At Faith Community, our mission is: Growing in faith as we journey toward Jesus Christ.

Faith Formation is the lifelong process of growing in faith. The process includes the relationships, practices, habits, and programs that an individual uses to continually grow closer toward Jesus Christ.

Faith Formation Coordinator

Council recently approved a new part time position, Faith Formation Coordinator, for the coming year. This individual will plan and develop many opportunities to help our congregation grow closer to Jesus Christ, and help us grow together as a community of faith.

Here are answers to questions you may have regarding this new position.

FAQs

At Faith Community, our mission is: Growing in faith as we journey toward Jesus Christ.

Faith Formation is the lifelong process of growing in faith. The process includes the relationships, practices, habits, and programs that an individual uses to continually grow closer toward Jesus Christ. Faith formation touches the head, heart, and hands (service) of everyone. 

Notice that this new position refers to "faith formation," not "adult education." Why is that? Author Diana Butler Bass notes, "too often the word, education, carries the connotation of information or expertise. Adult faith formation does educate, but it also engages the whole person—intellect, passions, and spirit—in a process and practice of Christian maturity" (Process Not Program:  Adult Faith Formation for Vital Congregations by Diana Butler Bass).

When forming our Vision, we knew that evangelism and discipleship were important parts of who we are at Faith Community. But we also realized there were opportunities for growth in both areas. And so, they are included as aspirational values in our Vision.

At Faith Community we aspire to continually grow as Jesus’ followers, so we, in turn, can help others grow in their faith. 

A Faith Formation Coordinator will help provide opportunities for this type of growth.

At Faith Community we aspire to intentionally learn to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, and intentionally develop relationships where we can share it. 

A Faith Formation Coordinator can help us learn new ways to share the Gospel.

A Faith Formation Coordinator will help us focus on growing in evangelism and discipleship, as we all seek to GROW closer to Jesus Christ.

Yes, at its recent January meeting, council approved a part time (approximately 20 - 24 hours per week) Faith Formation Coordinator position.

This Faith Formation Coordinator position is included in the Executive portion of our dream budget. We are stepping forward in faith, trusting God to provide, through our estimates of giving, the funds necessary for this new position. 

Information about the dream budget and estimates of giving will be provided on Stewardship Sunday, February 13.

The Faith Formation Coordinator, with support and input from Pastor Roger, will develop and plan opportunities for every adult to move to new places of spiritual maturity, to develop a deeper commitment to personal spiritual growth, and to learn how to share the Gospel with others. 

The Faith Formation Coordinator will be responsible for helping adults identify and use their spiritual gifts. Additionally, the Faith Formation Coordinator will identify, train, and support volunteer leaders in adult faith formation ministries.

Examples of growth opportunities the Faith Formation Coordinator may help develop include:

  • Coordinate one-on-one discipling; Grow in your faith by learning from another mature Christian, and follow the Great Commission by discipling others.
  • Assist one-on-one with adults who are seeking to grow on their own time; assist with finding the right materials, such as electronic or print media resources.
  • Connect with and schedule guest speakers as a powerful way to introduce new ideas to our church.
  • Help adults connect with others in a Bible study or small group ministry.
  • Develop adult educational opportunities such as an adult study series that could go along with Pastor Roger’s series of messages.
  • Form a Sermon discussion group to meet each Sunday morning following the service as an opportunity for people to dig more deeply into the text or to ask questions pertinent to the sermon topic.
  • Coordinate small group ministry at our church: assign adults to current groups, help launch groups, know when a group is ready to expand or multiply. Be available for struggling groups. Assist in selecting curricula.
  • Collaborate with other church leaders in starting a new ministry, such as Drive through Prayer and/or collaborating with an existing ministry to broaden the depth of that ministry.

2 Peter 3:18 says, “...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Faith formation involves growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Acts 14: 21-22 says, “They [Paul and Barnabas] preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

Faith formation involves strengthening believers.

In Philippians 1:5, Paul tells the Philippians, “...you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. (CEV)

Faith formation involves spreading the Good News!

Our Vision includes seeing people “GROW closer to Jesus Christ,” and we believe that is the foundation for the REACH and RENEW aspects of the Vision. But continual spiritual growth doesn’t happen automatically within the church. In fact, statistics show it is often a weakness in churches like ours. 

As the Renewal team looked at how to begin working towards the Five Year Stretch Goals in our Vision, it became clear that our church structure needed to grow alongside our Vision! The idea for a Faith Formation Coordinator position was borne out of the Renewal Lab process, which included months and months of listening, reading, discussion, and prayer. 

Since the time Council approved our Vision, a Discipleship team has been working toward many of the faith formation goals that don’t currently fit with any of our existing committees. The Discipleship team has worked closely with the Renewal Committee to formalize the plan for Faith Formation Coordinator. They met with a Faith Formation Catalyzer from the Christian Reformed Church denomination, and talked with numerous churches in West Michigan. After meeting with our Executive Committee multiple times in 2021 and Council this year, Council approved the position.

The idea for a Faith Formation Coordinator has come about gradually over the past several years through a deliberate process, and we are excited to be sharing it with you. Our hope and prayer is this person will help us in new ways to GROW closer to Jesus Christ, so we can continue REACHING out with the Gospel, and RENEWING our community.

The Faith Formation Coordinator will be working with the adult age group. It is possible that the Faith Formation Coordinator could collaborate with other church leaders to host an intergenerational event.

Many of us have grown up assuming that once we graduate from catechism and make profession of faith, our opportunities for spiritual growth are limited to Sunday worship services. A Faith Formation Coordinator will provide a variety of opportunities to ensure we are all continually growing, regardless of where we are in our spiritual walk with Christ.

Yes, many churches in the area have a similar position. In a recent informal survey of 19 area churches in our denomination, over half had a similar position on staff.

The Faith Formation Coordinator will meet regularly with Pastor Roger to initially set the course for faith formation as we reach for the long-term goals of our Vision. That is, we will want to assess what our Faith Community congregation is currently doing related to faith formation–what is offered, what is lacking–and then plot a course moving forward–what faith forming ministries need to be enhanced or begun!  

Once the initial assessment is completed, the Faith Formation Coordinator then helps our congregation stretch toward our Vision in ways that Pastor Roger, due to his focus on preaching and worship, pastoral care and administration, does not have available time to facilitate. As time goes on, Pastor Roger and the Faith Formation Coordinator will regularly brainstorm ideas to address the faith strengthening and faith sharing needs of members of our church. The Faith Formation Coordinator will be charged to facilitate the implementation of those ideas with efficiency and creativity, and at a steady, yet careful pace.

“What an opportunity we have to step forward in faith! To be sure, funding this position is one of those steps of faith that will be an exciting challenge. But beyond that, this new position will help us keep on stepping forward in our own faith growth and in our faith witness to others.”  --Pastor Roger

A Faith Community church member shared this concern the other day:

I have a co-worker who is not a Christian. I would like to share my faith with this person, but I don’t want to come across as holier-than-thou. And what if my coworker asks me questions? I won’t know the answers.

This faithful member has been a Christian for many years, but feels ill-equipped to share the Gospel. These honest concerns probably resonate with many of us. We love God; we attend church; we are memorizing the Gospel; but are we joining with fellow believers in sharing the Good News? (Philippians 1:5 NIRV) Once we have the Gospel summary memorized, how will we share it? I Believe…now what?

A Faith Formation coordinator will help us take those next steps. 

Let’s pray together, encourage each other, and boldly REACH out with the Gospel to a world who desperately needs the Good News.

Please be in prayer for this exciting growth opportunity for Faith Community!