GROWING DISCIPLES IN A DIGITAL AGE

Transcription

1 GROWING DISCIPLES IN A DIGITAL AGE John Roberto jroberto@lifelongfaith.com Part 1. Lifelong Faith Formation 1

2 Lifelong & Lifewide Faith Formation for Everyone! Faith Formation Goals Churches want faith formation that helps people... Ø grow in their relationship with God throughout their lives Ø live as disciples of Jesus Christ at home, in the workplace, in the community and the world Ø develop an understanding of the Bible and their faith tradition Ø deepen their spiritual life and practices Ø engage in service and mission Ø relate the Christian faith to life today Ø participate in the life and ministries of the faith community 2

3 Holistic Faith & Formation ª ª ª A way of the head (inform) demands a discipleship of faith seeking understanding and belief with personal conviction, sustained by study, reflecting, discerning and deciding, all toward spiritual wisdom for life. A way of the heart (form) demands a discipleship of right relationships and right desires, community building, hospitality and inclusion, trust in God s love, and prayer and worship. A way of the hands (transform) demands a discipleship of love, justice, peace-making, simplicity, integrity, healing, and repentance. (Thomas Groome) Faith Forming Processes Church Year Seasons Learning the Tradition Praying Spiritual Formation Reading the Bible Rituals & Milestones Serving Working for Justice Caring for Creation Caring Relationships GROWTH IN FAITH Worshipping 3

4 Faith Forming Processes 1. Caring relationships 2. Celebrating rituals and milestones 3. Celebrating the liturgical seasons 4. Learning the Christian tradition and applying it to life today 5. Praying, devotions, and spiritual formation 6. Reading the Bible 7. Serving people in need, working for justice, caring for creation 8. Worshipping with the faith community Religious Transmission 4

5 Factors Promoting Faith Growth The combination of the following factors makes an enormous difference in religious outcomes during emerging adulthood: 1. the teenager s parental religion 2. importance of faith 3. prayer 4. Scripture reading 5. lack of religious doubts 6. personal religious experiences 7. having supportive nonparent adults in the church These most influential factors make differences of sizeable magnitude in substantive outcomes. Factors Promoting Faith Growth In these seven factors alone, we have identified some powerful teenage factors associated with and, we think, causing differences in emerging adult religious commitment and practice. n 85% chance of being Highly Religious as an emerging adult if you were in the top 25% on the scales of: 1. parental religion 2. prayer 3. importance of faith 4. Scripture reading 5

6 Family Religious Socialization Parental Modeling & Teaching Prayer Parental Faith Faith Scripture Reading Factors Promoting Faith Growth n 75% chance of being a Highly Religious emerging adult if you were in the the top 25% on scales of: 5. having support nonparent adults in the church, 6. having personal religious experiences 7. lack of religious doubts 6

7 Factors Promoting Faith Growth Ø Ø Ø Approximately 70% of youth who at some time or other before mid-emerging adulthood commit to live their lives for God, the vast majority appear to do so early in life, apparently before the age of 14. Most make their first commitments to God as children or during the preteen or very early teen years. Many religious trajectories followed in the course of life s development seemed to be formed early in life. Factors Promoting Faith Growth Ø Ø Parental Influence: The single most important social influence on the religious and spiritual lives of children and adolescents (and emerging adults) is their parents. Embedded Family Religious Practices: Effective religious socialization comes about through specific religious activities that are firmly intertwined with the daily habits of family life. 7

8 Making a Difference in the Life of Families 1. Nurturing the faith life of parents and grandparents 2. Teaching and resourcing parents and grandparents to provide religious socialization and model the Christian faith and practice 3. Engaging the whole family in worship and community life 4. Equipping families to engage in faith practices 5. Building family assets 6. Encouraging parents to develop a warm, supporting, affirming, and authoritative parenting style Family Assets - Search Institute Nurturing RELATIONSHIPS Positive communication Affection Emotional openness Support for sparks Establishing ROUTINES Family meals Shared activities Meaningful traditions Dependability Maintaining EXPECTATIONS Openness about tough topics Fair rules Defined boundaries Clear expectations Contributions to family Adapting to CHALLENGES Management of daily commitments Adaptability Problem solving Democratic decision making Connecting to COMMUNITY Neighborhood cohesion Relationships with others Enriching activities Supportive resources 8

9 Family Assets Families with more assets are more likely to: Have children who are actively engaged in school and who earn higher grades Act in socially responsible ways like spending time together serving their communities. Teach youth to make good decisions. Foster positive identity and values. Nurture spiritual development. Build social-emotional skills. Encourage healthy life habits. Daily & Home Life ª ª ª ª ª Through the day: meal times, car times, morning and bedtime, exits and entries, family sharing times Through the year: church year seasons, rituals and celebrations Through the lifecycle: milestones and rites of passage Through key family moments good times and hard times, times of joy and sorrow Through life issues and life skills: parenting, decision-making, financial planning, communication, and more 9

10 Settings for Faith Formation Intergenerational & Generational 10

11 Planning Lifelong Faith Formation Process At Church At Home In Community Online Caring Relationships Church Year Feasts & Seasons Learning the Tradition Prayer & Spiritual Formation Reading the Bible Rituals & Milestones Service & Working for Justice Worship 2. A Faith Formation Network 11

12 New Operating System: Faith Formation Network Children & Parents Older Adults Adolescents & Parents Intergenera(onal Faith Community Mature Adults Young Adults Mid- Life Adults Intergenerational Faith Formation Serving Caring Praying Celebra(ng Learning 12

13 Intergenerational Faith Formation 1. Caring: Community building activities, storytelling, mentoring, social events 2. Celebrating: Intergenerational Sunday Worship, whole community sacramental celebrations, milestones celebrations, church year feasts and seasons 3. Learning: Structured IG learning programs (weekly, monthly, small group); incorporating IG learning into age group programming 4. Praying: IG prayer experiences, prayer partner, IG prayer groups, spiritual guides 5. Serving: IG service projects and mission trips (local, global), church-wide service day, monthly IG service, IG service nights at church New Operating System: Faith Formation Network Online Ac(vi(es & Resources Community Programs, Events, & Ac(vi(es On Your Own & Small Groups Age Group Family All Ages Church Life & Events At Home Large Group: Course, Workshop, Retreat 13

14 Network Programming A wide variety of diverse faith formation experiences, programs, activities, and resources to match with people s diverse needs and tailored to their busy lives. Multiple ways to learn and grow Online/virtual & Gathered/physical Mobile - available anytime & anywhere. Families in the First Decade of Life Baptism Mentors Faith Home Parent Faith Formation & Parenting Skills Milestones Family Learning Programs Prayer, Rituals, Bible, Family Conversation, Service Workshops Courses Online Resources Support Groups Baptism Anniversary, First Prayers, Start of School Church Gatherings Small Groups Workshops Parent/Family Online Resource Center 14

15 Families with Children Faith Formation Network Children s Programs & Events For Parents Sunday Home Intergenerational Experiences with the Whole Faith Community Seasons of the Year Family Life Milestones Practicing Our Faith Family Faith Formation Network 15

16 Youth Faith Formation Network Parent Education & Support Groups Youth Group Confirmation Program Youth Leadership Adolescent Life Issues Intergenera(onal Experiences & Connec(ons Milestones Parent-Teen Activities & Resources Service Projects Mission Trips Prayer & Spiritual Formation Bible Study & Religious Learning Youth Network Daily Devotion Spiritual Mentoring Resources Resources Prayer Group Resources Prayer & Spiritual Life Spiritual Practices Course Resources Retreat Resources Day at the Monastery Online Prayer Intentions Resources 16

17 Young Adult Faith Formation Network YA Community Events Discovering Faith (Alpha Course) Social Media Connections Weekly Gathering & Worship Intergenerational Experiences & Connections Life Issues, Transitions, & Milestones Scripture Enrichment Faith Enrichment Third Place Care Justice, Service, Mission Spiritual Enrichment Adult Faith Formation Network Grandparents Sunday Worship through the Week Scripture Enrichment Service & Mission Intergenerational Experiences & Connections Spiritual Enrichment Life Issues Faith Enrichment Discovering Faith 17

18 Adult Faith Formation Network Online Courses Apps & E- newsletters Online Prayer & Spirituality Resource Resource Resources Spiritual Enrichment Small Group Bible Study Retreats Resources Resource Day at the Monastery Resource Spiritual Book of the Month Club Monthly Spiritual Practices Series Resource Resource Adult Faith Formation Network 18

19 Developing Network Programming Current AcHviHes & Programs AcHvity 1 Resource Resource New AcHviHes & Programs Network Theme AcHvity 2 AcHvity 3 Resource Resource Resource Resource Three Seasons of Programming Fall Season: September 1 January 1 Winter/Spring Season: January 1 May 1 Summer Season: May 1 September 1 Summer Winter- Spring Fall 19

20 Digital Platform Other Platforms Connected Faith Formation Virtual & Physical Settings Online Faith Formation Mostly Online with Regular Interaction in Gathered Sessions Online Faith Formation & Gathered Sessions (Flipped Classroom) Gathered Program with Online Components beyond the Program Gathered Program with Supportive Online Content 20

21 Extending Church Events with Online Content You can extend.... ª Sunday worship ª Church year feasts and seasons ª Sacrament and ritual celebrations ª Children, teen, or family programming ª VBS and summer camp ª Mission trips and service projects ª Retreat experiences.... and more SHARE Blog Facebook Video Projects PRAY Devotions Bible Reading Daily Prayer TALK Conversation Activities Event or Program ACT Practices Service Projects LEARN Read Listen Watch Extending Worship with Online Content Church Life è Daily & Home Life ç Online Life Experience of Worship in the Congregation Sunday worship and lectionary Church year feasts and seasons Church rituals: baptism, communion, funerals, etc. Experience of Sunday worship, rituals, and church year seasons in daily life Reflecting on the sermon and readings at home Practices: Lectio, etc. Application to daily living Online worship, church year, and lectionary resources on the church s faith formation website Lectionary commentaries online Video reflections and commentary Online activities and projects 21

22 Extending a Church Season with Online Content Lent Church Life è Daily & Home Life ç Online Life Ash Wednesday Lenten Sunday liturgies Stations of the Cross Lenten prayer Lenten retreat Lenten service Lenten soup suppers Fasting Praying Service/Almsgiving Lectionary reflection Family activities Lenten learning resources Lenten calendar Daily Lenten prayer Weekly table prayer Video resources Online retreat experience Online & Gathered Programming Flipped Home Exploring the Content - print, audio, video, The Program Applying the Content: Create PracHce - Perform - ParHcipate 22

23 Flipped Classroom Flipped Classroom 23

24 Personalized Faith Formation Personalized pathways for discipleship & faith growth.... Guide people in discerning their religious and spiritual needs Equip people with the resources and tools to learn and grow at their own pace Provide mentoring and support for the journey Faith Growth Plan Create expectations for participation in faith formation and church life by providing a seasonal/ yearly growth plan with a variety of options for experiencing the Christian faith through community life. For example: ª Sunday worship ª Church year feasts and seasons ª Service/mission projects ª Retreat experience ª Faith home, e.g. reading the Bible, praying, rituals, and more 24

25 Emerging Roles Current Roles Developing religious content Designing programming Managing programming Teaching/Facilitating programming Emerging Roles Ø Designing learning environments architecture Ø Curating religious content and experiences 25

26 Curated Faith Formation Curating Content & Experiences 1. Church Programs & Activities 2. Denominational Resources 3. Community Programs & Activities 4. People Resources 5. Print, Audio, Video Resources 6. Art, Drama, Music 7. Websites, Courses, Blogs 8. Apps & Digital Resources 26