March in the Son
First Congregational Church UCC
Cheshire, CT
March 24, 2012
Introduction and Overview

 Cultural Changes Affecting Faith Formation
 New Approaches to Faith Formation
 Ideas/Resource Sharing
The purpose of spiritual reading is to open ourselves to how God may be
speaking to us in and through any particular text. The manner of spiritual
reading is like drinking in the words of a love letter or pondering the
meaning of a poem. It is not like skittering over the surface of a popular
magazine or plowing through a computer manual. We are seeking not
merely information but formation.
Marjorie J. Thompson
Soul Feast

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in
listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so
the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Life Together
Current Picture of Faith Formation in
the United Church of Christ
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 UCC (Education) Consultants
(national/regional settings)
 Partners in Education
(conference setting)
 Local church pastors,
educators, leaders
 Association of United Church
Educators (AUCE)
Dialogues on Christian Faith
Formation and Education

Dialogue 1: Marcus Borg
 Dialogue 2: Doug Pagitt
Dialogue 3: Geoffrey Black
http://www.ucc.org/education
Faith Practices

 The UCC’s Faith Formation resource for the WHOLE
congregation
http://www.ucc.org/faith-practices/
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting
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On September 26-28, 2011, the UCC Education Consultants gathered for their
Annual Meeting in Cleveland, OH to begin a conversation about the future of
Christian Faith Formation in the life of the denomination. The Consultants
worked for several months prior to the meeting by collecting responses to
interview questions on faith formation across varying constituencies, including:
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Congregations with Vital Faith Formation Programs
Seminary Professors/Deans/Presidents
Youth and Young Adult Leaders
Educational Systems Beyond Seminaries and Institutions Conducting Similar
Research
Resource Centers
Members of the Association of United Church Educators
Partners in Education
Collegium/Executive Ministers
National Staff Engaging in Faith Formation Work
Emerging Church Movements
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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 78 interview responses collected
 Key national staff were invited and participated in the
conversation whose work related to faith formation
Ann Hanson, Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice
Barbara Blodgett, Minister for Vocation and Formation
Barbara Essex, Minister for Higher and Theological Education
Derek Duncan, Associate for Global Advocacy and Education
Waltrina Middleton, Minister for Youth Advocacy and
Leadership Formation
 David Schoen, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team
Leader
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UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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Major Cultural Shifts
1. Technology: This has deeply impacted the way in
which relationships are formed and navigated in our
culture and has many implications for the church and
how we carry out the work of faith formation. The broad
use of social networking sites and a constant sense of
being in communication with increasingly diverse
peoples and ideas are just a few specific phenomena.
Technology

 Faith Communities Today (FACT) Report: “Virtually
Religious: Technology and Internet Usage in American
Congregations” (www.faithcommunitiestoday.org)
 Email use by religious groups from 2000 to 2010 more
than doubled, rising from 35% to 90% of congregations
 Congregational websites plateaued, then declined
 Over 40% of all congregations say they use Facebook
(35% UCC congregations)
 The dramatic embrace of Facebook by congregations might
provide an explanation for the drop in the percentage of
congregational websites
Technology (cont.)
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 Visual projection and database software tracking of members
were by far the most frequently used new technology, over
two thirds of all congregations (53% of UCC congregations
use visual projection in worship)
 Over half of small congregations are technologically lagging
while almost half those over 250 attenders are major tech
users.
 UCC is in lowest third of traditions on percentage (10%) of
congregations that use technology in major way.
 UCC is in the upper middle third of traditions on percentage
(36%) of congregation that use technology in marginal way.
 These figures probably reflect the small size of many of our
congregations and the age of the population of our
congregations.
Technology (cont.)
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“The embrace of technology is crucial in the contemporary context
not only to connect with current members but also to attract new
generations of participants for whom technology is like the air they
breathe. The most critical reason for awakening to the necessity of
technology in congregational life is the realization that the social
context has changed. Increased use of technology is strongly
related to the congregation being characterized by willingness to
change to meet new challenges. Increased use of technology
correlates with a clear vision and with being distinctive from other
congregations in its neighborhood.”
“Faith communities that embrace greater use of technology are also
perceived as being more spiritually vital. Roughly 50 percent of
faith communities with major tech use said a lot of their members are
involved in bringing others into the congregation. Increased tech use
by the smallest and largest sized faith communities significantly
generates greater per capita giving.”
Technology (cont.)
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Consultant Survey of UCC Youth/Young Adult Leaders:
 What we do needs to be online: “I think if there isn’t video from an
event posted online, it might as well not have happened.”
 Resources must become interactive (i.e. online, self-taught
confirmation, new member courses)
 “It is important to learn how to reach youth and young adults where
they are. Jesus modeled going to the people. It may not be
physically going to the people, but meeting them by using familiar
technologies to them. Resources need to be created that meet them
where they are at.”
 Need to help young people be responsible in their use of
technology
 “The response of the user (youth or young adult) has to shape the
core curriculum in order to be seen as authentic, as opposed to
curriculum that appears to have ‘all the answers.’ This will be a
difficult balancing act as we are trying to transmit ‘timeless’ truths in
a post-modern era that no longer believes in ‘timeless’ anything.”
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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2. Generational Changes: With new generations come
different ways of doing and being in the world. With
regard to churches, younger generations are seeking to
transform hierarchical, intellectual, specialized structures
and programs into collaborative, experiential, organic,
and fluid models of faithful living. Church looks
differently for these people, especially in a culture where
people are identifying as “spiritual but not religious”
now more than ever.
Generational Changes

FACT 2010 Study: A Decade of Change in American
Congregations 2000-2010 (www.faithcommunitiestoday.org)
- Over 52% of mainline/oldline Protestant churches report
that 1/3 of individuals in their congregations are 65 and
older.
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UCC was the 2nd highest (only behind the UPUSA) in
percentage of congregations with 33% or more members
older than 65.
- 75% of mainline/oldline Protestant churches have less than
10% of their participants between the ages of 18 to 34.
Generational Changes (cont.)
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Religious, Spiritual, Both, or
Neither?
“With Their Own Voices: A Global
Exploration of How Today’s Young
People Experience and Think About
Spiritual Development”
A Research Study from:
Search Institute
Center for Spiritual Development in
Childhood and Adolescence
Minneapolis, MN
www.spiritualdevelopmentcenter.org
Generational Changes (cont.)
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What Does It Mean To Be Spiritual?
When asked to identify what it means to be spiritual, youth
(ages 12 to 25) in the Unites States indicated the top three
items below (out of nine choices).
Generational Changes (cont.)
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Perceived Changes in Aspects of Spirituality
(Past 2-3 Years)
Generational Changes (cont.)

Consultant Survey of UCC Youth/Young Adult Leaders:
1. What are characteristics unique to this current generation of youth and
young adults that could potentially impact how we do faith formation?
 Action-oriented; self starters; non-passive; collaborative
 They are “book smart” but are hungry to know how to be “street
smart” and integrate their knowledge into everyday life
 Are both religious and spiritual and want to experience God
 They have short attention spans—it’s not bad, just different. Their
brains work and process information differently due to
technology.
 Have a number of opportunities and commitments that compete
for their time
 Need hands-on, interactive learning, not lecture-based
 Engaged about social justice issues and care about the global
community
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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3. Vocabulary/Language: “Church” language is no longer
understood by a majority of people in the U.S. In
addition, the language of “Christian Education” connotes
older models of teaching and learning and is often
understood as and relegated to the confines of children
and Sunday School. Newer models promote the language
of “Faith Formation” or “Spiritual Formation” which
more appropriately signifies the holistic and engaged
process of learning and practice throughout all aspects of
congregational and daily life. This new language is
changing the conversation on this ministry in the church
and is opening up possibilities for increased collaboration
in the areas of worship, preaching, and other ministries.
Vocabulary/Language
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Definitions from the United Church of Canada, Seeds of Change:
Exploring a New Approach for Faith Formation and Christian
Education, 2005.
 Christian Education:
 Signals a desire to have a more defined focus in terms of
learning about faith and developing skills for living faithfully
 May be understood as a large process in which learners are
teachers and teachers are learners
 People who use this term take seriously new developments in
educational theory that can be applied to the Christian
education task
 Can be solely understood as or limited to: Sunday School,
children and youth education, or formal Bible study
Vocabulary/Language (cont.)
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 Faith Formation:
 Signals a desire to differentiate from a school model and
a view that faith is limited to ideas, doctrines or practices
to be learned
 An understanding that faith is being shaped and actively
shaping our lives in terms of a total environment of
church, home, family, and world
Vocabulary/Language (cont.)
 Spiritual Formation:
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 A term that seeks to place the transformative work of God at
the center of one’s formation
 Spiritual Formation Alliance: “Proverbially speaking, SFA
doesn't have a dog in the fight. We don’t have a program to
promote or curriculum to sell. We are encouragers,
connectors, and hosts – wanting to set the table for great
Spirit-led conversations about spiritual formation and provide
space for the transforming work of God. We know that
changed lives, change lives and -- ultimately -- our world.”
(www.spiritualformationalliance.org)
 Term appeals to those of younger generations and people in
the “spiritual and/or religious” category and signifies less
association with tradition Christian education models of
learning
 Is also associated with a renewal of ancient and contemplative
prayer and practices in the church (ancient-future)
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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4. Intergenerational and Family-Centered Movements:
Because Sunday School and mono-generational activities
have become less central to the overall lives of
congregants in recent years, pastors and educators are
discovering that some of these “new ways” of doing and
being involve learning and engagement across
generations and throughout the week. Equipping parents
and others to practice their faith at home and in the
workplace, while providing opportunities for meaningful
conversations and practices across generations,
transforms the faith lives of all individuals.
Intergenerational/Family-Centered
Movements

 Vibrant Faith Ministries (www.vibrantfaith.org):
“Three Decades of Research on Faith Formation”
 Single greatest impact on children’s and youth’s
spiritual formation: Parents/adults
 Faith integrated into family identity and practice
positively influences youth and young adult faith
Intergenerational/Family-Centered
Movements (cont.)
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Emphasizes learning
across the lifespan and
highlights four key faith
practices:
- Caring Conversation
- Devotions
- Service
- Rituals and Traditions
UCC Faith Formation Research:
Education Consultants Fall Meeting (cont.)
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5. Finances: While decreasing funds for programs have
been a factor this shift, the more critical emphasis should
be placed on the opportunities that this has provided to
help us live into new ways of envisioning faith formation
and education in congregations without relying on the
structures and programs themselves to sustain this
ministry.
Finances
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 Loss of income affects:
 Paid church staff position (particularly Education/Faith
Formation Directors/Ministers)
 Conference support staff for faith formation ministries
 Available resources for congregations and regions
 Other factors (morale, vitality, etc.)
 Creativity (both positively and negatively)
Small Group Discussion

 How have you observed or experienced these shifts in your
congregation in the last several years?
 In what ways have these dynamics affected the ministry of
faith formation in your church?
 Technology/internet/social media
 Generational differences
 Vocabulary/language
 Intergenerational and family-centered movements
 Financial issues
New Approaches to Faith Formation
(cont.)

John Roberto: APCE 2012 Workshop
“Without the formal authority of the church in place, it no longer
has the influence over people’s lives that it once had. So how do
we gain credibility? Build relationships by meeting them in their
worlds, then provide content and resources to respond to their
needs.”
Christian Educators are now Curators!!!
- Shift from “Content Creators” to “Content Curators”
- Yet there is a need to adapt content to context; so it’s both
curating and creating content (in some form)
New Approaches to Faith Formation
(cont.)
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Develop a network approach to faith formation; stop placing main
focus on figuring out how to program for people’s time at church-this is a new way to be the body of Christ
Shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to a network of personalized
and customized faith formation activities and resources
The network is now the curriculum (i.e. the whole life of the church)
and vice versa
This network is both physical and virtual; build it around the
people and the community
Example: A baptism network for young families
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Mentors
Practices (first prayers, start of school, etc.)
Parenting
Milestones
New Approaches to Faith Formation

The Hyphenateds: How Emergence Christianity
is Re-Traditioning Mainline Practices edited by
Phil Snider. Chalice Press, 2011.
 Characteristics of faith formation in these
communities:
 Worship practices that draw upon ancient
traditions and rich symbols of the faith
 Theological questioning and depth that
informs each practice/activity
 Authenticity, as expressed in community
gathering
 Irreverence, irony
 Pastor as curator, facilitator—all participants
share in co-creation of community and
possess equal knowledge and wisdom
New Approaches to Faith Formation
(cont.)

“The emerging moment helped Christians from a variety of
contexts to (1) encounter wider Christian traditions that
have come before and (2) consider ways to reappropriate
these traditions in creative, authentic, and culturally
accessible ways” (p. xix).
New Approaches to Faith Formation
(cont.)

 Church Re-Imagined: The
Spiritual Formation of
People in Communities of
Faith by Doug Pagitt and the
Solomon’s Porch
Community. Zondervan,
2003.
 Toward A Hopeful Future:
Why the Emergent Church Is
Good News for Mainline
Congregations by Phil Snider
and Emily Bowen. Pilgrim
Press, 2010.
New Approaches to Faith Formation
(cont.)

Consultant Survey of UCC Youth/Young Adult Leaders:
What attracts youth and young adults (and all people) to learning and growing in the
UCC?
 Social justice work/advocacy—appeals to sense of mission and service
 Open and affirming commitments, welcoming all
 “Youth and young adults experience divisions (such as interests) and don't
necessarily see divisions between people (such as race, sexual orientation). They
lose patience with adults that don't show openness and acceptance. They like
being a part of something that has acceptance at the core.”
 UCC’s culture of seeking/asking questions
 Electronic modes of communication (Daily Devotional), on-line Facebook
challenges
 Mission trips, outdoor ministries, camps
 More “spiritual”/missional ways to engage faith through worship that are
not focused on the structures of organized religion
 UCC youth and young adults are energized when they find other UCC
youth/young adults who share their similar values
 Not one solid strategy or answer—“We will have to work at it every step
of the way.”
Discussion

How might you envision your faith
formation ministries differently in light
of these new approaches?
What ideas or practices have you come
away with today that might impact and
enliven your ministry?
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For questions or more information, please contact:
Rev. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Ph.D.
Minister for Christian Faith Formation Research
Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team,
Local Church Ministries
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44115
1-866-822-8224, ext. 3866
hajbik@ucc.org