The United Methodist Publishing House invites congregations to partner with us in a cohort experience to explore new ways of ministering to families with children and create resources for families to use in their everyday lives.
We are looking for congregations with leaders who:
- Sense a shift in effective children’s ministry practices.
- Are open to experimenting with highly relational ministry and new ways to support parents and caregivers.
- Want to share their own insights and learn from other colleagues in a collaborative setting.
Benefits to congregations from partnering with UMPH include:
- Ideas and support for new faith formation approaches. Faith formation approaches that have worked for decades struggle to connect with modern families. A partnership with UMPH will provide the congregation with cutting-edge ideas, approaches, and insights about how to offer effective faith formation with children and their families in the current culture. This may include professional training on family engagement strategies.
- Trustworthy resources. By partnering with UMPH, congregations will help create resources for families and caregivers that help them to understand themselves as children of God, explore and deepen their relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and love and serve God and neighbor. Partner congregations will be the first to access these resources and play a key role in shaping them.
- Additional Incentives and Opportunities. Partner congregations will have opportunities to receive additional resources and partnership opportunities based on participation such as Cokesbury gift cards, children’s Bibles, and further research opportunities around intergenerational worship. UMPH will also cover some initial costs associated with deepening relationships with families.
The aims of this partnership are to strengthen faith formation in children and families and deepen relationships between parents/caregivers and their local congregations. Recent research confirms that parents and other caregivers are the primary influence in their children’s faith formation. At the same time, research shows that parents are overwhelmed and struggling more than in any previous generation. We seek to find best practices and effective resources that strengthen relationships between congregations and families to help children and families grow in faith in their everyday lives, especially in a time when many no longer attend church regularly or at all.
Everyday Faith Partner Congregations aspire to . . .
- Listen to parents and caregivers to understand their daily challenges and hopes.
- Deepen relationships of support and encouragement with families.
- Try new approaches and help shape the future of family ministry.
- Establish sustainable systems for equipping parents and caregivers to be faith leaders for their families in their everyday lives.
UMPH will equip our partners in these aspirations by . . .
- Gathering a cohort of church leaders (virtually) to discuss, innovate, and test methods for strengthening relationships with and among families.
- Facilitating opportunities for church leaders to listen to parents and caregivers.
- Creating and offering free prototype resources that equip parents and caregivers to be faith formation leaders in their everyday lives.
We partner with the hope that . . .
- Congregations will grow their ability to disciple families in ways that help parents and caregivers feel supported while children grow in faith in their everyday lives.
- UMPH can provide ever more relevant and effective resources that nurture Christian faith in children and families.
DRAFT - Everyday Faith Partner Agreement PDF
Click HERE to apply for the partnership.
