Families,Sticky Church, vitality, evangelization, new evangelization, parish, Catholic, renewal, innovation, pastoral planning, faith formation, young adults, Millennials, Mosaics
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Families

_In his recent apostolic letter, Porta Fidei, Pope Benedict XVI writes, "Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord’s invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples."  This happens first and foremost in the home.  Secondarily it happens in the parish where the whole community, but especially faithful adults, can exert significant influence on children and youth.  These are the two critical contexts for the faith formation of children and youth in America today. Christian Smith observers, “If formation in faith does not happen there, it will—with rare exceptions—not happen anywhere".
  • First, churches can strengthen family religious socialization, especially in the first decade of life—by nurturing a vibrant faith in parents and equipping them with the skills and tools for developing faith at home.
  • Second, churches can develop the home as a center of faith formation by promoting foundational family faith practices: caring conversations, rituals and traditions, prayer, Bible reading, and service.
  • Third, churches can educate and equip parents to embed foundational faith practices into the daily experience of family life. Once again, Christian Smith and the National Study on Youth and Religion point out that the evidence clearly shows that the single most important social influence on the religious and spiritual lives of adolescents is their parents. 
  • Fourth, churches can engage families more fully in the life and ministries of the church community. Fifth, churches can strengthen the partnership between home and congregation to focus on empowering, resourcing, and supporting the development of the family as the center of faith formation. 

For strategies and ideas for "Family Faith Formation" read the section from Chapter 4 of Faith Formation 2020 by John Roberto, pages 133-139. 

Getting Kids to Listen Without Nagging

Christine Carter, Ph.D., and Lindsay Reed Maines discuss strategies for getting kids to help around the house. Part of a video series on parenting produced by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

Handling a Meltdown

Christine Carter, Ph.D., and Lindsay Reed Maines discuss causes and strategies for handling meltdowns and other negative emotions. Part of a video series on parenting produced by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

Foundational Articles

  1. Best Practices in Family Faith Formation - Lifelong Faith Journal
  2. The Rule of Family Faith - Bonnie Miller McLemore
  3. Family Daily Living Faith Practices - Christy Olson
  4. Faith Formation with Families on Today's Church - Leif Kehrwald
  5. Faith Formation with Hispanic Families - Ida Miranda

Practices & Approaches

Milestones Resources
Faith Stepping Stones. Faith Inkubators. www.faithink.com
Family Faith Celebrations. Loveland: Group, 2010. http://familyfaithcelebrations.group.com
Haynes, Brian. Shift—What It Takes to Finally Reach Families Today. Loveland: Group, 2009. 
Keeley, Laura and Robert Keeley. Celebrating the Milestones of Faith. Grand Rapids: Faith Alive, 2009. 
Legacy Milestones (Brian Haynes): www.legacymilestones.com
Milestones Ministry Manual for Home and Congregation. Bloomington: Vibrant Faith Ministries, 2007. www.vibrantfaith.org

Milestones Articles
1. Passing on Faith: Milestone to Milestone - Linda Staats 
2. One Home at a Time - Jennifer Hooks 

To Touch is to Give Life

Dacher Keltner shares insights from the new science of touch: compassionate communication, touch therapies, and proof that “to touch is to give life.”  The UC Berkley psychology professor and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center sums up "compassion in action" with one word: Touch.

The Walk from "No" to "Yes"

William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to the Middle East.  What might this look like in your family?  Who has the 18th camel?  Do they know how important they are?
Faith Practices

Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life. Naugatuck: LifelongFaith Associates, 2009 (www.LifelongFaith.com). 
Living Well presents twelve essential practices for a Christian way of life: Caring for the Body, Celebrating Life, Discernment, Dying Well, Eating Well, Forgiving, Keeping Sabbath, Managing Household Life, Participating in Community, Praying, Reading the Bible, and Transforming the World. Written for adults, parents, and families to use in learning about and living Christian practices, each chapter presents the Biblical foundation of the Christian practice and a variety of practical suggestions for living the practice and how to make it an integral part of everyday life. 
  • Churches, schools, and religious organizations have permission to reprint individual chapters from Living Well for educational use only within their church or organization. Churches and religious organizations have permission to reprint the Living Well learning activities and small group study guides for educational use only within their church or organization. Each learning activity and study guide comes in two formats: Microsoft Word and PDF. Go to www.lifelongfaith.com.

Family Learning Programs
  • Intergenerational Faith Formation: All Ages Learning Together. New London: Twenty-Third, 2008. - Leif Kerwald, Mariette Martineau, Mariette, and Joan Weber
  • Your Catholic Family—Simple Ways to Share Faith at Home. Jim Merhaut. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2006.

Parents

Print Resources

  • Anderson, David W. From the Great Omission to Vibrant Faith: Renewing the Role of the Home in Renewing the Church. Bloomington: Vibrant Faith, 2009.
  • Anderson, David W. Vibrant Faith in the Congregation. Bloomington: Vibrant Faith, 2011.
  • Burns, Jim. Building Blocks for a Solid Family. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2010
  • Caldwell, Elizabeth. Making a Home for Faith: Nurturing the Spiritual Life of Your Children. Elizabeth Caldwell. Cleveland: Pilgrim, 2007.
  • Haynes, Brian. Shift—What It Takes to Finally Reach Families Today. Loveland: Group, 2009. 
  • Haynes, Brian. The Legacy Path: Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting. Nashville: Randall House, 2011
  • Huebsch, Bill and Leisa Anslinger. Great Expectations: A Pastoral Guide for Partnering with Parents. New London: Twenty-Third Publications, 2010. 
  • Keeley, Robert J. Shaped by God: Twelve Essential Practices for Nurturing Faith in Children, Youth, and Adults. Grand Rapids: Faith Alive, 2010.
  • Kehrwald, Leif, editor. Families and Faith: A Vision and Practice for Parish Leaders. New London: Twenty-Third, 2006.
  • Robinson, David. The Busy Family’s Guide to Spirituality: Practical Lessons for Modern Living from the Monastic Tradition. New York: Crossroad, 2009.
  • Roehlkepartain, Jolene and Eugene. Embracing Parents: How Your Congregation Can Strengthen Families.Nashville: Abingdon, 2004. 
  • Wigger, Bradley. The Power of God at Home. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003. 

Resource Websites: Families & Parents

Journey of Jesus - Facebook Game

This Facebook game has many twists and turns to engage players in the Gospel story.  This is an interactive game and is already in five other languages where players are in the role of disciples.
Families, Sticky Church, vitality, evangelization, new evangelization, parish, Catholic, renewal, innovation, pastoral planning, faith formation, young adults, Millennials, Mosaics