CURT BRINKMANN/LIFE’S A STORY PHOTOGRAPHY 2012
Curating content You may be familiar with curating and curation. Museum curators col- lect art and artifacts and identify the most relevant or important to be dis- played in an exhibit for the public. When we fashion faith formation networks around a congregation’s people, ministries and events, it shifts the leaders’ roles from designing programming and attracting people to curating religious content, activi- ties and experiences for all ages. Like a museum curator, a faith formation curator becomes a subject-matter expert who guides an organization’s overall collection of resources. Curators are people who continu- ally find, organize and share the best and most relevant content on a spe- cific subject to address the religious and spiritual needs of a specific group of people.
Of course, faith formation lead- ers still engage in teaching, helping people reflect theologically on their lives and faith experiences, and
guiding them in living as Christian disciples today. But as curators, they also research, aggregate, evaluate and deliver religious content and experi- ences that others create (publishers, seminaries, colleges, churchwide units and more). They connect people to this content via their online faith formation networks. There’s never been a better time to be involved in faith formation. Web and digital technologies are trans- forming not only life and learning, but religious content and religious experiences. We can expand faith formation to reach all ages and gen- erations by wisely using new digital resources, as well as the knowledge and skills of our faith communities. Imagine the new possibilities for bringing the good news to all people, inviting people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, engag- ing them in growing as a disciple for a lifetime and equipping them to transform the world according to God’s vision.
Michael Ryan, a pastor of Southwood Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Neb., uses a puppet to talk with Kaleb Bolte; his grandmother, Susan Fisher; and Amy Reiss about prayer.
Other creative faith formation
ideas at Southwood “With so many things going on, par- ents need help talking to their kids about faith,” said Faye Koehn, direc- tor of children and family ministry at Southwood Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Neb., and an associate in ministry.
Koehn said the congregation has
adapted and added to Rich Melheim’s Faith Inkubators “Stepping Stones” program “to help parents become their children’s faith mentors.” This past summer, for example, the congregation offered one-time sessions for parents and 3-year-olds (family devotions), 4- to 5-year-olds (the church), second-graders (the Ten Commandments) and fourth-graders (money matters). “Provide child care for the other siblings,” Koehn advises.
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