Faith Formation 2020 National Initiative
Envisioning Dynamic, Engaging and Inspiring Faith Formation for the 21st Century
A Project of LifelongFaith Associates
What will Christian faith formation in churches look like in 2020? Can we begin now to envision the shape of faith formation in the year 2020? Can we prepare our churches for the future of faith formation? The last two decades have seen dramatic political, economic, social, and cultural changes affecting virtually every dimension of American Christianity. The new environment in which Christian faith formation will operate in the decade from 2010-2020 will demand new thinking and new models, practices, resources, and technologies to address the spiritual needs of all generations.
The Faith Formation 2020 National Initiative seeks to address the question "What will Christian faith formation in churches look like in 2020?"and to develop processes, strategies, and resources to help churches plan for the future. A comprehensive and far-reaching effort is now required to envision the future of faith formation and ensure that it is relevant and effective in the 21st century. The first phase of the project, a Working Paper on Faith Formation in 2020, explores the driving forces affecting the future of faith formation 2010-2020 and envisions the future of faith formation through four scenarios that describe what faith formation in 2020 could be like. The second phase of the project is designed to empower and equip pastors, church staffs, and faith formation leaders to envision and plan faith formation for all ages and generations, at home and church through Resources — two new books and online materials in 2010, Training — a national conferences series conducted regional beginning in the summer of 2010, and Networking — an online resource center and innovations exchange.
Read the "Overview of the Working Paper on Faith Formation in 2020" online.
Read the PDF file (online) of the summary of the "Thirteen Trends and Forces Influencing the Future of Faith Formation in a Changing Church and World."
Review the PDF file (online) of the "Four Scenarios for the Future of Faith Formation in 2020."
You may want to print a copy of the Four Scenarios document to use as a reference to help you complete the survey instrument.NCCL 2010 Faith Formation 2020 PresentationFor a copy of the PowerPoint presentation from the 2010 NCCL conference, please click on the following link:
Download the Guide and PowerPoint presentation to conduct a group consultation on Version 1.0 of the Working Paper.
