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4/26/13 1 21 st Century Faith Formation – Designing John Roberto, LifelongFaith Associates
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21st Century Faith Formation – Designing John Roberto, LifelongFaith Associates
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1. Identify a Target Audience
2. Research the Target Audience
3. Define the Group’s Point of View
4. Design the Network
5. Create and Test a Network Prototype
6. Implement the Network with a Wider Audience & Continue Evaluation and Improvements
Network Design Process
Develop a Pro�ile of a Group
Children & Families Teens & Families Emerging Adults: 20s-‐30s Young Adults: 30s-‐40s Mid-‐Life Adults: 40s-‐50s Mature Adults: 50s-‐70s (Baby Boomers) Older Adults: 75+
1. Life Tasks 2. Life Issues 3. Milestones and
Life Transitions 4. Spiritual &
Religious Needs
5. Ethnic-‐Cultural Needs
6. ____________
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Developing “Content” Areas
Target Audience
10 Decades of Lifelong Faith Formation
0-‐10 11-‐19 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s
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Decades of Life
• Religious socializa�on & faith prac�ces
• Whole family & intergenera�onal faith forma�on
• Parent forma�on • Family assets development
Children
• Exploring & discerning
• High quality, diverse faith forma�on experiences
• Guides & mentors
Teens
• Fresh expressions & explora�ons of faith & spirituality
• New forms of communal life
• Mission & service • Chris�an prac�ce • Making a life • Developing in�macy
Millennials
Decades of Life
• Embodied, expressive & experien�al faith & spirituality
• Communi�es of belonging and mission
• Ar�s�c expression
• Paren�ng & family life
• Living solo
Gen Xers
• Giving their lives purpose, meaning, & fulfillment
• Spiritual growth in the 2nd half of life
• Making a difference
• Life transi�ons • Grandparen�ng • Staying connected intergenera�onally
Baby Boomers • Accep�ng one’s
life journey and faith story
• Confron�ng losses & accep�ng gains
• Experiencing a new (renewed) rela�onship with God
• Health issues & life transi�ons
• Family
Older Adults
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First Decade: Foundations
Religious socialization through the congregation & family. . . .
¤ Internalization of faith practices ¤ Whole family learning ¤ Immersion into the faith life of the
church community with robust intergenerational experiences of worship, learning, & service
¤ Parent faith formation: growing in faith, modeling the Christian faith, and teaching their children
Family Religious Socialization
Faith
Parental Faith
Parental Modeling
& Teaching Prayer
Scripture Reading
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First Third Faith Formation
Second Decade: Exploration
Exploration experiences & discernment ¤ An adventure of local and global
explorations into the Bible, Christian tradition, worship, justice, service, ministry, leadership. . . .
¤ Informed and trustworthy adults who serve as tour guides and companions on the journey of exploration
¤ Youth as the creators of religious content and experiences
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Second Decade: Exploration Experiences
Local Chur
ch Life
& Ministri
es:
-‐ Worship
-‐ Service
-‐ Leadersh
ip
-‐ Pastoral
Care
Inquiry Learning: Bible, Christian beliefs, history and
tradition
Global Church
Ministry &
Leadership
Apprenticeships
Online Learning Resources: -‐ People -‐ Audio & Video
-‐ Conferencing -‐ Virtual Tours
World Religions
3rd Decade: Emerging Adulthood ¨ A living & learning laboratory to
create fresh expressions of the Christian faith that both honor the tradition and reflect the millennial generation’s perspectives.
¨ Fresh expressions of the Biblical message, Christian teachings & practices, spiritual disciplines, worship, art and music, mission to the world, church community. . . .
¨ A generational faith community that embodies these expressions & is still connected to the intergenerational church community
¨ Engaging in mission & service
¨ Developing a Christian life – practices
¨ Making a life; developing intimate relationships
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Youth Network
Youth Group
Confirma�on Program
Adolescent Life Issues
Parent-‐Teen
Ac�vi�es & Resources
Bible Study & Religious Learning
Prayer & Spiritual Forma�on Service
Projects Mission Trips
Milestones
Youth Leadership
Intergener-‐a�onal
Connec�ons
Parent Faith Forma�on
Parent Educa�on & Support Groups
Youth Faith Formation Network
Bringing Sunday Worship Home Whole Family
Programs
Intergenera-‐ �onal
Experiences
Children’s Programs & Events
Faith Prac�ces:
Bible, Prayer, Rituals. Service Milestones
Parent Faith Forma�on
Paren�ng Educa�on & Support Groups
Mentors for Parents
“Ge�ng Started in Faith”
Experiences
Families with Children Network
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“Programming” a Content Area
Content Area
Activity 1 Resource
Resource
Activity 2 Resource
Resource
Activity 2 Resource
Resource
Activities
¨ Courses & workshops ¨ Large group learning
events ¨ Online courses &
activities ¨ Small groups: Bible
study, theological study, faith sharing, mission/action groups, support groups
¨ Mentored experiences
¨ Webinars & video conferencing
¨ Audio and video podcasts
¨ Apps and digital resources
¨ Extended programs, camps, mission trips
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Prayer & Spiritual Life
Daily Devotion Resources
Spiritual Mentoring Resources
Prayer Group Resources
Spiritual Practices
Course Resources
Retreat Resources
Day at the Monastery Resources
Online Prayer Intentions
1. Church Programs & Activities 2. Community Programs & Activities 3. People Resources 4. Print Resources 5. Audio & Video Resources 6. Art, Drama, and Music Resources 7. Online Content: Websites, Blogs, Video 8. Online Education: Webinars, Courses 9. Apps & Digital Resources
Faith Formation Content
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Virtual & Physical Environments
ü Church facilities ü Home ü Workplace ü Schools ü Camps ü Retreat Centers ü Museums ü Libraries ü Restaurants & coffee
shops ü Sports settings
ü Network Website ü Website Resource Centers ü Online Schools ü YouTube, Ted Talks, etc. ü Pinterest ü Facebook ü Twitter ü Google+ ü Meeting Sites (Meetup) ü Edmodo
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
Activities: Online–Blended–Physical
Fully online with options for face-‐to-‐face interaction in physical settings.
Mostly or fully online with regular interaction in physical settings.
Online platform that delivers most of the program with support, mentoring, and small groups.
Programs in physical settings guided by a leader with online components.
Programs in physical settings with online resources to supplement the program.
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“Programming” a Content Area
¨ Take a current program and differentiate the content around the 4 profiles (scenarios)
¨ Take a current program and build online content to extend and deepen the experience
¨ Take a current program and offer it in different formats -‐ small groups, mentored, etc.
¨ Take a program in physical setting and offer it online (e.g., webinar, Google+ Hangout)
¨ Offer a program in different settings: at church, at home, in community settings (Starbucks), etc.
¨ Offer online-‐only options and resources ¨ Offer blended programs with online experiences and
gathered physical experiences
Core Content &
Experiences for Everyone
Content & Ac�vi�es for
People of Vibrant Faith & Ac�ve Engagement
Content & Ac�vi�es for
People Who Are Par�cipate Occasional
Content & Ac�vi�es for
Spiritual but Not Religious
Differentiating Faith Formation
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Target the Diversity
Vibrant Faith & Active
Engagement in the Community
Minimal Engagement with Faith and the Community
Spiritual but Not Religious
Not Religiously Affiliated
Example: Con�irmation
In-‐Depth Experience (Vibrant Faith) 1. In-‐depth faith formation in theology, Bible,
spirituality, and Christian practices offered in different formats, customized to the needs of the young people: small group program, online courses and resources, and mentors
2. Spiritual formation experience (retreat) on spiritual practices and disciplines
3. Whole group confirmation-‐specific content
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Example: Con�irmation
Foundations Experience (Occasionals) 1. Foundational program in Christian life essentials,
integrating confirmation-‐specific content 2. Experience of Christian practices and spiritual
disciplines 3. Active participation in the activities of church life
and ministries; apprenticeships with ministries and leaders to experience church life as “insiders”
4. Mentors to guide growth and participation in church life
5. Whole group confirmation-‐specific content
Example: Con�irmation
Exploration Experience (Spiritual, not Religious) 1. Exploration experience to investigate the
claims of the Christian faith in an informal, no pressure, non-‐judgmental, and friendly environment: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? Who is the Holy Spirit? How can we have faith? Why and how do I pray? Why and how should I read the Bible?
2. Introductory experiences of Christian life through participating in Christian practices, service, worship, and so on.
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Gathered Event or Program
Stream It Live
(Record It)
Learn On Your Own
Learn in a Small Group
Extend Learning
Share Learning
Creating Multiple Formats
Event or Program
TALK Conversation Questions
LEARN Watch a Video Listen to a Talk Read a
Story
LIVE Action Project
PRAY Devotions,
Bible Reading, Table Prayer
SHARE Write a Blog Entry Create & Share a Video or Project
Extending Events & Programs
Extend a gathered event or program with online content and activities. ü Worship ü Mission Trip ü Children or
Youth Program
ü Vacation Bible School
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Extending Sunday Worship
A Sunday worship center with resources to extend worship in people’s daily lives throughout the week.
Share It
Blog/Facebook Ques�on A�er Worship Sharing
@Home Conversa�on Ac�vity
Study It
“Taking Faith Home” Sermon Video + Study Guide
Daily Readings Scripture Commentaries
Online Bible Study
Live It Living the Message Daily Living Chris�an Prac�ces Service/Mission Idea
Ac�on Project
Pray It
Weekly Table Prayer Praying with the Saints
AM & PM Prayer Lec�o Divina
Sunday Worship
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“Flipping the classroom” so that children and teens are doing project-‐centered learning with their parents or peers—accessing content online through the network website and connecting via a secure social network such as Edmodo AND then refocusing “class time” on practicing, demonstrating, and performing.
Flipping the Classroom
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Courses, presentations, demonstrations, small group Bible study, and topical learning—all with online content—that can be conducted via Skype or Google+ with reflections on a blog, Google+ Circle, Twitter, Facebook group, or Edmodo.
Webinars & Video Conferencing
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Online Courses & Activities
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Spiritual Resources
Online prayer center where people find daily prayer experiences, offer prayer intentions, pray for others, learn about spiritual practices, read the Bible, and more.
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Justice and service resources where people can learn about social issues, explore Biblical and church teaching on justice, and find ways to act together through local & global projects.
Justice & Service Resources
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Build an Online Platform
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Use Digital Tools
Use Online Learning Environments
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Guide individuals and families in discerning their spiritual and religious needs and creating personal plans for faith growth and learning.
Personalized pathways for discipleship & faith growth. . . .
¨ Guide people in discerning their religious and spiritual needs
¨ Equip people with the resources and tools to learn and grow at their own pace
¨ Provide mentoring and support for the journey
Personalize Faith Formation
Assessing Spiritual Growth
Working with a Mentor/Guide
Finding Resources on the Network
Engaging in Formation
Sharing with the Community
Reflecting on Growth & New
Needs
Personalize Faith Formation
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