A Faith Formation Vision for the 21st Century

Challenges of Congregational Faith Formation

“average” attendance is now once a month, not weekly

• They aren’t coming back to have babies baptized like they used to

• Young parents haven’t lost faith in God - 79% of 20-30’s say they believe in God.

• They have faith, they just don’t see faith,

church and religion as necessary parts of the same fabric.

• 60% of 20’s say they do not see church as the best place to pursue their faith.

• Churches are seeing it –nationally % attending

worship has eroded from half of all Americans to less than a third

• By the end of 2019, 40% of all current church attending Christians will be worshipping God, serving others, and studying the Bible outside of any congregation

1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 20100

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

Number of Sunday School Students ELCA 1990-2010

Source: Annual Congregational Reports, ELCA, Prepared by Research and Evaluation , ELCA 2013

Why?

The 1950’s Family The 2010’s Family

Family Diversity/Changing Structure

www.lifelongfaith.com

Priorities used to be…..

God

Church

HomeCommunity

Community

Church

Home

Online

God

Priorities have shifted….

Statistics and the present situation might cause fear…

Fear is not the enemy. Paralysis is the enemy.

(Seth Godin)

Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old

wineskins, otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled

and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine

must be put into fresh wineskins.”

Fuller Youth Institute studied youth group graduates for three years across the transition out of high school. Their

research uncovered shifts that are needed in order to help young people

develop a faith that sticks.

SHIFT 01

BEHAVIOR TO GRACE

A list of behaviors.

Like a jacket.

Those whose faith

sticks=, Grace.

01

02

03

04

Formation not “school”

Guides not “teachers”

Applying Gospel to daily life

Worship. Is. Formation.

SHIFT 02

TWO TABLES TO FAMILY TABLE

Those who faith

sticks=Intergenerational.

Worship Together Sundays/Wednesday All in Activity Nights

Prayer Partners

Mentoring/one on one

Faith Webbing04

02

01

03

SHIFT 03

DRY-CLEANER PARENTING

Dry-cleaner parents drop their kids off at church expecting to pick them up

sixty minutes later all clean and pressed. In other words, they’ve learned

to outsource their kids’ spiritual development.

The Church has too.

Those whose faith sticks=faith in the

home

SHARING YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY/PRAYING TOGETHER

01

02

03 SERVING TOGETHER

FAITH CONVERSATIONS

ACCESSING CURATED RESOURCES FOR FAITH @ HOME

04

SHIFT 04

NETWORKED, BLENDED AND CURATED FORMATION

Network ProgrammingBlended Learning

Hybrid Faith Formation

A wide variety of diverse faith formation experiences, programs, activities, and resources to match with people’s diverse needs and tailored to their busy lives.

Multiple ways to learn and grow Online/virtual & Gathered/physical Mobile - available anytime & anywhere.

Age Specific ANDIntergenerational

At Home Community Programs, Events, & Activities

Online Activities & Resources

New Operating System: Faith Formation Network

Those whose faith

sticks=hybrid faith formation

Curated Faith FormationCurating Content &

Experiences

1. Church Programs & Activities2. Denominational Resources3. Community Programs &

Activities4. People Resources5. Print, Audio, Video Resources6. Art, Drama, Music7. Websites, Courses, Blogs 8. Apps & Digital Resources

www.lifelongfaith.com

Four Shifts1-Behavior to Grace Based Faith

2-Two Table to a Family Table Church

3-Dry Cleaner to Partnered Parenting

4-Networked, Blended and Curated

Formation

Bringing Sunday Worship

Home

Online Formation

Seasonal Festivals

Intergenerational

Experiences- Prayer Partners

Kids Word

People of

Faith

Re form

Confirmation

JourneyAdven-ture Kids

Teen Quest

Youth Ministry

Vacation Bible

School

Faith @Home

Mile-stones

Parent-ing

Support

Serving Others

Worship Together

“We want our youth to know Jesus as he is, the living, laughing, loving eternal Creator

who can rock their world, mend their broken hearts, add clarity to their confused lives,

maybe save them from the pills and razor blades, and one day snatch them from the violent, terminal jaws of

death itself. We want them to have a faith of meaning,

ultimate meaning; close your eyes in death with a twinkle and a whisper

and a grave shattering shout of victory on your lips meaning.” adapted from Rich Melheim