Faith Forward is a program that seeks to empower and support families as they pass down their faith to their children and grandchildren. Research shows that the most effective way for kids to develop a faith that will sustain them throughout their lives is for it to be modeled by their grown ups, and not just at church. This program will work with families to provide the resources, activities, and encouragement to pass down their faith in ways that demonstrate the importance of God’s presence in our lives.

Faith Forward is a program developed by Grandview University in Des Moines. As a university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Grand View has a passion for supporting faith formation in rural congregations. To develop “Faith Forward,” Grand View received financial funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. After applying and interviewing with program leaders, we are blessed at St. Paul to have been selected to participate in this program. We are 1 of only 20 congregations that were selected for the 2024-25 cohort year and the only congregation from the Southeastern Minnesota Synod.

The Five Faith Promises

Faith Forward will be encouraging families to live into these five faith promises that were developed by Peer Ministry Leadership. Our activities and programming will be formed around encouraging these in your homes.
Prayer
We promise to pray together every day.
Scripture Reading
We promise to read the Bible together regularly.
Faith Conversations
We promise to talk together often about Jesus and our faith.
Acts of Service
We promise to perform acts of service together in our community, our congregation, and our home.
Shared Mealtimes
We promise to share five or more meals together each week, and to engage in other rituals and traditions together.

Meet The Faith Forward Cohort

Pastor Heath is grateful to be a part of a group of wonderful colleagues (pastors, church leaders, and faith formation experts) as we roll out this program in our congregation here at St. Paul. Be sure to pray for this group as they work to help their respective ministry sites support families in passing on their faith.
Faith Forward Church Leaders