Planning Adult Faith Formation
“Faith Formation for Every Adult”
John Roberto, LifelongFaith Associates
AFF Principles & Practices
1. Adult faith formation addresses the diverse life
tasks and situations, spiritual and religious needs,
and interests of adults in the church by offering a
variety of content topics and learning activities out
of which adults can develop their own
personalized learning pathway.
 Personalization
 Customization
AFF Principles & Practices
Adult faith formation pays attention to what
is going on in the lives of adults and listens to
what adults are talking about.
 Emerging Adults: 18-30
 Young Adult Years: 30s – mid 40s
 Middle Adult Years: mid 40s – 50s
 Older Adult Years: 60s – mid 70s
 Mature Years: mid 70s – 90s
AFF Principles & Practices
For each stage of adulthood. . .
 Life Issues
 Life Tasks
 Milestones and Life Transitions
 Spiritual Needs
 Religious Needs
 Ethnic-Cultural Needs
Features of a Lifelong Faith Formation
Network
 Guide adults in discerning their spiritual and religious needs
and creating personal learning pathways

Seasonal or annual plans for faith growth and learning
 Discernment Tool & Process: United Methodist Church of
the Resurrection, Leawood, KS
AFF Principles & Practices
 Adults are motivated to learn when facing life
transitions. They seek learning and support to
cope with changes in their lives that give rise to
new developmental tasks, e.g., raising children,
aging parents, financial matters, job changes,
divorce, etc.
 Adults are motivated to learn when there is a gap
between their present level of understanding,
skill, performance and/or growth and the desired
level or goal that they set for themselves or that
their organization/ community expects of them.
AFF Principles & Practices
 Adults are motivated by appealing to personal
and spiritual growth and/or personal benefits.
 Adults are motivated to learn when they identify
they have a need to learn.
 Adults are motivated to learn when the benefits
of a learning experience outweigh their
resistance.
AFF Principles & Practices
 Adults are motivated to learn when facing life
transitions. They seek learning and support to
cope with changes in their lives Adults are
motivated to participate in adult learning
programs that are enjoyable and enriching.
 Adults are motivated to learn when they have the
opportunity to do something they could not do
before.
AFF Principles & Practices
 Adults are motivated to learn by settings that
have a natural, interactive, communal feel. They
want to be treated and seated as adults in the
physical settings where they gather.
 Adults are motivated to learn when programs are
sensitive to their time constraints by keeping
commitments short in terms of duration and
offering choices of times for participation.
AFF Principles & Practices
3. Adult faith formation views learning as a lifelong
process that involves both formal and informal
learning, intentional or unexpected.
AFF Principles & Practices
FORMAL LEARNING
classes & workshops
self-study
speaker series
Bible study
online courses
social networking
small group Bible study
faith-sharing groups
INTENTIONAL
UNEXPECTED
reading /watching a DVD
internet surfing
mentoring
watching a movie
service/mission activity
TV show
program at the library or
shopping at a home
local bookstore
improvement store
INFORMAL LEARNING
AFF Principles & Practices
4. Adult faith formation utilizes a variety of learning
models to address the diverse life tasks and
situations, religious and spiritual needs, and
interests of adults; and incorporates both face-toface, interactive learning activities and virtual,
online learning activities.
AFF Principles & Practices
 Learning on Your Own (through reading, online
courses, audio and video programs, movies, television
programs)
 Learning in Small Groups (through Bible and theology
study groups, social issues study groups, faith sharing
groups, lectionary-based groups, service/mission
action groups, support groups, special interest groups)
 Learning in Large Groups (through courses, speaker
series, workshops, film festivals, retreats, conferences,
intergenerational programs)
AFF Principles & Practices
 Learning in the Congregation (through Sunday
worship, church year events and celebrations,
service/mission activities, ministry and leadership
in the church and community)
 Learning in the Community and World (through
programs/courses/clinics/
workshops/presentations at universities, retreat
centers, YMCAs, libraries, bookstores, regional
church programs; through engagement in
community/political action, local and global
service/justice organizations and projects)
AFF Principles & Practices
On Your Own
 reading
 mentoring / spiritual direction
 podcasts and audio learning
 video podcasts and video-based
learning
 online courses & online learning
centers
 parish web site
AFF Principles & Practices
Learning in Small Groups
 discipleship or faith sharing groups
 Lectionary or Bible study groups
 topical study groups
 practice-focused groups
 special interest groups
 ministry groups
 study-action/service groups
 spiritual formation / prayer groups
AFF Principles & Practices
Learning in Large Groups
 multi-session courses/workshops
 single-session program/workshop
 intergenerational programs
 speaker series
 round table discussions
 film festivals
 field trips
 retreats
 conferences
 service projects
AFF Principles & Practices
 Creating a multi-dimensional platform for
faith formation with face-to-face
interaction/experience at the core leading
to continuing learning and faith growth or
virtual interaction leading to face-to-face
interactions and experiences.
Online
Community
& Blog
Learning
Resources
Audio, Video,
Print
Face-to-Face
Interactive
Transformative
Experiences
UserGenerated
Content
Courses &
Webinars
Small Groups
Study
Approach #1
 Begin with people’s participation in face-to-face learning
activities and extend the learning online.
 Sponsor a parish program on the Gospel of Matthew in
preparation for Cycle A (a family or intergenerational
program, a 3-session adult program, a youth meeting, etc.)
 Extend and deepen the learning with online resources
 weekly commentaries for each Sunday of Cycle A
 online Bible study program (independent or with a small
group) on the Gospel of Matthew
 university course on the Gospel of Matthew on iTunes U
 an online blog that allows people to post their reflections
on each Sunday’s reading and invites discussion online
Approach #2
 Begin with people’s participation in online learning activities and
invite them to in parish learning programs
 Develop an online spiritual formation center (website) for your
church using a variety of already existing resources:
 daily fixed hour prayer (liturgy of the hours)
 weekly and seasonal prayer resources
 links to prayer sites around the world
 an online retreat (A thirty-four week retreat for Everyday Life
from Creighton University
 online courses with spiritual guides like Thomas Merton, Joyce
Rupp, Henri Nouwen, Joan Chittister from
SpiritualityandPractice.com
 prayer center to pray for people in the community
 links to videos on prayer (YouTube)
 online blog for sharing prayer practices and experiences
AFF Principles & Practices
Online Learning
 online learning courses and activities
 online small groups and reading groups
 faith formation resources
 spiritual formation / prayer
 social networking
 daily Bible study / prayer-of-the-day
 audio and video podcasts of sermons
and guest speakers, and links to other
sources (iTunes)
 e-newsletter
Summary of Features
 Include a variety of content topics and learning
activities in order to address addresses the
diverse life tasks and situations, spiritual and
religious needs, and interests of adults in the
church.
 Guide adults in developing their own
personalized learning pathway.
 Recognizes that the initiative for learning
resides in the adult learner.
Summary of Features
 Incorporate four types of learning: formal and
informal, intentional and unexpected.
 Utilize a variety of learning models: learning
on your own, in small groups, in large groups,
in the congregation, and in the community and
world.
 Provide learning activities in physical spaces
(face-to-face) and virtual places (online).
AFF Design Process
Visioning
Promoting
Assessing
Connecting
Researching
Integrating
Discovering
Designing
AFF Design Process
 Task 1. Form an Adult Faith Formation
Task Force
 Task 2. Prepare a Statement of Your
Church’s Vision and Goals for Adult
Faith Formation
 Task 3. Develop an Inventory of Your
Church’s Current Adult Faith
Formation Programming
AFF Design Process
 Task 4. Research the Life Issues and
Learning Needs of Adults in Your
Church
1. Research and Discussion
2. Focus Groups
3. A Profile of Life Issues and Learning
Needs
AFF Design Process
Activity
Activity
Activity
• Face-to-Face
• Virtual
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
On Your Own
In Small Group
In Large Group
In Church
In Community
& World
AFF Design Process
 Task 5. Discover Faith Formation
Activities, Leaders, and Resources to
Address the Important Life Issues and
Learning Needs
1. People Resources
2. Physical, Face-to-Face Learning Activity
Resources
3. Print and Media Learning Activity Resources
4. Online Learning Activity Resources
AFF Design Process
 Task 6. Design and Implement Your
Adult Faith Formation Learning
Resources System Plan
1. Develop Timeframe
2. Develop an Integrated AFF Activity
Plan
AFF Design Process
Integrated Adult Faith Formation Activity
Plans
 life issue or learning need
 variety of ways to learn:
 differing levels of depth and commitment
 variety of learning models reflecting the
diversity of learning styles
 online and face-to-face learning
 times and locations convenient for adults
AFF Plan
People
- Age
Group
Life Task,
Religious &
Spiritual
Need
Faith
Formation
Program,
Activity or
Resource
Faith Formation
Model
- on your own
- at home
- small group
- large group
- congregation
- community &
world
Dates
and
Times
Location
- physical/
facility
- online/
website
AFF Design Process
3. Balance
4. Leadership
5. Church Website
6. Program Guide
7. Spiritual/Learning Assessment
8. Marketing
9. Evaluate