Continuing to Grow in Faith - Issue #71

Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Illinois is a congregation that takes seriously its responsibility to engage adults in the life-long process of growing in faith by providing opportunities to make meaningful connections between Scripture, the traditions of our faith, and daily life.

The church has designed an intentional plan for adult faith formation with a variety of entry points for participants. Studies on Sunday mornings last between six and eight weeks. Each study is designed for a specific group of adults, based on their level of knowledge and experience with the Christian faith and in the church. Some of the studies are designated as basic; these studies are identified with an icon of one apple. Other studies, indicated by two apples, are intermediate level. Three apples indicate that the study takes an advanced look at the particular topic.

On Wednesday nights adults are invited to participate in Café Camilla. The topics from week to week follow a pattern: Faith Views the News (considering a current event in light of the Christian faith), What a Character (contemplating a biblical character), Mission (focusing on a particular opportunity for service and outreach), and A Look at the Book (summarizing the significant points, people, and ideas in a book of the Bible). This pattern enables each week's topic to be free-standing. Any adult can participate fully on any Wednesday night.

Some Questions for Discussion

• What opportunities are you currently providing to help adults make meaningful connections between Scripture, the traditions of our faith, and daily life?

• How are you currently reaching adults with varying levels of knowledge and experience with the Christian faith?

• What one experience currently makes the most impact on adult faith formation in your congregation? If you could develop an experience that might have a greater impact, what would it be?

Carol Krau is Director of Adult Formation and Discipleship at the Discipleship Ministries. She can be reached at [email protected].

In 2007 church leaders throughout The United Methodist Church in the U.S. were invited to identify churches that demonstrated the vision of discipleship described in the twelfth chapter of Romans. Over 200 churches were surveyed or visited. Issue #71. © 2010 Discipleship Ministries. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to copy this page for use in United Methodist congregations.