Preamble/ Theological framework:
- Faith is a gift from God, guided by the Holy Spirit, made evident in the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, formed over time, in community, and
in the world.
- The living Word continues to form and shape us – God is alive and active
today in our midst.
- Faith formation is a shared calling across many expressions of church,
household and communities.
- The world God created and loves is the horizon of faith.
- Faith gives us eyes to see a new future and offers hope.
- Our identity as children of God values all people, claims us as a subject of
God’s love, and unite us as the body of Christ.
What’s mission in the theological framework that’s specifically Lutheran?
Grace –
Refer to Luther’s definition (see Rozella).
Definition:
Faith is formed when people discover and claim their identity as a child of God and
boldly follow Jesus.
Effective faith formation …
- takes place at intersection of God’s story and our story
- includes engaging in faith practices
- Involves action and reflection which leads to transformation
- understands faith formation as always communal and personal
- takes place across all generations
- engages contextual realities
- Includes forming culturally competent leaders
- is continually evaluated
(refer to research)
Mission: to cultivate a culture of faith formation within the ELCA
Vision: Connect and align faith formation ministries,
- so all people will claim their identity as children of God, engage in Christian
practices, and bear witness to God’s love (in the world).
Values:
- Faith Formation in the first 1/3 of life is a critical ministry of church
- faith formation is a lifelong journey.
- Faith formation is a shared calling of all expression of the church, households
and faith communities.
- Faith Formation requires working together – collaboration
Notes from Groups:
Group #1:
Definition of Faith Formation –
Transformed by God’s grace, people of faith discover who they are as children of
God, find their place in the unfolding Christian Story, and are called to love and care
for God’s world.
Mission: to renew the church’s call to participate with God in the passing on of the
Christian story (from generation to generation) within communities of faith for the
sake of the world.
Vision:
As a church, we will align and connect our faith formation assets
so that those in the first third of life might find themselves in the Christian story
and be a witness to God’s love in the world.
Values:
- The living Word continues to form and shape us – God is alive and active
today in our midst.
- Faith formation is a shared calling across many expressions of church,
household and communities.
- Faith is a gift from God, made evident in the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, formed over time, in community, and in the world.
- The world God created and loves is the horizon of faith.
- Faith gives us eyes to see a new future and offers hope.
- Our identity as children of God values all people, claims us as a subject of
God’s love, and unite us as the body of Christ.
Group #2:
Definition of Faith Formation is being open to the Holy Spirit transforming us as
individuals and community through lifelong learning and practicing our faith.
Discussion: Starts with God – who we were trying to reach – lifelong – has a learning
and acting components. Baptism is a remembering and public act, but chose not to
use in the definition. It can feel exclusive.
Mission: to nurture the growth of a culture of faith formation in the ELCA.
Discussion: could include churchwide, synod, congregations, households, and
synods.
Vision: for individual faith formation, the ELCA, or our group?
Eaton’s 4 guiding principles
Baptismal covenant
Action for our group – what would success look like?
Ideas: we are a church and people that know God’s story shaped by God’s story – it
shapes their choices and can articulate it for others.
Our vision is that faith is never done, it’s ongoing shaped in community, engaging
God’s Word, sharing holy practices, and striving for justice by serving others.
Brainstorming:
Practice, learning, living
Form, transform, reform.
Education experience
Affirming God’s lifelong claim upon us through community, practice, learning
Open to the Spirit transforming us as individuals and community as we learn and
practice our faith.
Intentional practices
Community
Lifelong
Living our responding
Transforming
Awareness
formation
Group #3:
Definition of Faith Formation – is a lifelong journey of discovery guided by the
Holy Spirit where God reveals who we are in relationship to God and each other
calling us into a new way of being through the message of Jesus Christ.
Mission: to nurture the gift of faith to give hope to a hurting world.
Audience is practitioners working with people in faith formation.
Vision: People will be able to recognize the intersection of their story with God’s
story and be able to articulate those stories.
Values: Effective faith formation happens when we have these values:
- engage in faith practices
- form culturally competent leaders
- embracing faith formation as a lifelong journey
- involved action and reflection which leads to transformation
- understand faith formation as communal and personal across all generations
Discussion:
ELCA mission - Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and
sent for the sake of the world.
Definition:
- primary actor is God – God through the Holy Spirit
- audience is leaders – purpose is to focus leaders
- identity
-
deepening their relationship with God through worship and prayer
maturing in their knowledge of the Bible and the Church’s doctrine
learning by doing, practicing their faith in daily living, service, and
justice
learning and using the art and skills of speaking the truth in love and
discerning together the gospel’s meaning in life, and
connecting their baptismal vocation and their specific callings in daily
life. (ELCA Christian Education documents)
Helping people discover who they are as children of God, finding their place in the
unfolding Christian story, and called to love and care for God’s world.
Being gathered in community, we grow in faith and the ability to live out faith in
daily life. This faith formation is a life long process by which every Christian
answers their baptismal call to follow Jesus.
Transformed by God’s grace, the Holy Spirit guides people to discover who they are,
find their place in the unfolding Christian Story, and are called to love and care for
God’s world.
Faith formation is a lifelong journey, guided by the Holy Spirit,
Faith formation is learning about and living out our Christian story.
Faith formation is about finding your place in the unfolding Christian story.
Mission:
- our mission is to renew the church’s call to pass on the Christian story
- to nurture the church’s call to a life-long journey of faith
- to nurture the church’s call to faith formation with those in the first third of
life
- to cultivate a culture of faith formation within the ELCA
Vision: what will it look like in the future – audience – first third
- Connect and align faith formation ministries for the first third of life,
-
so the next generation/all people will witness to God’s love in the world.
(be a faithful witness to God’s love in the world.)
o FIRST THIRD of LIFE
o CONGREGATIONS
o Adult Learning
Values:
- Faith Formation in the first 1/3 of life is a critical ministry of church
- faith formation is a lifelong journey.
- Faith formation is a shared calling of all expression of the church, households
and faith communities.
- Working together – collaboration
Effective faith formation …
- includes engaging in faith practices
- Involves action and reflection which leads to transformation
- Includes form culturally competent leaders
- understands faith formation as always communal and personal
- takes place across all generations
- takes place intersection of God’s story and our story
- engages contextual realities
- continual evaluation