Every church can become a center of lifelong learning in faith and discipleship. Lifelong faith formation can be a reality for every church community, regardless of size, finances, location, and resources. The significant challenges and obstacles churches face are daunting, but we believe they are opportunities for reinventing faith formation, for innovation, for becoming more responsive, resilient, flexible, and adaptable.
What if we could identify the essentials elements that make lifelong faith formation work—key elements that could guide decision-making and planning in every single church? What if we could develop lifelong faith formation using several essential elements that could be contextualized and customized in any setting? Could lifelong faith formation be focused on essential elements that leaders could use to create lifelong faith formation in their churches? These elements would need to reflect the best thinking and practice in faith formation (and education). They would also need to address the challenges we are facing today.
John Roberto proposes seven elements that he believes are essential for developing lifelong faith formation in the next decade and beyond, to transform faith formation in your church. These are elements that every church can contextualize and customize to their size, location, and diversity of their people. Using these elements to build lifelong faith formation requires committed leadership and a willingness to tap into the gifts and talents and energy of the whole faith community. The seven elements include:
- Goals for maturing in faith
- Practices for forming a Christian way of life
- Intergenerational faith formation through Christian community
- Family faith formation with three generations
- Networks for forming faith with all ages
- Pathways for personalizing faith formation
- Playlists for engaging people of all ages in faith formation
This presentation and workshops will introduce you to the seven elements and how they can work together to guide your church in becoming a center of lifelong learning and faith formation.
Date: May 7th, 2022, 10am to 12pm (PT)
Venue: Online via Zoom
Workshop
Who is it for: Clergy and lay leaders with responsibility for faith formation in their parishes.
Outcomes: Come away with a road map for customizing faith formation in your congregation, gain understanding on how small churches can offer meaningful, accessible, affordable, and multi-age formation.
Cost: $10 (CAD), Sponsored by the Congregational Vitality Initiative of the Vancouver School of Theology and the Diocese of New Westminster.
To register, please click here.
Bio
John Roberto has spent a lifetime working in Christian faith formation—teaching, writing, researching, and consulting. He founded LifelongFaith Associates in 2006 to continue his work. His latest book is Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations (Church Publishing, 2022). His previous publications include Faith Formation with a New Generation, Families at the Center of Faith Formation, Seasons of Adult Faith Formation, Reimagining Faith Formation for the 21st Century, and Generations Together. His website is www.LifelongFaith.com