Lifelong Faith
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Welcome to Lifelong Faith
Providing the resources, training, & assistance to help leaders
​develop faith formation for all ages and generations

New - Insights & Practices Reports 

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This Fall NCCL will be publishing the Insights & Practices from Research and Theory Series - exploring the latest research and thinking on forming faith with families and age groups, and proposing practical strategies for forming faith that reflect the current research and thinking. Each report explores:

  1. What does the research show are the most important contributors to effective faith transmission? 
  2. What does the research show are the activities, tasks, and behaviors that bolster faith transmission? 
  3. What are the implications for faith formation leaders, and the church as a whole? 
  4. What strategies can parishes utilize to form faith that is informed by the research and current thinking?  

Now available in the "Insights and Practices" section of the NCCL Catholic website:
  • ​Report #1. Practices for Forming Faith with Families & Parents
  • Report #2. Practices  for Forming Faith Intergenerationally ​​
Go to the Insights & Practices Reports

2023 Family & Intergenerational Faith Formation Survey Report

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Download the Report in PDF and share it with your leaders and colleagues.
Family & Intergenerational Survey Report.pdf
File Size: 179 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

In the Spring of 2023, Lifelong Faith conducted a national survey to identify how well churches are implementing practices of family faith formation and intergenerational (all ages together) faith formation. A total of 408 churches completed the survey. 
 
This is the first report of the survey findings. The second phase of the research will include reports on the churches that are offering family and/or intergenerational faith formation programming. These reports will be available beginning in September 2023 on the Lifelong Faith website: https://www.lifelongfaith.com.  

#1. Family Faith Formation Practices
The survey asked churches to rate eight practices in family faith formation. The top three responses include 1) providing experiences for the whole family that promote growth in faith and discipleship, 2) providing resources to nurture growth in faith and practice at home, and 3) helping parents grow in faith and discipleship, and practice a vital and informed Christian faith. 

The second question asked about the type of family programming their church offers. The top three responses were 1) family programs at church, 2) family sacramental preparation programs, and 3) at-home family faith practice activities. 

#2. Intergenerational Faith Formation Practices
The survey asked churches to rate nine practices in intergenerational faith formation. The top two responses (Sunday worship) describe settings that are more multi-generational (multiple generations gathered together) than intergenerational. When we speak of intergenerational we mean an intentional approach or strategy to engage people with other generations: building relationships, learning together, sharing stories, praying with each other, serving together, and more. Sunday worship has the potential for becoming much more intentionally intergenerational when the generations have the opportunity to interact in meaningful ways. The responses to the next top responses focused on building intergenerational relationships and doing activities together – practices that are more intentionally intergenerational. 
 
The second question asked about the type of intergenerational programming their church offers. The top responses were seasonal or occasional intergenerational programs, followed by intergenerational service projects, and monthly intergenerational learning. 

#3. Challenges in Offering Family or Intergenerational Faith Formation
The final question asked about the challenges leaders faced in offering family or intergenerational faith formation. Nineteen responses surfaced repeatedly in the 486 individual responses to the question. Among the most mentioned challenges were the following: 
  • family participation at Sunday worship and parish life
  • family participation in family or intergenerational programming
  • family schedules, busy lives, lots of activities
  • getting families to make this a priority, to commit the time, to see the benefits 
  • availability of volunteers, and dedicated leaders committed to family and intergenerational faith formation 
  • support of the pastor, and educating the pastor and church leadership about the importance and benefits of family and intergenerational faith formation
  • changing the paradigm from child-centered to family-centered faith formation

Resources to Guide You in ​Developing Lifelong Faith Formation

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Goals for Maturing
in Faith

Goals
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Models of Lifelong
​Faith Formation

Models
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Pathways for Personalizing Formation

Pathways
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Intergenerational
​Faith Formation

Intergenerational
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Networks for Forming Faith with All Ages

Networks
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Playlists for Engaging All Ages in Faith Formation

Playlists
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Family Faith Formation

Family
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Hybrid 
​​Faith Formation

Hybrid
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​Purchase the Book

Church Publishing

Amazon.com
​

​Bookshop.org ​ ​

All of the Lifelong Faith Websites

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LifelongFaithTraining.com provides free video-based training developed by the Lifelong Faith Team of veteran faith formation leaders. Our goal is to equip leaders with the knowledge, practices, and skills for designing, leading, and organizing lifelong faith formation in their churches. Each video program is one hour in length, presented in multiple parts for easy viewing, and includes a "Resources" page with articles and design tools. 

The videos are design to inform and equip leaders and teams to design and lead faith formation. 
​The video programs are designed for "just in time" learning so that you and your team can watch a video presentation and use the tools to design programming. The videos can be used in a variety of ways: 1) For personal enrichment and on-your-own learning, 2) For training your team(s), 3) For preparation to design faith formation initiatives and programming, 4) For facilitating a course or workshop, and more​.
​​Training Programs & Presenters
  • ​Children's Faith Formation - with Dr. Tanya Campen
  • Adolescent Faith Formation - with Rev. Michael Droege
  • Young Adult Faith Formation - with Sarah Jarzembowski
  • Adult Faith Formation - with Janet Schaeffler, OP
  • Family Faith Formation - with Denise Utter
  • Intergenerational faith formation - with Dr. Kathie Amidei
  • Milestones Faith Formation - with Debbie Streicher
  • Lifelong Faith Formation Models - with Catherine LaVecchia 
  • Faith Pathways - with Rev. Kathy Pittenger
  • Playlist Faith Formation - with Rev. Kathy Pittenger
  • Community and Relationship Building - with Jane Angha 
  • Organizing for Faith Formation - with Rev. Christine Hides
  • Design & Implementation of Programming - with Jim Merhaut
Go to Lifelong Faith Training

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The Lifelong Faith Studio provides curated digital resources - from a variety of Christian faith traditions - for children, adolescents, adults, and families ​to assist leaders in building networks of faith formation and playlists of learning. ​

​We 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. 


The resources listed can be used in designing online and hybrid faith formation programming and playlists, and adding content to faith formation websites for children, adolescents, adults, families, and all generations. 
Content Areas 
​The curated resources in the Studio are organized around the ten goals for maturing in faith described in the Lifelong Faith book.
  1. Bible
  2. Christian Story
  3. Community Life 
  4. Jesus
  5. Discipleship
  6. Gifts & Talents
  7. Justice & Service
  8. Moral Life
  9. Prayer
  10. Worship & Liturgy & Seasons of the Year 
Go to the Lifelong Faith Studio

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L​earning Programs designed for Intergenerational & Family Faith Formation
All Resources Are Free for Church Use
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The Intergenerational Faith website provides dozens of learning programs on a variety of faith themes for churches to use in intergenerational and family faith formation programming. All churches have permission to download, print, and adapt the materials for their use. The learning session comes in a PDF and a Word file; handouts are in Word files.

The learning model for each of the sessions incorporates four movements. 
  1. All-Ages Learning Experience for the whole assembly that introduces the theme or topic for the program.
  2. In-Depth Learning Experiences that probe the theme or topic, organized for all ages (intergenerational) or for specific age-groups (families with children or children-only, adolescents, young adults, and adults), and conducted in one of three formats: 
  3. All-Ages Contributive Learning Experience in which each generation teaches the other generations.
  4. Interactive Sharing in which people reflect upon the learning experience, share their insights with each other, prepare for living their faith at home and in daily life.
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Intergenerational and Family Sessions

Christian Practices (10 sessions)

The Creed and Christian Beliefs (6 sessions)

Jesus and Discipleship (6 sessions)

Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation (6 sessions)

Moral Living (6 sessions)

Prayer (6 sessions)

Sacraments [Catholic] (6 sessions)

Intergenerational Faith Website

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This website is developed by John Roberto as a service of Lifelong Faith Associates - committed to helping churches develop lifelong faith formation for all ages and generations.
John Roberto
 Lifelong Faith Associates
133 Old Towne Road, Cheshire, CT 06410
203-232-1129
​  jroberto@lifelongfaith.com 
  • Home
    • About John Roberto
    • Lifelong Faith Team
    • Diocese of New Westminster
    • Lifelong Faith Course - Presbyterian Church in Canada
  • Insights & Practices
  • Lifelong Formation
    • Goals
    • Intergenerational
    • Family
    • Networks
    • Hybrid
    • Pathways
    • Playlists >
      • Digital Tools & Apps >
        • Learning Apps
    • Models
  • Christian Practices
    • Caring for the Body
    • Celebrating Life
    • Discernment
    • Eating Well
    • Forgiveness
    • Keeping Sabbath
    • Managing Household Life
    • Participating in Community
    • Prayer
    • Reading the Bible
  • Digital Ministry
  • Symposium 2023
  • Library
    • Lifelong Faith Articles
    • Books
    • Journal
    • Virtual VBS