Next Generation Ministry Blog

When I think backwards into my own faith formation, the primary way of forming faith becomes quickly apparent and is, in my opinion, insufficient for reaching another generation of disciple makers.  

What was the primary way of forming faith?  Information download.

In my first post of this series, I wrestled with the words of Paul as he speaks to followers of Jesus in Corinth.  Without repeating the whole of the last post, Paul has become increasingly aware of a deficiency within the church at Corinth as they disciple disciple makers.  Namely, that no one has taught them the trade of faith.  While they know lots of information, they haven't seen how this faith is lived out day to day.  

A trade craft is both taught and caught.  It is both information and imitation.  

My wife and I spent several years living in the Slovak Republic.  While there, we ate.  And then ate some more.  And then ate some more.  For many Slovaks, there's a one way street to someone's heart and it's through food.  Our time there was like an expressway in a major city.  

Needless to say, we hoped to learn some of the recipes of our favorite Slovak dishes.  When we asked for a recipe for Langos (a fried bread), we simply received a list of ingredients.  When Erin asked for measurements, our dear friend Dana said, "I don't know...I guess when it feels right."  If we were going to learn how to make langos, we'd have to learn what it meant that the dough felt right; we'd have to learn the trade.  

We had information, but didn't know how to execute the information.  

This was the problem as Paul saw it.  And, I believe, it's what's going on presently in the faith formation processes of many churches.  We've become exceptionally good at information, but not at providing a way for teenagers and kids to learn the trade of faith.

It's time to reimagine a faith formation process that includes but isn't limited to information.  A faith formation process that see the irreplaceable value of imitation.  

What does that mean for us here at Trinity??  Here's a couple of ways we're reimagining faith formation:

1. Parents are the lead disciplers of their children. It is a parent's calling and responsibility to disciple another generation of disciple makers. And here's what we believe: Every Parent wants to do the right thing.
2. While most parents I have talked to want to the right thing, they don't feel equipped to do the right thing.  We want to provide resources, conversation starters, and opportunities to share with other parents the joy of discipling kids.
3. While Parents are the greatest influence on their children, they're not the only influence.  We want to strategically place your son or daughter around a trusted adult who can partner with you.  This is why small groups in 252 and XP3 are so crucial.  We believe this space provides a great opportunity for another adult to influence your child with the love of Christ.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list.  But, it's a place to begin.

Over the next several weeks, we'll be writing more about each of these points.  Our prayer is to see another generation of disciples makers passionate about Jesus.