In the twenty-first century, the curriculum is the network. On the network people can experience the life and substance of the Christian faith in a way that expands both the content and environments and can be personalized and customized to their life and faith journey. The fundamental operating system and delivery system for faith formation is now the network.
The design process includes 10 steps to bring to life in a curriculum plan and a network design that reflects a twenty-first century approach to a faith formation.
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Faith formation incorporates seven learning environments, in online spaces and physical places, to provide a variety of ways for people to learn and grow in faith that respects their preferred styles of learning, their life situations, and their time constraints. The seven environments provide a way to offer a diversity of programs in different learning environment, as well as to offer the same program content in multiple learning environments—all of which provides people with more options to participate in faith formation and broadens the scope of faith formation offerings. A variety of learning methods can be used with each of these seven learning environments. Creating this variety of learning environments is aided by the development of an online platform that integrates, delivers, and communicates the faith formation offerings.
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Digital media and the online environment provide the means to connect church life, age groups/generations, and daily/home life through continuous faith formation—connecting participation in church life and events with daily/home life by using online content and connections or reaching people at home and in daily life with online faith formation content and experiences that connect to church life and events.
We can create new models of faith formation that utilize the digital technologies and digital media to engage people with faith-forming content anytime, any place, just-in-time; and that can extend and expand faith formation in physical, face-to-face settings into people’s daily lives through digital content and mobile delivery systems. We can develop blended models of faith formation that incorporate physical settings and online settings. These settings can be seen as a continuum: ranging from fully online programming to gathered programming in physical settings that use online resources. Blended faith formation usually combines online delivery of religious content and experiences with the best features of gathered face-to-face programs. |
Congregations are beginning to create faith formation networks and websites. Each website is a "work in progress," and provide an example of how church leaders are developing digital platforms for faith formation in their settings.
Battenkill Catholic Community, NY - Adult Faith Formation
http://stpatrickslifelongfaith.weebly.com Catholic Cathedral of St. Andrew, Grand Rapids, MI http://cathedraladultfaithformation.weebly.com Catholic Parishes of Port Washington & Saukville, WI - Adult Faith Formation Website http://adultandfamilyportsaukville.weebly.com First Church of Simsbury, Simsbury, CT - Children-Youth-Family Faith Website www.firstchurchsimsbury.com Holy Spirit Catholic Church, East Greenbush, NY - Intergenerational Faith Formation http://holyspiritchurcheg.weebly.com St. Alphonsus & St. John the Evangelist, New Munster & Twin Lakes, WI - Lifelong Faith Formation www.sasjlifelongff.com St. Andrew Episcopal Church, Arlington, VA - Family Faith Formation: http://standrewsfish.weebly.com St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Parish, Dana Point, CA - Seeking Faith http://seekingfaith.stedward.com St. John and Paul Catholic Parish, Altoona, IA - Intergenerational Faith Formation http://ssjohnpaulfaithformation.weebly.com St. Mary of the Lake Catechist/Teacher Website, Skaneateles, NY http://stmarysofthelakecatechist.weebly.com St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Duluth, MN - Children-Youth-Families Faith Formation www.stpaulsfaithformation.org Tri-Saints Lutheran Parish in Byron and Hardy, NE - Sunday Worship http://tri-saintsworship.weebly.com |