Designing Faith Formation Networks

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 network provides a variety of experiences, programs, activities, resources, and social connections that are available anytime and anywhere, in physical places and online spaces, and conducted in variety of settings—self-directed, mentored, at home, in small groups, in large groups, church-wide, in the community, and in the world.
  • The network incorporates digital platforms (websites) that integrate all of the content (programs, activities, resources), connect people to the content and to each other, provide continuity for people across different learning experiences, and is available anytime, anywhere. 
  • The network integrates online and face-to-face learning, blending learning in a variety of ways from online programs with minimal interaction in physical settings to programs in physical settings that utilize online content or extend the program using online content.    

​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.
  1. Research your target audience and identify needs
  2. Build the faith formation network design
  3. Generate programming for the faith formation network
  4. Design a season of faith formation programming
  5. Build the digital platform—a Faith Formation Website
  6. Design a process for assessing and personalizing learning
  7. Test the seasonal plan and web design
  8. Launch the faith formation network    
  9. Evaluate the season of programming 
  10. Design the new season of programming

  • To learn more about the new connected, network learning model of faith formation go to Chapter Three in the Reimagining Faith Formation book from Lifelong Faith. Purchase at www.LifelongFaith.com.

Designing

The PowerPoint presentation guides you through each step and is correlated to the content in Chapter Four of the Reimagining Faith Formation book. Download the PowerPoint Presentation in PDF and PPTX formats. ​
  • All of the Designing Worksheets can be downloaded in PDF or Word versions. 
  • ​All of the Programming Worksheets can be downloaded in PDF or Word versions. 

Programming

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.
  1. Independent (on your own, self-directed)  
  2. Mentoring 
  3. At Home 
  4. Small Group 
  5. Large Group 
  6. Congregational 
  7. Community and World 

Digitally Enabled Programming

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. ​

Case Studies

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