Unitarian Universalist logo: the flaming chalice is a symbol of Unitarian Universalism.

 

 

Resources for Small Congregations

FAQ’s about Faith Development

LREDA is a national resource for religious educators.

www.lreda.org/content/lreda-small Is a resource for religious educators in small congregations.

 

What if we have no children one Sunday and a few the next?

Small Talk Newsletter has great suggestions for this situation


There is also a helpful Christian-based resource for a one-room program.

 

What is Faith Formation in small churches?

Regardless of one’s age, faith formation should be happening all the time in any size church. What we used to call religious education or religious exploration or even religious growth and development is now termed lifespan faith formation or development.

 

What is the difference between religious education and faith formation?

Faith formation for children and for adolescents
implies we are continually developing faith in our relationships, in ourselves, in our religion, and in hope that the world, our existence has a positive meaning. We aren’t so much learning about history, our heritage, our dogma in specific age groupings but like a fine sculptor, we chip away the pieces of stone that cover our best selves and discover through our own desires and efforts and co-create in community something beautiful, good and true--faith.

 

If faith formation is emphasized over religious education does it mean fewer RE teachers, few curricula to purchase?

Yes, it could but not necessarily. Learning about our history and heritage is important and we should teach the wonderful stories of the people who formed our two faiths.  Faith formation includes education, but it also extends to everything we do to the point that the congregation is the curriculum.

 

What are the resources that can give us a framework for defining the characteristics of a mature person of faith, and give ideas of how to implement?

Core curriculum called Tapestry of Faith is for all ages and supports the idea that there is more to faith than just activities on a Sunday morning. It also gives us a rich resource of multi-age curricula.

 

How can we serve our Youth?
The Search Institute deals specifically with 40 Developmental Assets for Youth. The more assets a youth have the more likely they are to feel successful and content in life. Six of the assets deal with religion and faith.

 

  1. Asset building is consistent with the tenets and beliefs of faith communities – People from many faith traditions see the assets as consistent with and connected to their beliefs, sacred writings, and practices.
  2. Asset building helps young people grow in faith – Research shows that young people who experience more assets are more likely to place a high importance on being religious or spiritual.
  3. Asset building helps young people make healthy choices – The more assets young people have, the more likely they are to avoid negative behaviors and engage in positive behaviors.
  4. Asset building fosters a congregation-wide commitment to young people – People of all backgrounds and all generations tend to see asset building as a motivating, hopeful approach for working with children, youth, and families – both within the congregation and in the community.
  5. Asset building gives congregations a concrete, fresh way to use their gifts – Congregations are in a great position to nurture intergenerational relationships; encourage young people to contribute; provide constructive, enriching activities; support families; and advocate for children, youth, and families in the community.
  6. Asset building opens opportunities to link with others in the community – Because building assets takes a whole community, an asset-building approach can open doors to new relationships and opportunities for congregations and the broader community.

The other resource is your own congregation. Everything you do is education and contributes to the formation of UU children and youth. Your use of space, your worship services, your music, your rituals, your social justice projects, your retreats and much more are examples of congregation as curriculum. Your children and youth are watching what you do and what you don’t do.

 

Resources and Models of RE

  1. Pillars. The whole RE program focuses on one theme, such as UUism for a segment of time, such as a semester or perhaps 6 weeks. Then it switches to another topic, such as Jewish and Christian stories. This approach works best when kids attend regularly. Examples (google search)
  2. Workshop rotation. The whole RE program focuses on stories or concepts using  multimedia workshops such as art, music, games, computers, etc. This approach usually divides kids into age specific groups who rotate through the workshops perhaps spending 1-3 weeks in each. Each group is led by an adult guide who offers continuity, but the workshop is led by another person. If a small church had sufficient space this could be accomplished with one large group of kids. More Information at www.rotation.org.

    For example if you wanted to focus on the story of Michael Servetus the consistent adult or guide would focus on the worship, then move with the kids to a workshop to reinforce the story through art or music. However, this approach depends on consistency of attendance to make sense. It also demands writing of lesson plans by someone. There is a good good model at www.rotation.org.  
  3. Small group ministry. This is an adaptation of covenant circles and may reflect what the adults are doing.  This involves an emphasis on building relationships, not content. North Parish of North Andover, MA has developed a curriculum that focuses on wisdom of Jewish and Christian traditions and one on Connections which includes UU identity formation. This approach and this curriculum work well with small RE programs. Each Sunday the basic framework is followed with opening worship for grades 1-8. The curriculum adds small group plans for different ages which follow the worship.
  4. Spirit Play. This uses some of the methods of Montessori teaching emphasizing exploration of activities and props after a story is told. It helps to teach children the art of using religious language. This is a considerable investment for small churches to make--leaders must attend a training and  buy props and other materials. Lessons don’t need to be cumulative though and can work well with small groups and broad age ranges. There is some rigidity as well since there should be a doorkeeper and a story teller for each time and group. More Information at wwwspiritp.lay.net.
  5. Way Cool Sunday School. Each month 4 different types of experiences are planned. There are 2 weeks of curriculum, one on something like an extended worship or art or drama, and then one with a social justice project. This may have an advantage with the smaller commitment of time by RE teachers, but implies more planning and organization of a volunteer RE coordinator or paid part time DRE. More information.
  6. Literature based approach. This can work well with any size group and focuses on stories with hands on activities that support the story. It works well with one RE volunteer or staff person as the primary adult and supplements with one other adult to help with activities and meet safety guidelines. Older kids help younger ones with the activities. Someone, the RE coordinator or paid staff has to prepare lesson plans for each story which can be time intensive. More information.
  7. Kids in church. Multigenerational Services is the subject of two spoken essays in Drive Time Essays for Small Congregations. Multigen services are becoming more and more important as we learn to live as one whole community of faith. The children and youth are with parents for the adult worship service. They join in the flow of the church year, they develop relationships with all the adults, they participate as needed or able, they enjoy the music, they see first hand the meaning of church to adults. This approach may or may not require significant change in your UU church. More information.
  8. Cluster RE with other churches for children and youth.
  9. Church of the Larger Fellowship offers many lesson plans and resources for small churches. The church on loan program for small churches entails a membership of $290 the first year followed by $265 per year. This membership includes access to more than just religious education resources. You can still access other resource by joining CLF and paying what you can afford as a pledge. More information.