Faith Formation 2020 Workshops

  • All workshops are full day programs (e.g., 9 am to 4 pm)
  • For more information contact John Roberto at . 

One-Day Program: “Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation” 
  • What could congregational faith formation look like in 2020? 
  • How can faith formation flourish in Christian churches over the next ten years? 
  • How can congregations prepare for the future of faith formation and address the diverse spiritual and religious needs of people today? 
  • What are the hopeful signs and promising innovations that can guide faith formation for all ages and generations? 

We know that the first decade of the 21st century has brought dramatic political, economic, social and cultural changes affecting virtually every dimension of American religious life. Faith formation in 2020 will require new principles, models, approaches, and technologies. First, this program will explore the driving forces influencing faith formation (social, cultural, religious, demographic, economic, technological) and the diversity of spiritual and religious needs of people and communities today. Second, it presents four scenarios for envisioning the future of faith formation in churches from 2010-2020 by viewing people through four profiles: 1) people of vibrant faith and active engagement in the church community, 2) people who participate occasionally but are not actively engaged or spiritually committed, 3) people who are spiritual but not religious, and 4) people who are uninterested in the spiritual life and unaffiliated with religion. Third, the workshop offers a variety of practical strategies, ideas, innovations, and resources for targeting the spiritual and religious needs of people in all four scenarios.

 Two-Day Program: “Designing the Future of Faith Formation” 

This two-part workshop series focuses on developing new initiatives in faith formation to address the religious and spiritual needs of people in all four scenarios. It is designed with a team approach, encouraging churches to develop a “faith formation 2020 team”—pastor, church staff, faith formation leaders, ministry coordinators, and church leaders—to envision and design faith formation innovations for their  congregation. The two workshops are separated by several months so that teams have time for research and planning. 

 Workshop #1. “Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation 2020”  
(See description above.)

 Homework 
A congregation team will implement a research plan to determine the key needs of target audiences in their congregation, develop a summary report of their research, and compile a profile of current faith formation programs, activities, and initiatives prior to Workshop #2. 

 Workshop #2. “Designing the Future of Faith Formation 2020” 
Teams will experience a design process that helps them address the priority religious and spiritual needs of people in their communities by creating faith formation innovations tailored to their congregation (programs, activities, resources, strategies). A wide variety of practical strategies, models, approaches, and resources will be offered to help teams design their innovations. Each team will leave the workshop with a plan for implementing at least one innovation in faith formation.
Topics
  • Analysis & Interpretation: Analyzing the Profile of Faith Formation using the Four Scenarios
  • Analysis & Interpretation: Identifying the Most Important Spiritual and Religious Needs of People in the Church Community using the Four Scenarios
  • Design: Designing Innovations to Address the Priority Religious and Spiritual Needs of People in the Church Community
  • A Survey of Innovations in Faith Formation Today
  • Principles and Process of Design and Innovation: Inspiration, Ideation, Implementation
  • Designing Innovations in Faith Formation (creative strategies, programs, resources)

Workshop Leader 

John Roberto is president of LifelongFaith Associates (www.lifelongfaith.com), editor of the journal Lifelong Faith, and coordinator for the Faith Formation 2020 Initiative (faithformation2020.net). John also works on the Vibrant Faith Ministries team as project coordinator of the Faith Formation Learning Exchange   (www.faithformationlearningexchange.net). John works as a consultant to churches and national organizations, teaches courses and conducts workshops in faith formation, and has authored books and program manuals in youth ministry, family ministry, and intergenerational faith formation. John created the theory and practice of Generations of Faith—an intergenerational, lifelong approach to faith formation; and administered the five-year Lilly Endowment funded project to develop lifelong faith formation in Catholic parishes across the U.S. His latest publications include Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith, The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry (co-authored), Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life, Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, and four volumes of intergenerational learning programs in the People of Faith series. John is the founder and was director of the Center for Ministry Development, where he worked for 28 years.