The "New Year’s Letter From the Pastor Seeking Your Input On Faith Formation"
Sent to our congregation December 30th, 2022
This is a long-ish letter from the pastor. I hope long is actually a good thing, because I’m inviting you to think and pray alongside me on a topic close to my heart. I hope you will pause and contemplate it, then reply by e-mail answering some of the questions at the end of the letter.
I’ll start with an image: Have you noticed that post-pandemic our weekly Eucharist is served primarily by children? Each week, the acolytes, plus a group of eager youth, all rush forward during the communion liturgy, take trays of cups or the plate of bread or the basket for empty cups, and serve the congregation the Lord’s Supper.
I cherish this moment each week, because I see it as a primary form of faith formation. There’s an old saying in the church, that “liturgy is its own best catechesis,” and if you observe this moment each week you’ll see how it’s true. Our youth are learning that worship is for them, that serving Christ to their neighbor is for them. Now that middle school and high school youth have been serving, we sometimes have even younger youth who also spontaneously come forward to serve.
What have they learned through this kind of participation in the liturgy? Well, they’ve learned the catechism, which teaches that all the gifts for serving in the church come through their baptism, so there is no age or other barrier to sharing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in worship because all those gifts have been given.
They’re learning actively each week that worship is for them.
I think for the majority of us raised in the 20th century, Sunday school (rather than worship) received primary attention as the format for faith formation. Churches invested considerable resources in youth programs, education in particular.
Sunday school had a long, good run in the church, basically growing after the Second World War (because church families had lots of children) and becoming a large enough program that many churches added wings to their church buildings to accommodate it.
Some churches still have Sunday school. But less and less do, and for a variety of reasons. Families are busy, overall church membership has aged and those of child-bearing age have less children than previous generations.
Also, in the case of progressive churches like ours, Sunday school may have become de-emphasized precisely because some families who wish to connect to the Christian faith with their kids are seeking alternative formation less tied to types of formation they’ve actively decided to distance themselves from. It’s not uncommon even in progressive churches for the youth program to utilize curriculum and VBS formats purchased from conservative, evangelical publishing houses. Because that’s what is out there and advertises heavily.
All of this has had me pondering: What kind of faith formation do we want for the youth of GSLC? And more broadly, what kind of faith formation do we want for all of us? Not “want” in the idealized sense that we say we want it but then don’t actually do it, but what format for faith formation would we all give our time and energy to?
In 2022, after an 18 month gap in hosting in person Sunday school, we experimented with a few formats, including the open-source Here Be Dragons self-organized learning we did in spring 2022, and then this past fall a return to traditional Sunday school and then a shift to “Children’s Church” where we host Sunday school type learning during worship.
But I don’t think we’ve discovered yet whether there is any format for Sunday school/faith formation that a large percentage of families with children would commit to connect their children to weekly. There may not even be one. That’s the uncertainty. This fall illustrated this, because although we had a lot of families attend the kick-off for Sunday school (it included an Easter egg hunt!), we then saw immediate attrition.
I really do trust the adrienne maree brown motto “small is good, small is all,” and I see that the programs we like Children’s Church and Wednesday youth group are quite meaningful to those who participate. Nevertheless, I also believe we can learn from all of you what might engage even more of our youth.
During the pandemic our congregation trended younger. About 25% of our members are children. Many young families joined during the pandemic. But post-pandemic, as all of us returned to the various busy schedules families keep (with sports and lessons and clubs, not to mention the reality that some of us really liked being quarantined at home because we’re introverts), it remains an open question whether any formation for youth can draw a majority of our families together.
As I spend time talking with members of our congregation, I hear a lot of reasons why we struggle to prioritize church. First, church is more “optional” than school, work, etc. it becomes the one thing that can be skipped or de-prioritized if we are exhausted. For many working families Sunday has become the one and only day they can spend as a family, and so worship, scheduled as it is on that particular day, may or may not be how a family wishes to use their day of rest.
After “exhaustion,” in an informal poll I conducted on my blog, the other barriers to participation you all listed included “uncertain of its value”, “past religious trauma,” and “work.” I think these are important to take into account in whatever we design for faith formation in 2023. We’re collectively in a phase re-evaluating value and harm, and we’re also all living life at very different schedules and paces.
As I’ve worked with volunteers and observed what we actually do together as a congregation (and also what we don’t do), I’ve had to process why it’s so important to me personally, as pastor, to get our families together in-person. My reasons are these:
1. I’d like progressive Christian families in our congregation to know and be known by each other. In the same way as we’ve seen the networking that resulted from Queer Camp have a positive network effect in our community, I believe us knowing one another better will develop serendipitous rhizomatic networks.
2. I want to raise our children in progressive Christian community. I want them to see what it can be like to have friends here, to be loved.
3. I want us to organize. I can see what is coming with the Sanders administration, and our youth and families are going to need each other to resist.
4. We know what we as progressives value, and are good at centering those values, but connecting those values to youth formation is a growing edge for us. I want us to actively explore, together, that growing edge.
I’ve also had to process what I think are the less spoken but very real barriers, and these include:
1. Neurodiversity: Gathering in person signifies differently for people depending on how they are created.
2. Introversion/extroversion: Perhaps my push to get us all together grows out of the part of me that is more extroverted (perhaps the church itself is an extroversion space), and we haven’t yet developed as many faith formation approaches that appeal to introverts.
3. Schedules: Our members work all kinds of different schedules, so it’s literally hard to find one primary time when we can all gather.
I think we are at an inflection point in church life where we wonder (especially those of us who are progressive Christians) which of the “traditional” practices we wish to retain, and what new ones we need to develop. Sunday school, bible study, small groups, all of these get less traction in our faith community, possibly because of the negative past experiences some have had with them, possibly because of the ways some of them tend to enforce normativity (neuro, hetero, etc.).
I tend to think faith formation in and through the church takes place in four different primary contexts:
1. Worship
2. In person classes or study groups
3. In the home with families
4. Social media
Worship: In 2023, I think part of our shared work is to re-tool Sunday and other worship experiences so that it can be even more participatory for everyone, youth in particular. If worship/liturgy is its own best catechesis, I believe there are some received parts of our current worship format (including how we set up the worship space) that can shift. Examples might include setting up interactive spaces for smaller children in the sanctuary itself.
At home: During the pandemic we sent home a lot of faith formation resources. Some of these arrived by e-mail. Others were packets we mailed out, or in the case of Advent 2020 we actually created Advent kits that families drove through the parking lot and picked up. Once the pandemic ended we stopped sending as many of these resources home, and honestly we received very little feedback from you all about the resources, so it’s very hard for me as pastor to know whether households are doing intentional faith formation at home, and if so of what kind. I’d love to learn.
Social media: We may forget that social media is an emerging and robust space for faith formation. Even if you don’t attend worship weekly, even if you don’t come for the parish meeting or Sunday school, probably a majority of you read either our social media posts, the church e-mail, and/or my blog. This means what we publish on social media may actually be a stronger point of contact for faith formation than sermons, worship, or classes. I think part of our shared work is to acknowledge this shift and explore how to do formation in social media even better. It's not an easy topic to address, but what should a church like ours do for social media presence when probably a majority of our youth get a lot of their formation via Twitch, Youtube, and TikTok?
In Person: Finally, what about gatherings or classes? I mean, most of us send our children to school because we believe they will grow and develop in a social setting centered on best pedagogical practices. Do we also believe this about the Christian life, and if so, do we want to commit ourselves to it?
I’ve put all of this in front of you as a reader to prime the pumps a bit, all because I’d like you to respond with reflections of your own. I have a few basic questions I’d like you to answer. I really believe the first step in effective action is to get a clear picture of the current state of things.
Questions:
What do you need for your own faith formation journey?
Would it be worthwhile for us to form a youth council who help us work on next steps?
Can you offer some examples of what you’d like to see us do together that you not only wish for ideally but would show up for practically?
Can you analyze where faith formation is happening for you right now, maybe even share some stories. Is it in a class? At home? On social media? Worship? How is it going?
Got any great recommendations to share with the congregation? A book you read in 2022? A website you visit regularly or blog you read?
Do you have specific hopes for worship? Sermon topics? New or old worship practices? Favorite hymns?
Do you wish you were more relationally connected to others at GSLC? If so, how would you like to connect?
What are your hopes for GSLC in 2023?
What do you think Queer Camp has to teach us about what could be effective for our congregational youth ministry?
We’re not a large congregation, so it’s impossible for us to do everything for every age in quite the same way large congregations can. So what do you think are realistic goals for us for faith formation programs that connect to different generations?
In late January I’d like to gather a group of interested families to sit down for a meal together and discuss formation. I think I’ll gauge interest in such a gathering based on e-mail responses to this letter.
New Year’s Blessings to each of you. Thanks in advance for your responses!
In Christ,
Pastor Clint
p.s. It's December 30th! We'd love for you to make a special year-end donation if you haven't done so yet. Thank you!
What do you need for your own faith formation journey? Sunday night gatherings
Would it be worthwhile for us to form a youth council who help us work on next steps? Yes with YA or parents to keep it fluid and small and you know what works!
Can you offer some examples of what you’d like to see us do together that you not only wish for ideally but would show up for practically? ANSWER: Campfires, picnics, play time and Teach newcomers about Christ. (Not just Lutherism)
Can you analyze where faith formation is happening for you right now, maybe even share some stories. ANSWER : Your sermons and newsletters.
Got any great recommendations to share with the congregation? A book you read in 2022? ANSWER: book - Mathew Perry’s journey and Chelsea Clinton podcast.
Do you have specific hopes for worship?
ANSWER: For You - PC to have time off for introspection, family and good health.
Sermon topics? ANSWER: You always tie the Good News into current topics.
New or old worship practices? ANSWER: Keep up good communication and praise with the those who are glue ie. organist choir, praise band, bell choir, volunteers and staff.
Favorite hymns? ANSWER:You or deligate someone to Ask Praise band and choir.
Do you wish you were more relationally connected to others at GSLC? If so, how would you like to connect? HUH? You mean like church board members or volunteer? ANSWER : We don’t want to overcommit ourselves -sorry! We are available as needed.
What are your hopes for GSLC in 2023?
ANSWER : Find YAGM, several parents and youth person to take on responsibility and leadership to get a group together with other NWA churches to attend the ELCA Youth National Conference
What do you think Queer Camp has to teach us about what could be effective for our congregational youth ministry?
ANSWER: Handling the Publicity and spearheading a duplicate camp - Nationwide.
We’re not a large congregation, so it’s impossible for us to do everything for every age in quite the same way large congregations can. So what do you think are realistic goals for us for faith formation programs that connect to different generations? ANSWER: We are like a family of home schoolers- We Depend on , care for and support one another of all ages.
I’m not in your congregation, but am an ELCA Lutheran and follow your Substack. I have asked similar questions in our community. We read Priya Parker’s “the Art of Gathering” and I think she offers a lot to consider and discuss regarding the gathering that happens at church. We cannot compete with the World. We do t have the production value. But the church can offer something else, something richer and more real. My daughter (15) helps with communion and I think it’s been really special to her.