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.