What is at-home faith formation?
What do you mean by “home” and “family”?
Why is at-home faith formation important?
How do you do faith formation at home?
How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect at-home faith formation?
Should faith formation be virtual or not virtual?
What at-home resources do you offer?
Top Five Points:
- Faith formation is happening all the time; Christian faith formation is important.
- Our homes are usually the primary place in our lives.
- Our families are usually our primary relationships (or our primary relationships are our families).
- Therefore, our homes (and families) are the prime locations for Christian faith formation. This is doubly true during this global pandemic.
- Spirit & Truth Publishing has resources for at-home Christian education (Sunday school) and daily devotions.
What is faith formation?
We define Christian faith formation as
Every action, experience, or relationship that nurtures a transformative relationship of trust with God and shapes the way we see and interact with God’s world.
Basically, faith formation is the process by which our faith grows, and our lives are shaped by God’s love. To find out more, see our Faith Formation FAQ.
In general, faith formation is happening all the time. “Every action, experience, [and] relationship” that we have “shapes the way we see and interact with [the] world.” This “faith” that each of us has is not just about our trust in Jesus. It’s our entire worldview, all our views on all topics. What we are called to as the Body of Christ is to help shape people’s faith so that their foundation is God’s unconditional love for us shown to us in Jesus Christ.
What is at-home faith formation?
At-home faith formation is as simple as it sounds: faith formation that occurs in a person’s home. This is different from formation that happens “at church,” either at a church building or in a congregational-sponsored event (like a small group).
What do you mean by “home” and “family”?
For many of us, the definitions of home and family are obvious and traditional. Home is where you sleep and have your stuff. Family is parents and kids, siblings, even grandparents, aunts, and uncles (based on biology, law, or love). However, home can be wherever you feel safe and a sense of belonging (where you feel at home), even if it’s not where you live. Family can include whomever you have primary relationships with. Homes can be safe or unsafe; families can be healthy or unhealthy.
Why is at-home faith formation important?
We spend most of our time outside of church. And if our faith is being formed every day, then it is important that we encounter God every day, individually and with our families (as applicable). Grounding those relationships—including the relationship with yourself—in God’s unconditional love strengthens those relationships and the relationship we have with God.
How do you do faith formation at home?
There are many ways to do faith formation, but the main way is through devotions. When we use the term “devotions” we are talking about any time that you consciously set apart to nurture your relationship with God. This can include any number of things, but often consist of prayer and reading the Bible, but it can also include singing or listening to music, meditation, reading faith-edifying books, and other actions. When you are doing devotions with others, they often include conversations with each other.
How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect at-home faith formation?
Faith formation at home is always important. Full stop. But it is also important to gather in person with your local congregation for specific times of worship and education. That is where the pandemic messes things up. At least at the time of this writing, the pandemic has made it unsafe for people to gather in person, especially in churches where there is a deadly combination of a high risk of infections and often a large number of vulnerable people. If we are not able to gather physically for worship and education, then we need to do both at home.
Should faith formation be virtual or not virtual?
The basic answer there is “both.” We are in the twenty-first century, and therefore a portion of most people’s lives is online. In this time of social distancing, it is the way we can communicate face-to-face and watch what’s going on at a safe distance. Therefore, streamed or recorded worship services and video chatting in small groups (or the like) are important.
However, this leaves out those who do not have the technology or experience to connect this way. And there is the fact that it is unhealthy to spend too much time online. If we are just each connected to our phones (or other technology), then we are missing out on the human (and family) connections that we need. Setting aside time to talk and listen to each other, pray and play together builds strong relationship bonds.
What at-home resources do you offer?
While most of our products can be adapted for use online or at home, we have three products designed for at-home use: two brand-new resources and one longtime favorite. More information and samples are available through the Learn More links below.
- Living the Word: God’s Word @ Home (RCL): A brand-new curriculum based on the popular Revised Common Lectionary designed to be sent to families for use at home. Created specifically for this pandemic situation. Learn More.
- Living the Word: God’s Story @ Home (NL): A brand-new curriculum based on the Narrative Lectionary designed to be sent to families for use at home. Created specifically for this pandemic situation. Learn More.
- Living the Word: Sharing God’s Story @ Home (NL): A Narrative Lectionary-based devotional resource designed to be sent to households (individuals, couples, families, etc.) for daily devotions. Learn More.
If you have any further questions, contact the publisher through the Contact Form or call (262) 358-6574.