Faith Formation in Children and Youth: Reflections on the Canadian National Gathering

Every three years, Christian Reformed churches from across Canada come together to discern, celebrate, and explore God’s calling for our national community of churches. From May 28–31, 2026, leaders and members gathered at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario, under the theme “Foundation to Future.” But the Gathering doesn’t end when the weekend came to a close—we are continually reflecting on the conversations, streams, and stories that emerged, exploring how the seeds planted during our time together continue to shape a healthy and vibrant future for our churches today.

We are at the richest point in history. People today have more disposable income than at any other point in history.

You may disagree as you fill your gas tank or buy groceries, but on the whole, we are richer as a society now than ever before. Take a gander the next time you scroll social media and take note of all the luxury vacations and travel sports teams you see. Society is living the good life. That society includes our churches.

Yet with all this money and more free time than ever, discipleship of our youngest members has waned. In many cases, we see youth groups shrinking as students favor or are committed to a travel sports team over gathering at church for youth group. We see Sunday school classes in need of teachers and helpers as congregations age and parents are bogged down by their busy working lives—and at times would fancy a holiday over teaching a group of rowdy kids.

With these demands on life, or in many cases the choices we make, it leaves a group of kids not discipled and at risk of losing faith.

The Notorious B.I.G. was right when he once rapped, "Mo money mo problems."

So, if money and time can’t solve our discipleship problem, what can?

These were the questions and problems presented to the group that participated in the Canadian National Gathering stream, Faith Formation of Children and Youth. But even in a room filled with pastors, youth pastors, and lay leaders—including youth group volunteers and Sunday school teachers—pinpointing a single solution was nearly impossible.

However, this is not a lost cause. There are ways to tackle these issues, and it starts by having a dream and a big blue board.

Participants in this stream were led in an exercise called the Big Blue Board. This exercise starts with sticky notes, a pen, and some dreams. If the sky is the limit, what do you dream of for your church’s ministry for children and youth? There is no wrong answer, and there is no limit to resources.

It’s amazing what a blank wall and blank paper can produce—the dreams flowed. Some dreams seemed attainable and practical while others seemed like a pipe dream. It didn’t matter; they were dreams of what the Kingdom of God can look like. As we read in Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

The ideas and dreams were then put on the blue board and categorized into ones that were similar. As the board filled up, so did the hope in the room. God can and will do amazing things through His people.

The task was then to put a name to the categories. What were each of these dreams saying about our church communities? Hope continued to grow. Was there a pinpoint solution? Not yet, but there were some dreams that got folks excited.

"A goal for this activity was to allow leaders the time to focus on what youth and young adult ministry can look like when we step out in faith, dream a little bit and allow the Spirit to energize our imaginations for what God can do," said Rick Zomer, Stream Co-Leader

This activity opened minds to think big—to not put God and His Spirit in a box, but to think of what He can do with His church. And it starts with dreaming.

We encourage you to try out this Big Blue Board exercise at your church (instructions below). What dreams will be shared? Where is God leading you and your congregation? It will be exciting to find out!

Try the Big Blue Board Exercise at Your Church:

1. Prepare: Grab a blank wall or blue poster board, markers, and pads of sticky notes.
2. Start Individually (Focus on Volume): Set a strict time limit (e.g., 5–10 minutes) and ask each leader to work quietly on their own. Encourage everyone to write down as many ideas as possible—one idea per sticky note. Starting individually prevents premature critique or evaluation, allowing creativity to flow freely and generating a far higher volume of ideas before sharing.
3. Share & Post: Once the timer ends, have each participant share their sticky notes with the group one by one and place them up on the board. Remember: ideas spark ideas! Even if an idea isn't fully formed, putting it on the board might spark something new for someone else.
4. Cluster & Categorize: Working together as a team with a facilitator, review all the posted ideas and group similar sticky notes into shared clusters.
5. Name the Themes: Give each category a title (e.g., Mentorship, Family Support, Outreach).
6. Reflect: Ask what these dreams reveal about where God might be leading your church next.

Need more inspiration to try? A dream of Bethel CRC in Acton, Ontario was to catechize their youth in a new and exciting way. You can read all about how that dream became reality here in this Banner article.

We want to walk alongside you in this process. If you would like someone to talk you through this exercise before leading it with your team, please feel free to reach out to us! Try the exercise for yourself at your church—you can do it! And then, when you have your dreams categorized, reach out to Thrive and we can help you think through next steps and how your dreams can become reality and show God and His power to the next generation.