Welcome to the Lifelong Faith. . .
Design Lifelong Faith Formation for Your ChurchThe Lifelong Faith Studio is designed to
e. It is only intended as a guide for a church to develop their own network and digital platform for adult formation. A network approach to adult faith formation incorporates a diversity of content (programs, activities, and resources), a variety of media (print, audio, video, apps, and more), and multiple environments for engagement (independent, mentored, family, small group, large group, church-wide, community-wide). It also The Seasons of Adult Faith network is developed in response to the the ten goals of maturing in faith proposed in Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations by John Roberto. Each section (menu) of the website focuses on one of the ten goals:
The learning experiences for each goal are examples of the types of programming that a network can offer. The goal is to offer a variety of offerings to make it easy for people to find a program or activity or resource that best addresses what and how they want to learn and grow in faith. The offerings can include large group, small group, and on-your-own activities - some of which are in-person learning or online learning or a combination of both (hybrid learning). The programming for each goal is organized to address three learning and religious profiles.
A 21st century approach to faith formation requires that the faith formation leader become a curator—a trusted guide who continually finds, groups, organizes, and connects the best and most relevant faith forming content and resources on a specific subject to match the needs of a specific audience. In the new digital world of abundant resources, the role of the faith formation leader is shifting from providing religious content and programming to curating religious content and experiences for all ages. The convergence of an abundance of content, the variety of programming to address the diverse needs and interests of people today, and the online platform for delivering programming and connecting people is creating the impetus for faith formation leaders to reimagine their primary role. I have selected a variety of digital resources that are either free or low cost that you can use to develop online faith formation programming for all ages in your faith community in virtual and blended settings. Many publishers produce curriculum resources that can be downloaded and then printed for use in gathered programs at church. I have not included these resources because of their expense and the fact that they need to be used in physical settings at church. The resources listed can be used in designing online programming and faith formation playlists, and adding content to faith formation websites for children, adolescents, adults, families, and all generations. If you are using a published program or textbook from a Christian publisher, be sure to check-out their website for online learning resources. Several publishers have produced digital versions of their texts or programs. To determine if a resource is appropriate for your congregation develop evaluation criteria and a checklist to review resources that will work for you. Here are several categories to consider in evaluating a resource:
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