Can a 5 year old serve as an usher in worship?
What do we expect of adults to know about the Bible?
This free 10 page pdf from the ELCA gives examples of expectations for all ages when it comes to faith formation.

Faith Formation encompasses all aspects of our lives.  The ELCA Recommended Practices for Lifelong Faith Formation for individuals, congregations, and various faith communities serves to guide a life-long engagement in spiritual practices, respectful relationships, guided learning and faith-filled service. 

And for more background behind why we do what we do here's a brief glimpse of a white paper (you can read more at length) about the the Faith Formation Movement happening in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  We also have a website.

"As a church with a rich history of attending to faith formation and blessed with many faith formation resources, the ELCA is poised to nurture faith in this generation and beyond. Stewarding these gifts for the sake of God’s church and God’s world rests in our hands.  Imagine people of all ages living their faith, claiming their Christian identity, and sharing God’s love in the world in creative and unique ways. Perhaps the church our children lead will be more vibrant than the one they grew up in. What a witness to the gospel this would be." 

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The ELCA Faith Formation team highly recommends Growing Young!
Contact us for discounts and strategies on growing young in your community.

Fuller Youth Institute has a book out called "Growing Young:  Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church"

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The ELCA Children, Youth and Family Network provides a FREE monthly "Connect" journal.  Check out all the great resources!

Children's Ministry Toolk Kit - from the Reformed Church.  Children’s ministry leaders are faith activators. They form faith-nurturing relationships while providing space for children to experience God as they hear and respond to God’s story in ways that are specifically geared to their ages and developmental stages.

To nurture a resilient faith in kids, we need to pay close attention to how we tell God’s story, and that’s why you’ll find a whole section in this toolkit on the topic of Choosing Your Curriculum.  We also need to pay attention to how kids learn and develop. Below you’ll find information on the intellectual, social, and spiritual characteristics of children at different age levels, along with tips for leaders on how to tap into those characteristics in faith-nurturing ways. Share this information with the children’s ministry leaders in your congregation.

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Family Faith Formation Toolkit - from the Reformed Church, This FREE toolkit will help you develop a vision for family faith formation in your congregation and equip parents and caregivers with family faith practices and resources.

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Kids Are Essential to the Kin-dom of God