This article is part of The Building Blocks of Faith Toolkit—a collection of resources for strengthening faith formation in your congregation and at home, brought to you by Faith Formation Ministries.
Christian parents want to nurture their children’s faith, but they don’t always know where to start. The Building Blocks of Faith provide an excellent framework for family faith formation, giving parents a place to start with any child, at any age.
Here are some helpful resources and ideas.
Introduce Dear Parent
In Dear Parent: A Guide for Family Faith Formation, authors Laura Keeley and Robert J. Keeley (the originators of the Building Blocks concept) explain the Building Blocks of Faith and encourage parents to help children find their place in God's family, know God's story, live in hope, and discover their calling. Each chapter ends with discussion or thought questions, ideas for living the chapter topic out, and a short resource list.
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Provide a copy of Dear Parent for each family in your church. Bulk pricing is available from Faith Alive.
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Use it as a book study for parents and caregivers, as well as church volunteers who work with children.
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Give it as a baptism gift from the church to parents.
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Facilitate an annual parent class or workshop using the chapters of Dear Parent as discussion starters.
Provide Family Devotions
Send parents a link to these Building Blocks-based devotions, share them on your church website or social media, or make printed copies available:
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I Belong: Devotions for All Ages, Psalm 23 (set of 4)
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I Know and Understand: Devotions for All Ages, Psalm 1 (set of 4)
Share Family Faith Formation Tips
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In your church communications, share family faith formation tips and resources that focus on a different Building Block each quarter. Include stories of how families in your congregation are incorporating the Building Blocks into daily life.
Create Belonging Boxes
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Deliver or hand out a Belonging Box to each of your families. Fill it with the following:
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a letter from a pastor or children’s ministry leader telling your families how much they are known, loved, and cherished as a part of your congregation.
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a copy of Dear Parent to introduce the Building Blocks and a copy of Everyday Family Faith for developing family faith practices. Bulk pricing is available from Faith Alive. This is a small but powerful way to invest in families!
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instructions for a simple activity for the family to do together, such as a photo scavenger hunt for things in your church building or neighborhood.
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a printed copy of one or more free downloadable resources from the Dwell at Home series for family faith formation.
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candy: you can’t go wrong with a sweet treat!
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Reese’s Pieces: God loves you to pieces!
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Starburst: We are bursting to tell you how much we love your family!
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M&Ms: God thinks you are Marvelous & Magnificent―and so does your church family!
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Plan Faith-Building Events
Offer church-wide events that focus on one of the Building Blocks:
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Host quarterly “Belonging Potlucks.” Encourage families and friend-groups to sit with new people. Then put conversation-starters at each table that focus on one of the Building Blocks.
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Talk with your pastor about a sermon series on the four Building Blocks and coordinate Building Blocks-based events or activities for families during that series.
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Host Building Block conversations during your church education hour to gather parents together.
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Brainstorm and discuss how participants use or have seen the Building Blocks used in their family. Use our Questions and Conversation Starters to start discussions.
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Bring grandparents in to encourage younger parents by sharing faith stories on Building Blocks themes.
Want to know more? We’ve gathered a wealth of resources in our free Building Blocks of Faith toolkit.
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