Some thoughts on the future of Christian formation for children (and their parents)

I had one of those conversations last week that’s had me reflecting on our assumptions as clergy and churches, the way we do things, and what the future might look like. 

A few weeks ago, a family visited the church I serve. We talked after the service and I learned that they hadn’t attended church regularly in a very long time but that all of their children had been baptized and they were hoping to reconnect. Instead of encouraging them to sign the guestbook as I usually do, I gave them my business card and urged them to contact me. They e-mailed me a few days later and we set up a time to meet. In the course of our conversation, they asked about resources I might recommend to them that would help them teach their children about the Bible and Christianity. I told them to check out our Christian Formation program in the fall. We offer Godly Play for the younger kids and use re:form with our middle schoolers. The complication for them is that the family is active in athletics and have events scheduled almost every weekend.

I spent hours researching materials on the web and pretty much came up empty-handed. A plea for help to colleagues locally and to some folks whom I know are involved in Christian Formation nationally gave me some ideas. As I talked to people and as I reflected, it became clear that what I’m looking for is something that will help parents as well as children. While the couple who asked me directly had the guts to do so, I’ve had subtler similar requests from parents who are active at Grace Episcopal Church where I serve. Many of them are uncomfortable talking about their own faith and I suspect many of them aren’t sure how to talk about faith with their children.