Email them and let them know your thougts.
