Foundations
Remember “Partners in Faith” (PIF) is not just another program. It is a ministry and a way of thinking that helps shape and focus your existing programs. Congregations (corporate church) and families (domestic church) are in partnership to nurture Christian faith. Partnerships imply relationships.1. Seeing
The first step in adopting PIF is to see the need for it in your congregation. To do this begin by talking about it with some other members. Ask yourselves;
If your answer to these questions—as well as similar questions which you might think of—is positive then, even though you are not calling it Partners in Faith, your congregation is probably already doing a good job of PIF. Congratulations! Look through the material available here for more ideas and consider sharing your successes on this site.
If, on the other hand, you begin to see there is a need for Partners in Faith in your congregation... be encouraged! Help is available! You are ready to move into the planning stage.
2. Planning
Begin planning by researching further; what aids are available; what might be the time commitments, what might be the dollars required; who are the people in your congregation willing to commit to helping.
Consider contacting the nearest PIF committee member or resource person:
PIF is setting up six resource centre congregations across the synod; two in the Northern Conference and one in the other four conferences (see our sub-page RESOURCES - Links). These centres will be in place by mid-summer 2007. Each centre will have "must have" resources for Family Ministry; material for corporate practice and domestic practice. The resources are available for other congregations to look at and order for themselves. The resource centres are:
Having developed a basic plan and collected backup information, approach your council. Present your ideas always staying focused on the particular needs and context of your congregation.
Keep in mind that PIF is not another program to push between those you already have in your congregation. PIF is a way of understanding that the corporate body of the congregation and the families of the congregation are in partnership; they are partners learning how to better support each other in the task of nurturing Christian faith in the younger generations.
This bedrock understanding changes the way the other programs do ministry.
3. Learning
With council and church leader approvals begin to study in more detail the material on this site and on other sites. During this stage you could send interested members on courses or inviting “experts” in to teach your congregation.
Eventually, this learning step will involve “experts” in your congregation teaching and guiding other members of your congregation.
4. Trying
Don’t wait for the perfect time to launch PIF, the time is now. Try PIF on for size at the level to which you have grown. Preparation is important but be willing to try out new ideas as they come along.
If you are just beginning, keep your eyes and ears open for responses from the congregation. Many of the ideas are designed to increase intergenerational interaction. Remember, this is about passing faith life from one generation to the next so watch for responses of how the young and the old.
Often, the initial response will be for people to feel strange. The young feel strange when approached by the old. The old feel strange reaching out to the young ("They are different!").
Encourage both generations to risk reaching out... and watch for the pleasure of acceptance.
5. Adapting
As your community becomes more comfortable with PIF you will be able to try new things and you will better be able to gauge the location of the edges; the safety boundaries which do need to be respected. Don’t be afraid to adapt materials to fit the talents present in your congregation. What worked for another congregation will probably need to be tweaked for your congregation. Go ahead and tweak! If your adaptation works out well, share it with other congregations.
Always remember to use what you see happening in your context to advise you on your next step; more training, more people, give your resource people a break, a new idea, go slower, etc.
6. Etc.
The planning, learning, trying and adapting stages are iterative—the chicken and egg thing. You need to plan as to what to learn; you learn; and then you will know what additional learning for which you need to plan. As you try you will see how to adapt ideas to your context.
At this stage you are ready to loop back for some planning… learning… trying. Constantly remind yourselves; Partners in Faith is a way of understanding that the corporate body of the congregation and the families of the congregation are partners. You are partners learning how to better support each other in the task of nurturing faith in the younger generations.
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