Best Practices

Lifelong Faith Formation: Best Practices

“Faith formation is a life-long process. It will not only embrace existing programs such as religious education and youth ministry, but also faith formation efforts yet to be developed. It will be directed toward all age groups as well as to the needs of various audiences.” Recommendations for Faith Formation from Diocese of Erie Pastoral Planning (2018).

Why use this list of best practices?

The model of lifelong faith formation was the response to the call articulated out of diocesan Pastoral Planning. It recognizes that all people, from birth to death, are called by God to an ever-deepening relationship with Him.

While each person is unique and called to a personal relationship with God and his family, there are number of common questions and challenges* which God uses to invite the faithful to grow and deepen in their faith. The Church fosters this growth by providing ministries or other specific supports that directly bring to bear the hope and joy of the Gospel on the deep and pressing concerns of her members.

This best practices list provides a curated collection of ministry ideas that are already aligned to the common questions and challenges of parishioners, allowing ministry to be most effective in accompanying and fostering growth in the faithful. The list allows parishes to intentionally respond to specific needs, saves time in research and program development, provides metrics for evaluating the success of the ministry, and in many cases provides information on parishes or dioceses that have already experienced success with the ministry. Most ministries listed include “plug and play” directions and/or training opportunities.

*Leaders can find a streamlined list of common questions, which were developed by faithful around the Diocese of Erie, in conjunction with the latest psychological and theological research, by referencing the Seat at the Table Model. An in-depth list can be found beginning in the Parish Self-Assessment Tool.

How to use the best practices?

The best practices listed here are designed to respond directly to the specific need of parishioners. To use this list, parish leaders take time to identify the common questions and challenges of the parishioners they wish to reach through adding a new ministry or adapting an established one. This is most effectively done by using the parish self-assessment, which can be accessed here, but can also be done through parish surveys or informal conversation.

What supports can I expect from Faith Formation at the diocese?

Connection to a person who has already implemented the practice or who can mentor a parish through implementation of a particular best practice
On-call support thinking through which practices may best fit the needs of your parish