Despite the challenges, Shallue remains optimistic:
“I am not dispirited about the statistics at all. We have great opportunities to start thinking about new ways to do faith formation, rather than trying to do the same old [programs] harder and better.”
‘Nurture faith at home’ “Sometime in the 1950s or ’60s, churches communi- cated to parents that they should let the church do all of the education and faith formation for their children,” Hymans said. “And parents were oſt en happy to do that because they oſt en didn’t feel well equipped to do it.” But research shows that parents are the primary
infl uence in their children’s faith, she said, “so more churches are equipping and empowering [them] to nurture faith at home.” For example, congregations can teach families to
worship every Sunday, no matter where they are. “We need to fi nd simple ways to engage parents who are exhausted,” Shallue said. “T at could be small rituals like reading a Bible story, singing and praying. One of our young moms had been doing that at home because it was hard to get to church with her little ones.” At Faith, Kippen tells parents that if they have to
choose between attending GIFT on Sunday mornings or doing Home Huddles every night, “never come here.” “T at’s how powerful I think that connection at
home is around your faith life,” she said. “When I think about the depth of faith our confi rmation students have when they enter our program, it’s incredibly diff erent than it was 10 years ago. I can’t help but think that has to do with parents living out and practicing faith with their children every night in their home.”
Forming faith by serving neighbors Involving families in mission and service provides another way to do faith formation. “A lot of people are motivated to visit a nursing home or work in a commu- nity garden or homeless shelter because they are used as contexts for telling the stories and practices of the faith,” Hymans said. “Before you go, you can have a meal, read Scripture and talk together.” Trinity provides such an opportunity through “Feed
and be Fed,” which includes an intergenerational, participatory 30-minute worship service followed by a project in the community. For example, they assembled snack packs for a local charity. Before delivering them, they talked about caring for their neighbors. “It’s an experiment for those who don’t want to just sit in worship,” Lutz said. “We have 3-year-olds work-
ing with 80- or 90-year-olds assembling sandwiches or planting fl owers and vegetables. T at’s one way we do faith formation, and it doesn’t look like traditional Sunday school.”
Faith formation in worship In the ELCA there has been a disconnect between wor- ship and faith formation, Shallue said. “T at’s a huge challenge and a huge opportunity for pastors and wor- ship leaders,” she added. “Yes, we are praising God and proclaiming the word, but we also are shaping people’s faith in really signifi cant ways.” Shallue cited some ways to engage children in wor-
ship: have them place hand-drawn pictures in the off er- ing plate, include them in processionals, allow children to lay off erings or artwork on the altar, and let them help pass off ering plates. “Worship might be one of the only times when
everyone is together,” Hess said. “One week congregations might introduce the
creed—what it is and how it functions. T e next week they might preface the intercessory prayers with basic information to help people understand things they might not have known before.”
Creating curriculum As faith formation has seen changes, so has curriculum. Today educators can download a “remarkable” amount of resources, Hess said. T rough its 5-year-old “sparkhouse” arm (http://
wearesparkhouse.org), Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA’s publishing ministry, works with leaders from a variety of denominations to off er Christian faith formation print resources, videos, Web-based subscription content and downloadable single lessons.
20 Comment
Diane Hymans, professor of Christian education, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio: For more than 200 years, Sunday school was the place where women could take on primary leadership in the church. But once women [joined the workforce] that changed. Now they can take on every role, including that of pastor. Sunday school is not the primary place where they can be involved. With women working now they are not as ready to take on a long-term commitment like teaching every Sunday.
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