Introducing the New and Improved Building Blocks of Faith Toolkit!

Back in 2016, Faith Formation Ministries introduced the Building Blocks of Faith, a ministry model that identifies four important spiritual needs all people share: 

• the need to belong

• the need to know and understand

• the need to have hope

• the need to be called and equipped.

This model, developed by Laura Keeley, a regional catalyzer with Faith Formation Ministries, and her husband, Robert J. Keeley, has become a foundational concept for FFM’s work. Over the past five years our team has been working on how the Building Blocks can help assess and shape faith formation efforts in churches and other faith communities. That work has culminated in the revision and expansion of the Building Blocks of Faith Toolkit.

If you’re new to the Building Blocks concept or if you’re familiar with the original toolkit, take a look at the new and improved version, which is more user-friendly, in-depth, and ministry-focused than ever before (as well as more beautiful, thanks to our design team).

Here’s a quick walk through the main sections of the toolkit:

What Are the Building Blocks of Faith? 

This section provides a great introduction of each of the four Building Blocks, along with helpful video and print intros to share with others.

Building a Faith Formation Framework

The Building Blocks can be used as a foundation or framework on which to build all of your church’s faith formation efforts. Check out this new step by step guide.. 

Specific Ministry Applications

One of the most helpful additions to this toolkit is specific advice for using the Building Blocks in different ministry settings, such as children’s ministry, youth ministry, small groups, worship, and more. This section of the toolkit provides tips all your ministry leaders can use.

For Parents: Family Faith Formation

The Building Blocks are a fabulous tool for parents and caregivers to use as they guide and support kids who are growing in faith. This new section shares some tips for using the Building Blocks to shape faith formation in the home.

Personal Faith Formation

Looking for ways to strengthen your own faith? We share Building Blocks resources and exercises perfect for individuals.

Tools and Resources

Check out this section for resources to use when you share the Building Blocks concept with others.

You can, of course, dive into the Building Blocks of Faith toolkit on your own, and we invite you to do that! But one of the most effective (and time-saving) ways to create a plan for incorporating the Building Blocks into your church’s ministries is to work with one of Faith Formation Ministries’ Regional Catalyzers. They’re eager to help, and their services are most often free to CRC churches.