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Lifelong & Multigenerational Center: Articles
The Articles section is designed to provide you with the latest thinking and practices in lifelong and multigenerational faith formation. You can use these articles in a variety of ways: for personal enrichment, in teaching and workshops, with your church's faith formation team and leaders, and in planning for lifelong and multigenerational faith formation. We will make available articles by leaders in faith formation on a regular basis, so keep checking back for the latest editions. To read a PDF of the article, just click on the title.
Becoming Intentionally Intergenerational - John Roberto
Every church can become intentionally intergenerational! Congregations can make their intergenerational character a defining feature of their community life, ministries, and programming. These churches make it a priority to foster intergenerational relationships, faith sharing, and storytelling; to incorporate all generations in worship; to develop service projects that involve all ages, and to engage all generations in learning together. For these churches, being intergenerational is a way of life. It is an integral element of their culture. It is who they are! This article provides strategies, ideas, and congregational examples for becoming more intentionally intergenerational through social events, mentoring, storytelling, service, and learning.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Emerging Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation - Bill Huebsch
Bill Huebsch reflects on the emergence of lifelong faith formation in the Catholic Church. Slowly but intentionally over the past six or seven decades, the Catholic Church has been studying, discussing, praying about, and experimenting with catechesis. Leaders at every level have been reflecting on and creating new models for how we organize ourselves to pass on the faith from one generation to the next. He explores what lifelong faith formation mean for the local parish, leaders, and families and household.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Faith Formation across Generations - Mariette Martineau
Mariette Martineau writes that intergenerational learning is essential to the spiritual health of families, and that it makes a significant contribution to the overall health of the Christian community. Intergenerational learning nurtures important relationships between people of all ages, and it supports and guides members to better practice their faith at home, at work, and at school. Her articles describes the features, characteristics, and learning process of intergenerational learning.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Lifelong Faith Formation for all Generations - John Roberto
John Roberto presents the vision and four practices that form the basis of the Generations of Faith approach to lifelong, intergenerational faith formation: 1) a church events-centered curriculum for all generations, 2) intergenerational learning, 3) household faith, and 4) collaborative, empowering, team-based leadership.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
One Home at a Time - Jennifer Hooks
Jennifer Hooks describes the Legacy Milestones approach that Brian Haynes and Kingsland Baptist Church to create a common path that integrates church and home in spiritual formation. The milestone strategy syncs-up church and home through a path of seven milestones that are used to chart spiritual development.
(Source: Children's Ministry Magazine, July/Aug 2009)
Passing on Faith: Milestone to Milestone - Linda Staats
Linda Staats describes how to use milestones as a powerful way to engage parishioners of all ages and stages of life in nurturing their faith and spiritual growth. Milestones offer an opportunity to bring God’s presence into the home and connect the rituals of daily life with the life of the congregation, thus shaping a vital partnership between home and congregation. Most important, milestones ministry renews and transforms congregations by tending the baptismal journey through all the ages and stages of a life centered in Christ.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
The Power of Intergenerational Relationships
Kara Powell and Brad Griffin
Wouldn’t it be great to find the youth ministry silver bullet? Powell and Griffin didn't find one in their Sticky Faith research, but it turns out that intergenerational relationships are one of the keys to building lasting faith in students. Read the article excerpted from their new book, Sticky Faith.
Total Community Catechesis for Lifelong Faith Formation - Thomas Groome
Tom Groome presents the key concepts of total community catechesis. Instead of catechesis as one slice among others of community life, he presents a 360-degree approach, which echoes the totalizing demands of Christian faith. He understands total community catechesis as an intentional coalition of parish, family, and programs/school that engages every member and all aspects of each unit, by and for people of all ages, teaching and learning together for total Christian faith toward God’s reign in the world.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Worship as a Model for Faith Formation - Anne E. Streaty Wimberly
Anne E. Streaty Wimberly observes that all of worship gathers, forms, and feeds the people of God; and worship is a vital educational ministry event, nourishing resource, and significant means by which we come to know God, ourselves, and the nature of the Christian journey more fully. In her article she presents meanings of worship as Christian education, worship as God-referenced and life-directed education, and key pathways and events through which Christian education takes place in worship, including the role of the pastor. In her view worship as Christian education may be seen as edification, formation, and nurture.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Every church can become intentionally intergenerational! Congregations can make their intergenerational character a defining feature of their community life, ministries, and programming. These churches make it a priority to foster intergenerational relationships, faith sharing, and storytelling; to incorporate all generations in worship; to develop service projects that involve all ages, and to engage all generations in learning together. For these churches, being intergenerational is a way of life. It is an integral element of their culture. It is who they are! This article provides strategies, ideas, and congregational examples for becoming more intentionally intergenerational through social events, mentoring, storytelling, service, and learning.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Emerging Vision of Lifelong Faith Formation - Bill Huebsch
Bill Huebsch reflects on the emergence of lifelong faith formation in the Catholic Church. Slowly but intentionally over the past six or seven decades, the Catholic Church has been studying, discussing, praying about, and experimenting with catechesis. Leaders at every level have been reflecting on and creating new models for how we organize ourselves to pass on the faith from one generation to the next. He explores what lifelong faith formation mean for the local parish, leaders, and families and household.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Faith Formation across Generations - Mariette Martineau
Mariette Martineau writes that intergenerational learning is essential to the spiritual health of families, and that it makes a significant contribution to the overall health of the Christian community. Intergenerational learning nurtures important relationships between people of all ages, and it supports and guides members to better practice their faith at home, at work, and at school. Her articles describes the features, characteristics, and learning process of intergenerational learning.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Lifelong Faith Formation for all Generations - John Roberto
John Roberto presents the vision and four practices that form the basis of the Generations of Faith approach to lifelong, intergenerational faith formation: 1) a church events-centered curriculum for all generations, 2) intergenerational learning, 3) household faith, and 4) collaborative, empowering, team-based leadership.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
One Home at a Time - Jennifer Hooks
Jennifer Hooks describes the Legacy Milestones approach that Brian Haynes and Kingsland Baptist Church to create a common path that integrates church and home in spiritual formation. The milestone strategy syncs-up church and home through a path of seven milestones that are used to chart spiritual development.
(Source: Children's Ministry Magazine, July/Aug 2009)
Passing on Faith: Milestone to Milestone - Linda Staats
Linda Staats describes how to use milestones as a powerful way to engage parishioners of all ages and stages of life in nurturing their faith and spiritual growth. Milestones offer an opportunity to bring God’s presence into the home and connect the rituals of daily life with the life of the congregation, thus shaping a vital partnership between home and congregation. Most important, milestones ministry renews and transforms congregations by tending the baptismal journey through all the ages and stages of a life centered in Christ.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
The Power of Intergenerational Relationships
Kara Powell and Brad Griffin
Wouldn’t it be great to find the youth ministry silver bullet? Powell and Griffin didn't find one in their Sticky Faith research, but it turns out that intergenerational relationships are one of the keys to building lasting faith in students. Read the article excerpted from their new book, Sticky Faith.
Total Community Catechesis for Lifelong Faith Formation - Thomas Groome
Tom Groome presents the key concepts of total community catechesis. Instead of catechesis as one slice among others of community life, he presents a 360-degree approach, which echoes the totalizing demands of Christian faith. He understands total community catechesis as an intentional coalition of parish, family, and programs/school that engages every member and all aspects of each unit, by and for people of all ages, teaching and learning together for total Christian faith toward God’s reign in the world.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Worship as a Model for Faith Formation - Anne E. Streaty Wimberly
Anne E. Streaty Wimberly observes that all of worship gathers, forms, and feeds the people of God; and worship is a vital educational ministry event, nourishing resource, and significant means by which we come to know God, ourselves, and the nature of the Christian journey more fully. In her article she presents meanings of worship as Christian education, worship as God-referenced and life-directed education, and key pathways and events through which Christian education takes place in worship, including the role of the pastor. In her view worship as Christian education may be seen as edification, formation, and nurture.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Whole Community Service & Mission
The Best Externally Focused Ideas of 2011
Externally Focused Network, http://externallyfocusednetwork.com
The Externally Focused Network has produced a free booklet based on their research of congregations that exemplify what it means to be an externally focused church. The 29 ideas in this document contain stories from churches all across the country that are creatively and effectively transforming their cities in the areas of human trafficking, homelessness, adoption, education, business as mission, and many more! Additionally, these churches represent many denominations and range from small rural churches to urban mega churches.
Fast Forwarding Your Church's Community Engagement - Reggie McNeal
Leadership Network, www.leadnet.org
Churches across the U.S. are pioneering a shift toward truly engaging their communities in mission. These churches are not only deploying their own members for service; they are engaging with people who aren’t part of their church, but who are attracted to rolling up their sleeves to bless the community. These on-mission churches look not only to their own resources and ideas for the community; they are strategically engaging with other churches and non-church organizations. These churches are moving from ministry for the community and in the community, to ministry with the community. This new movement is a rise in churches that are working shoulder-to-shoulder in partnership with the community—across multiple domains of business, education, health care, social service and government—to transform a city.
Increasing the Effectiveness of Short-Term Missions - Eric Swanson
Leadership Network, www.leadnet.org
In 1965 there were 540 individuals from North America involved in short-term missions in various locations around the world, according to one estimate. Today, by conservative estimates, upwards of one and a half a million Americans are involved in international short-term mission outreaches each year at the cost of billions of dollars annually. Churches find themselves asking questions like, “Is it worth it?” “How can we get better in the execution of short-term missions?” “What should we be measuring?” This article addresses these questions with practical strategies and examples from churches.
The Best Externally Focused Ideas of 2011
Externally Focused Network, http://externallyfocusednetwork.com
The Externally Focused Network has produced a free booklet based on their research of congregations that exemplify what it means to be an externally focused church. The 29 ideas in this document contain stories from churches all across the country that are creatively and effectively transforming their cities in the areas of human trafficking, homelessness, adoption, education, business as mission, and many more! Additionally, these churches represent many denominations and range from small rural churches to urban mega churches.
Fast Forwarding Your Church's Community Engagement - Reggie McNeal
Leadership Network, www.leadnet.org
Churches across the U.S. are pioneering a shift toward truly engaging their communities in mission. These churches are not only deploying their own members for service; they are engaging with people who aren’t part of their church, but who are attracted to rolling up their sleeves to bless the community. These on-mission churches look not only to their own resources and ideas for the community; they are strategically engaging with other churches and non-church organizations. These churches are moving from ministry for the community and in the community, to ministry with the community. This new movement is a rise in churches that are working shoulder-to-shoulder in partnership with the community—across multiple domains of business, education, health care, social service and government—to transform a city.
Increasing the Effectiveness of Short-Term Missions - Eric Swanson
Leadership Network, www.leadnet.org
In 1965 there were 540 individuals from North America involved in short-term missions in various locations around the world, according to one estimate. Today, by conservative estimates, upwards of one and a half a million Americans are involved in international short-term mission outreaches each year at the cost of billions of dollars annually. Churches find themselves asking questions like, “Is it worth it?” “How can we get better in the execution of short-term missions?” “What should we be measuring?” This article addresses these questions with practical strategies and examples from churches.
