FAITH FORMATION IN FAMILIES

FAITH FORMATION

IN FAMILIES

ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM

| Children & Families Consultant, SUNZ

Family —in the wider sense that may include grandparents, extended family networks and whānau—is the natural place for the faith of a child or young person to be formed. Faith formation is meant to be done with all ages together so that the generations help to form each other’s faith. Yes, children and young people help to build the older generation’s faith! We all benefit from ‘doing faith’ together. But where do we start?

The Bible

The Bible is central to all faith formation and a good place for parents and caregivers to start is with their own regular time with God, preferably every day. This is an unashamed plug for using the Scripture Union Bible reading guides! There are also many other good resources. Find a Bible version that suits your family. If you have preschool children you may want to use a children’s Bible, but once they are school-going age an ’adult‘ Bible is the best. Mix it up using different Bible reading methods. The easiest is the traditional method: gather the family, get out a Bible and read a part of it out loud. Encourage children and youth to share in the reading rather than adults doing it every time. Audio Bibles are a different way to just listen to Scripture. There are many options available online and the Bible Society in partnership with Radio Rhema has produced the NLT Kiwi Audio Bible which is available on a memory stick. Yet another option is to watch the Bible. A simple Google search will give you many options. Just a warning: if you have children under the age of 13 please watch the programme yourself before you show it to your family as sometimes the footage can be quite graphic.

Questions

Opening the Bible together often leads to questions about what has been heard or watched. This can be daunting for caregivers who feel they don’t know the answers. Don’t panic! Treat it like any other subject: ask a friend; share from your own experience; Google it; get a resource book and explore a possible answer together. The Action Bible Handbook1 and Children’s Guide to the Bible2 are a couple of helpful resources. Robert Willoughby’s book ‘So, who is God?3, geared for 8-11-year-olds, looks at some questions children (and adults) might ask about God: ‘How do you know God is really with you?’, ‘Has God ever made a mistake?’ and some tough ones like ‘why does a 12-year-old die from cancer?’ Another compilation is 801 Questions Kids Ask about God by David R. Veerman, which includes key verses, notes, and an index of questions to guide parents in developing their answers.

Prayer

Pair your Bible engagement with a time of prayer. This could be the caregiver or anyone else in the family leading in free prayer. It could be reading written prayers, or praying for specific topics or people suggested by family members. Don’t be afraid of silence— God can and does speak to us as we reflect on His Word in silence.

1 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/the-actionbible-handbook 2 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/childrensguide-to-the-bible 3 Available from sunz.org.nz/shop/product/ so-who-is-god

THE MAIN THING IS FOR ALL AGES TO BE DOING FAITH TOGETHER!

The Fridge

This is one place that brings all the family together! It is a great place to celebrate the faith formation experiences of your family. Perhaps you could put a verse or a prayer from your times together or photos of people you are praying for on the fridge door. The fridge is also a great reminder of the importance of saying grace together as a family at mealtimes.

There’s not just one way!

We all connect with God in different ways. Are words, emotions, symbols or actions are the dominant part of your children’s spiritual styles—and your own too? Knowing this can help you adapt your intergenerational faith building to suit your whānau.4

Intergenerational faith formation doesn’t need to be complicated. The main thing is for all ages to be doing faith together! SUNZ WAY2GO 2021 ‘Woven in Faith’ conferences will have more on faith formation in families. Save the dates now: 29 May in Dunedin, 12 June in Auckland, 26 June in Wellington.

4 See pages 15-18 of this magazine for more on spiritual styles