Faith Formation with Families & Parents

Practices & Approaches
The Families at the Center of Faith Formation Book 
Families at the Center of Faith Formation proposes a new comprehensive approach to family faith formation that places families at the center of faith formation and develops the family as a community of faith and school of discipleship while equipping parents (and grandparents) to transmit the Christian faith at home. Families at the Center of Faith Formation includes seven chapters rich in foundational insights and practical application. ​For more information.

Eight ​Family Faith Formation Strategies 
(Chapter Six from the Families at the Center of Faith Formation book)
family_faith_formation_strategies.pdf
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Nurturing the Faith of Young People through the Family
(Chapter Five from the Families at the Center of Faith Formation book)
nurturing_the_faith_of_young_people.pdf
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Family Faith Formation: Practices and Approaches 
Download the Family Faith Formation Journal Collection
  • Best Practices in Family Faith Formation -  John Roberto
  • The Importance of Family Faith for Lifelong Faith Formation - John Roberto
  • The Rule of Family Faith - Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore
  • The Joy of Practice in Families - Brad Wigger
  • Faith Formation with Families in Today’s Church - Leif Kehrwald
  • Faith Formation with Hispanic/Latino Families - Ida Miranda 
  • Transforming Faith Formation One Family at a Time -  Jim Merhaut
  • Family Daily Living Faith Practices - Christy Olson 
  • Passing on Faith—Milestone to Milestone - Linda Staats​​​​
​​Biblical and Theological Resources for Raising Children - Marcia Bunge
This article identifies some fundamental insights from the Bible and the Christian tradition about the roles and responsibilities of parents, parental practices and responsibilities for nurturing the moral and spiritual lives of children. 

What Makes a Good Parent - A Scientific Analysis Ranks the 10 Most Effective Child-Rearing Practices - Robert Epstein (Scientific American Mind, November/December 2010)
This study compared the effectiveness of 10 kinds of parenting practices that have gotten the thumbs-up in various scientific studies.

​Renaming and Reclaiming a Faith Practice - Debbie Streicher
FAITH 5 - Faith Acts In The Home - is a a 5-step outline to be modeled every time small groups meet in the congregation and used as a faith formation tool in the home. The FAITH5 steps are: 1) Share highs and lows of the day; 2) Read a verse from the Bible; 3) Talk about how the Bible verse relates to highs and lows; 4) Pray for one another and the world; and 5) Bless one another.

Milestones Faith Formation
milestones_ministry_-_empower_and_equip_lives_of_faith.pdf
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milestones_ministry_-_an_effective_model_of_faith_formation.pdf
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Leveraging Milestones: Making Spiritual Conversations Normal At Home - Steve Dang
Go to: fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/leveraging-milestones

Research
A Report on American Catholic Religious Parenting. Christian Smith and Justin Barkas. 
Download a copy of the report at churchlife-info.nd.edu/a-report-on-american-catholic-religious-parenting. 

Three reports from the Search present the research behind the five developmental relationships, their applicability to family life and to parenting, and activities and strategies that parents can use to practice the developmental relationships. 
Don't Forget the Families Report (Search Institute)
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Bringing Developmental Relationships Home (Search Institute)
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Relationships First (Search Institute)
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What Makes a Good Parent (10 Research Findings)- Robert Epstein
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The Most Important Thing You Need to Know about Parenting - Donna Habenicht
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Parent Training Programs: Insights from Practitioners - Centers for Disease Control
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Books