Faith Formation Learning Exchange is a service of Vibrant Faith Ministries
Helping people live a vibrant faith that is authentic, available and affirming.
Learn more about Vibrant Faith Ministries at our website.
Check out the variety of leadership resources and faith formation resources in the Vibrant Faith Ministries Store. Click here.
Lifelong & Multigenerational Center: Trends & Research
The Trends section is designed to keep you up-to-date on what's happening within our churches and in the broader culture and society that is having an impact on lifelong and multigenerational faith formation today. The Research section is designed to provide reports and summaries of social and religious research studies on all generations that you can use in teaching and workshops, in program development, and in planning for faith formation. For some of the links you will be going directly to the research study's website.
An Ecumenical Study of Lifelong Faith Formation - Joan Weber
To research lifelong faith formation in mainline Christian, Orthodox, and Catholic congregations, the Center for Ministry Development received a grant from the Louisville Institute. The project was designed to discover effective practices, new insights, and key challenges in lifelong faith formation across denominations. The three goals of the project were to: 1) understand more about the experiences and needs of congregations, which are implementing specific efforts aimed at forming faith across the lifespan in order to identify the common elements of effective Christian education; 2) learn about what congregations are doing to provide Christian education in the intergenerational or whole community setting, the age-specific setting, and the family setting; 3) review effective models for lifelong faith formation, which are being implemented in parishes and congregations.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Bringing the Generations Together: Support from Learning Theory - Holly Catterton Allen
Is there any evidence to suggest that intergenerational religious experiences are especially beneficial for faith and spiritual development in children? And, if so, why might intergenerational religious experiences contribute significantly to children’s faith journeys? In her article Holly Catterton Allen addresses the role of learning theory in intergenerational experiences by examining: (a) a short definitional section concerning intergenerational concepts, (b) an overview of existing research that examines the effects of intergenerational Christian experiences, and (c) a brief treatment of the scriptural support for intergenerational community.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Building Assets, Strengthening Faith - Search Institute
Congregations have tremendous potential to nurture faith and healthy development with children, youth, and families. The Building Assets, Strengthening Faith assessment tool offers unique perspectives on the life of a congregation and its engagement with children, youth, and families in at least three areas: 1) rather than focusing on specific programmatic areas, it looks broadly at the culture and dynamics of the congregation; 2) it examines on how the congregation nurtures faith and spirituality in children, youth, and families, and how it builds “developmental assets;” and 3) because everyone in the congregation has a stake in the lives of children, youth, and families and affects the dynamics and culture of the congregation, the survey asks everyone (age 10+) to be part of the study. Fifteen congregations participated in a field test of the survey. Though not a representative sample, these findings illustrate the information that congregations can learn by conducting the survey. The findings also offer a starting point for dialogue about how congregations support and engage with children, youth, and families within the congregation and in the broader community.
(Source: Search Institute, www.search-institute.org/survey-services/surveys/building-assets-strengthening-faith)
To research lifelong faith formation in mainline Christian, Orthodox, and Catholic congregations, the Center for Ministry Development received a grant from the Louisville Institute. The project was designed to discover effective practices, new insights, and key challenges in lifelong faith formation across denominations. The three goals of the project were to: 1) understand more about the experiences and needs of congregations, which are implementing specific efforts aimed at forming faith across the lifespan in order to identify the common elements of effective Christian education; 2) learn about what congregations are doing to provide Christian education in the intergenerational or whole community setting, the age-specific setting, and the family setting; 3) review effective models for lifelong faith formation, which are being implemented in parishes and congregations.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Bringing the Generations Together: Support from Learning Theory - Holly Catterton Allen
Is there any evidence to suggest that intergenerational religious experiences are especially beneficial for faith and spiritual development in children? And, if so, why might intergenerational religious experiences contribute significantly to children’s faith journeys? In her article Holly Catterton Allen addresses the role of learning theory in intergenerational experiences by examining: (a) a short definitional section concerning intergenerational concepts, (b) an overview of existing research that examines the effects of intergenerational Christian experiences, and (c) a brief treatment of the scriptural support for intergenerational community.
(Source: Lifelong Faith Journal, www.LifelongFaith.com)
Building Assets, Strengthening Faith - Search Institute
Congregations have tremendous potential to nurture faith and healthy development with children, youth, and families. The Building Assets, Strengthening Faith assessment tool offers unique perspectives on the life of a congregation and its engagement with children, youth, and families in at least three areas: 1) rather than focusing on specific programmatic areas, it looks broadly at the culture and dynamics of the congregation; 2) it examines on how the congregation nurtures faith and spirituality in children, youth, and families, and how it builds “developmental assets;” and 3) because everyone in the congregation has a stake in the lives of children, youth, and families and affects the dynamics and culture of the congregation, the survey asks everyone (age 10+) to be part of the study. Fifteen congregations participated in a field test of the survey. Though not a representative sample, these findings illustrate the information that congregations can learn by conducting the survey. The findings also offer a starting point for dialogue about how congregations support and engage with children, youth, and families within the congregation and in the broader community.
(Source: Search Institute, www.search-institute.org/survey-services/surveys/building-assets-strengthening-faith)
