8/20/16 REIMAGING FAITH FORMATION FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY. Topic 1 A Faith Forming Ecosystem. Presenter: John Roberto LIFELONG FAITH BOOKS

Transcription

1 REIMAGING FAITH FORMATION FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY Topic 1 A Faith Forming Ecosystem Presenter: John Roberto LIFELONG FAITH BOOKS 1

2 Not Just an Era of Change but a Change of Eras 2

3 ACCELERATING CHANGE The world is now changing at a rate at which the basic systems, structures, and cultures built over the past century cannot keep up with the demands being placed on them. Incremental adjustments to how you manage and strategize, no matter how clever, are not up to the job. You need something very new to stay ahead in a age of tumultuous change and growing uncertainties. (John Ko(er, Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World CHANGING ECOSYSTEM OF FAITH î î 3

4 FOUR PERSPECTIVES ON OUR CHANGING WORLD 1. Social 2. Generational 3. Religious/Spiritual 4. Educational 4 BIG ADAPTIVE CHALLENGES 1. Increasing diversity throughout society in the length of the lifespan, in generadonal idenddes, in family structures and marriage pa(erns, and in ethnic makeup 2. Rise of new digital technologies that are reshaping society, and the emergence of a connected, networked society 3. DramaDc changes and increasing diversity in the religious beliefs, pracdces, and affiliadon of Americans 4. Decline in religious transmission from generadon to generadon 4

5 LIFE SPAN DIVERSITY s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s FIVE GENERATION DIVERSITY igeneradon (2000- Millennials ( ) GeneraDon X ( ) Baby Boomers ( ) Builders (before 1946) RelaDonship to InsDtuDons RelaDonship to Authority Family RelaDonships Work-Life Balance CommunicaDon Style Technology Usage Learning Style Spiritual Expression Worship Style 5

6 FAMILY DIVERSITY 1. Married Couples with no children 2. Married Couple with Children (biological family) 3. Married Couple with Children (blended family) 4. Single Parent with Children 5. Unmarried Couple with Children 6. Unmarried Couple without Children 7. Same Sex Couple with Children (married / unmarried) 8. Same Sex Couple without Children (married / unmarried) 9. Grandparents & Parents with Children 10. Grandparents as Primary Caregivers 11. Parents with Single Young Adults Living at Home SPIRITUAL-RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY The Unaffiliated The Spiritual The Occasional The AcDve 6

7 SPIRITUAL-RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY 1. Church too judgmental 2. Church bureaucracy 3. Lecture style of preaching 4. Church is not where I encounter God 5. Social & polidcal stances of the church 6. Church is not where I find community 7. Couldn t find a church that was welcoming 8. I wanted to be more involved in living out God s calling in my life SPIRITUAL-RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Dissenters are people who largely stay away from insdtudonal religion ( protesdng dissenters or driied dissenters ) Casuals are people whose religious or spiritual pracdces are primarily funcdonal (makes me feel be(er). Explorers are like spiritual tourists who enjoy the journey but do not plan to se(le anywhere (theological hybrids). Seekers are searching for a spiritual home (reclaiming an earlier religious idenddes or moving on to something new). Immigrants have moved to a new spiritual land and are trying to adjust to this new idendty and community (tension between commitment, constancy, and group loyalty and SBNR ethos of independence, freedom, non-dogmadsm, and an open and quesdng amtude). 7

8 RELIGIOUS TRANSMISSION RELIGIOUS TRANSMISSION Value & religious transmission is primarily a family affair. Families can transmit a religious faith tradidon or not. Keys: 1. Family Religious Inheritance 2. Grandparents 3. Parental Role Modeling 4. Parent-Child RelaDonship 8

9 WHY THESE TRENDS WILL CONTINUE Younger generadons more unaffiliated and less involved in faith communides Older generadons more affiliated and more involved and suppordve GeneraDonal transidon: as younger generadons replace the older generadons there will be fewer engaged and more unaffiliated WHY THESE TRENDS WILL CONTINUE Declining levels of family religious transmission and faith pracdce at home are a result of non-affiliadon. 1 st generadon & 2 nd generadon If the pa(ern condnues, expect higher levels of non-affiliadon and lower levels of church involvement in younger families. 9

10 WHY THESE TRENDS WILL CONTINUE Increase in individualism more focus on the self, less on others and society. Religious affiliadon is low when the culture is high in individualism and low in social support. Increase in religious pluralism quesdoning or minimizing of all faiths. Increase in diversity Religion is not going away anytime soon, regardless of how people may identify themselves. But business as usual among existing religious institutions will not stem the losses we are seeing. (Richard Flory, USC) (h(p://religiondispatches.org/u-s-chrisdanity-is-dead-long-live-u-schrisdanity) 10

11 IMAGINING A NEW FUTURE THE ECOSYSTEM ECOSYSTEM A system, or group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment Science de[ines an ecosystem as being a community where organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment. Every organism has a role to ful[ill and there must be a harmonious balance between all aspects of the ecosystem in order for the organisms to [lourish and evolve. 11

12 THE OLD FAITH FORMING ECOSYSTEM Church Religious School or Sunday School Family Community Ethnic TradiHons BUILDING A NEW FAITH FORMING ECOSYSTEM IntergeneraHonal Faith Community Online & Digitally-Enabled Faith FormaHon Age Group/ GeneraHonal Faith FormaHon Missional Faith FormaHon Family Faith FormaHon 12

13 EIGHT FAITH FORMING PROCESS FOR LIFELONG FAITH FORMATION Church Year Seasons Learning the TradiHon Praying Spiritual FormaHon Reading the Bible Rituals & Milestones Serving Working for JusHce Caring for CreaHon Caring RelaHonships GROWTH IN FAITH Worshipping INTERGENERATIONAL FAITH FORMATION IntergeneraDonal faith formadon and whole community faith experiences are at the center of faith formadon engaging all ages and generadons in the life and events of church life and the ChrisDan faith and pardcipadon in intergeneradonal faith experiences. How to become inten-onally intergenera-onal in church life & faith forma-on as the founda-on for lifelong faith forma-on and discipleship? 13

14 INTERGENERATIONAL FAITH FORMATION Throughout Scripture there is a pervasive sense that all generations were typically present when faith communities gathered for worship, for celebration, for feasting, for praise, for encouragement, for reading of Scripture, in times of danger, and for support and service.... To experience authentic Christian community and reap the unique blessings of intergenerationality, the generations must be together regularly and often infants to octogenarians. (Allen and Ross, IntergeneraDonal ChrisDan FormaDon) INTERGENERATIONAL FAITH FORMATION 1. Create intergeneradonal experiences 2. Infuse intergeneradonal experiences & reladonships into exisdng ministries & programs 3. Connect generadons Praying Serving Learning Caring RelaHonships CelebraHng 14

15 FAMILY FAITH FORMATION Faith formadon recognizes that parents and the family are the most powerful influence for virtually every child and youth outcome personal, academic, social, and spiritual-religious; and that parents are the most important influence on the social and religious lives of children, youth, and emerging adults. Given the central role of families in shaping the lives of children and youth, the value of engaging, suppordng, and educadng families should be selfevident to all of us. FAMILY FAITH FORMATION Seeing the home as the essendal & foundadonal environment for faith nurture, faith pracdce, and the healthy development of young people. Building faith formadon around the lives of the today s families and parents, rather than having the congregadon prescribe the programs and acdvides that families will pardcipate in. Family & Parents Church Life & Ministries Community 15

16 FAMILY FAITH FORMATION 1. Discovering God in Everyday Life 2. Forming Faith at Home through the Life Cycle 3. Forming Faith through Milestones 4. CelebraDng Seasonal Events through the Year 5. Encountering God in the Bible through the Year 6. ConnecDng Families IntergeneraDonally 7. Developing a Strong Family Life 8. Empowering Parents and Grandparents LIFE CYCLE FAITH FORMATION Age group and generadonal faith formadon addresses the unique life tasks, needs, interests, and spiritual journeys of people at each stage of life. Older Adults Mature Adults Children & Parents Intergenerational Faith Community Youth & Parents Young Adults Mid-life Adults 16

17 EIGHT FAITH FORMING PROCESS FOR LIFELONG FAITH FORMATION Church Year Seasons Learning the TradiHon Praying Spiritual FormaHon Reading the Bible Rituals & Milestones Serving Working for JusHce Caring for CreaHon Caring RelaHonships GROWTH IN FAITH Worshipping 17

18 MISSIONAL FAITH FORMATION Missional faith formadon expands and extends the church s presence through outreach, connec-on, rela-onship building, and engagement with people where they live moving faith formadon out into the community. For example: Ø Moving worship and faith formadon into the community Ø Opening programs to everyone Ø Life skills: parendng, careers, training, mentoring Ø Small group programs on a variety of topics Ø Community-wide service Ø Community events: arts, music, theater MISSIONAL FAITH FORMATION Missional faith formadon provides pathways for people to consider or reconsider the ChrisDan faith, to encounter Jesus and the Good News, and to live as disciples in a suppordve faith community. 18

19 IMAGINING A NEW FUTURE THE NETWORK 19

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21 A shi[ from educahon to learning anywhere, anyhme. A shi[ from consumphon of informahon to parhcipatory learning. A shi[ from inshtuhons to networks. 21

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23 A NETWORK APPROACH TO LEARNING Organize a study group Course Online course Bible app Bible Bible study group Mentor Book Audio book/ podcast Video Program 23

24 FAITH FORMATION NETWORKS A network of rela-onships, content, experiences, & resources.... Offering a variety of content, methods, formats, and delivery systems (online & physical semngs) to address the diverse life tasks and situadons, needs and interests, and spiritual and faith journeys of people. Offering content and experiences that is responsive to the diverse religious and spiritual needs of people today from the spiritually commi(ed and engaged to the spiritual but not religious and the unaffiliated. Offering mul-ple environments to address people s busy lives and providing more ways to pardcipate: self-directed, mentored, at home, in small groups, in large groups, churchwide, in the community, and in the world. FAITH FORMATION NETWORKS Blending gathered community semngs with online learning environments and udlizing the abundance of digital media and tools for learning & faith formadon 24

25 FAITH FORMATION NETWORK: CONTENT Church Year Seasons Learning the TradiHon Praying Spiritual FormaHon Reading the Bible Rituals & Milestones Serving Working for JusHce Caring for CreaHon Caring RelaHonships GROWTH IN FAITH Worshipping FAITH FORMATION NETWORK: CONTENT 1. Caring RelaDonships 2. CelebraDng the Seasons 3. CelebraDng Rituals & Milestones 4. Learning the ChrisDan TradiDon 5. Praying & Spiritual FormaDon 6. Reading the Bible 7. Serving, Working for JusDce, & Caring for CreaDon 8. Worshipping God 9. Life Stage Issues 10. Missional Content Area Content Area Content Area Faith Community Content Area Content Area Content Area 25

26 Sunday Worship Discovering Faith Liturgical Seasons Grandparents Adult Faith FormaHon Network Scripture Enrichment Life Issues & Milestones Spiritual Enrichment Service & Mission Faith Enrichment SAMPLE THEMES ADULTS 1. Dealing with redrement 2. Making life plans, finances, health 3. Becoming a grandparent 4. Making a difference in the community and world 5. IncorporaDng family changes and transidons 6. New ways of living and reladng as a married couple 7. Caring for aging parents 8. Taking Dme to read the Bible and learn more about my faith 9. Growing spiritually; spirituality for the 2 nd half of life 10. ConnecDng with people my age; talking about things that ma(er 11. Dealing with loss 26

27 TheSeasonsofAdultFaithFormation.com FAITH FORMATION PLAYLISTS Content Area AcDvity 1 AcDvity 2 AcDvity 3 Resource Resource Resource Resource Resource Resource 27

28 FAITH FORMATION PLAYLISTS Variety of Environments: Self-directed, mentored, at home, in small groups, in large groups, church-wide, in the community, and in the world. Variety of Ways to Learn ADULT FAITH FORMATION PLAYLIST Online Courses Resource Apps & E- newsle`ers Resource Online Prayer & Spirituality Resources Spiritual Enrichment Small Group Bible Study Retreats Resources Resource Day at the Monastery Resource Spiritual Book of the Month Spiritual PracHces Series Resource Resource 28

29 ADULT FAITH FORMATION PLAYLISTS Playlists are themadc learning plans that integrate a variety of ways to learn, muldple learning environments, and online and physical spaces from which people can create their own faith formadon plan. Example: Spiritual Enrichment for Adults Theme: Spiritual PracHces 1. Spiritual PracDces Course (5 sessions at church in one month) 2. Spirituality Over 50 Book Group (variety of Dmes & places) 3. Online Daily DevoDon Resources 4. Online Prayer PracDces Resources 5. Online Course or Retreat with a Spiritual Master 6. Online Retreat 29