For the last two posts and the next one, I am reflecting on a blog series called “What Is Faith Formation?” I wrote back in 2019. Partly, this is because it’s an important topic that is always relevant to our work here at Spirit & Truth Publishing. The other part is that I’m a bit buried in work, so a little respite from blog writing is a huge help. 😉

We sometimes use the term “faith formation” as a synonym for Christian education, but they are not the same. Education is only one aspect of the greater whole. How does your faith grow and mature outside of a classroom?

This post marks the third in a series I’m doing on What Is Faith Formation? Previously, I described what I mean by faith formation, and then last week I argued that our corporate worship services are the biggest, and therefore most important, faith formation events a congregation does. Today I will argue that Christian education is NOT faith formation, and then I will show how the two are connected.

Not Christian Education

The term “faith formation” is common these days in church circles, and I clearly love the phrase. What I disagree with is that, in many congregations, the term is used as an updated version of “Christian education” (which is itself updated from “Sunday school”). This, I believe, is a misuse of the term. Equating faith formation and Christian education is dangerous.

Faith Is Not Facts

It isn’t a unique perspective for me to say that faith is not about learning facts, even facts about God, Jesus, and the Bible. As I discussed in my first post in this series, faith is primarily a trusting relationship with God (the triune God in Christian settings). This trusting relationship is based on love—God’s love for us—and it is transformative, for us personally, as a community, and the world we encounter. We cannot learn our way into faith.

Actions, Experiences, Relationships

My definition of faith formation is:

Every action, experience, or relationship that nurtures a transformative relationship of trust with the triune God and shapes the way we see and interact with God’s world.

You will notice that education is not specifically named here, a funny thing considering I run a company that produces Christian ed resources. What really forms faith are the things we do, the things we experience, and the relationships we have.

[Note: As I have mentioned in previous posts, faith (sometimes called justifying faith) is a gift from God and not something we can create. “Forming” in this language does not claim that our actions create faith. Instead, it is about helping faith grow and mature; it is about molding clay we have been given.]

What Is the Use, Then?

It may seem that I’m down on Christian education, and I’m not. Not at all. In fact, I like to think of faith formation using the metaphor of a plant. The plant here is our faith, and its growth is our faith’s formation. However, our faith-plant is more like snow peas than lettuce. Our faith doesn’t just grow, but it travels and climbs. To flourish, our faith-plant needs a trellis, a structure to climb upon and through. This trellis is Christian education, teaching the content and process of our theology (what we believe and how we get there). Christian education is NOT faith formation, but we can’t have effective faith formation without high-quality Christian education.

Who, What, and How

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we cannot have a good relationship with God if we don’t know anything about God or what God has done for us. Specifically, Christian education should teach us the story of God and humanity, who God has revealed God’s self to be (in Scripture in general and specifically in the person of Jesus), what God has done for us, and how God views us and builds a relationship with us.

Classroom and Small Groups

To this end, we need teachers and small group leaders! Someone needs to impart this knowledge to us and our younger generations. We need to support and train these leaders so that they are themselves educated. And, they need to know that they are not responsible for creating faith in their participants. Instead, they help participants understand the foundations upon which our trusting and love-filled relationship with God is based. Finally, it is quite helpful for teachers to have high-quality tools (resources, curricula) to guide their teaching (like our products 😉).

A good teacher (and effective resources) guides their participants to practice those actions (spiritual disciplines) that are important to faith, to experience the wonder and love of God, and to form trusting relationships between students, teachers, and others. Actions, experiences, relationships. Faith formation happens in the classroom, but it is not specifically in the facts or skills learned. Education is essential to faith formation, but they are not the same. Teachers are indeed critical faith formation leaders—not only through the content they teach but in all they do.

Why It’s Dangerous

Again, there is a close and essential relationship between Christian education and faith formation. However, when they become synonymous, we risk diminishing the life-spanning scope of faith formation. If faith formation is limited to education, it is only one of the many things we do in our congregations. The mission of the church becomes scattered and therefore diluted.

You might argue that I’m overreacting. And, you would be correct. I am exaggerating my language for effect, to drive home my point. Forming (nurturing) a transformative faith in our triune God is the inside aspect of God’s mission for the Church, essentially forming and training us to spread God’s kingdom in the world (the outside aspect). We must focus our efforts on this single mission to fulfill our part in it.

God’s blessings on your faith-forming work!

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Order Faith Formation Resources

Order now for the 2024-2025 program year! Narrative Lectionary, Revised Common Lectionary, Classic Sunday School, and more. The fall and winter quarters for all products are available for immediate download (with the temporary exception of our NEW mini lessons for the NL and RCL for which only the fall quarters are available).

Are you still looking for resources for the summer: VBS, family/intergenerational events, or Sunday school? Check out our Learning Together series, a set of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. You can read outside reviews on both our newest Created to Care and Do Justice units! Our faith formation resources are easy-to-use, theologically sound, and inclusive.

Introducing our newest Learning Together unit: Created to Care! Wonder at God’s creation and learn about what we can do to protect and heal it in these five lessons, intended for children and intergenerational groups, family or churchwide events, or Vacation Bible School. This curriculum is published in collaboration with BibleWorm, a weekly Narrative Lectionary podcast, to accompany their summer series on Creation Care.

At Spirit & Truth Publishing, we might just have exactly what you are looking for:

• Resources for the Narrative Lectionary (2024-2025): Products for all ages (with NEW mini lessons, if you only have a short time for elementary faith formation).
• Classic Sunday School Curriculum: Key Bible stories for PK-2nd and 3rd-6th, also great for your Christian elementary school!
• Learning Together: Five-lesson, topical units for VBS, Sunday school, children, and intergenerational classes.
• Cross+Generational Confirmation
• Resources for the Revised Common Lectionary (2024-2025): Intergenerational classroom, mini lessons for children.
• Worship and Liturgy Education

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