Leading Faith Formation for Children and Youth

Foundational skills and mindsets for nurturing meaningful, lasting faith.

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So many youth and family ministry leaders aren’t full-time professionals—we’re volunteers juggling this work alongside everything else, and we’re just doing our best! It’s easy to get overwhelmed, or to find yourself going through the motions without much thoughtful grounding in the theology and purpose of it all. So what is most important as we engage in the vital work of our young people’s faith formation? Where do we begin? What faithful, informed choices can we make to best guide the young disciples around us?

This course is designed to introduce you to the foundational mindsets, essential knowledge, and core skills you need for ministry with young people. We’ll explore practical strategies and theological grounding to help you guide young people with care, confidence, and creativity.

This training can be invaluable for new ministry leaders, group orientations, or anyone who just needs a refresher. If your church has an established program, engage in this learning to enrich the work you are already doing! And if you don’t already have a huge, structured program in place? If only a few children show up on Sunday mornings, and only some of the time? This course will be especially helpful for thoughtfully meeting the needs of the young disciples you do serve, while also laying a foundation and paving the way for something more organized down the road.

Whatever your context, this training helps your ministry teams get on the same page and move forward with clarity and shared purpose in shaping meaningful experiences that nurture faith. Join us as we step back, reflect, and develop a sustainable, theologically grounded approach to faith formation.

What You'll Learn

  • The theological principles central to ministry with children and youth
  • How to connect theology and practice in faith formation
  • Ways to authentically integrate children and youth into worship
  • How to design small experiments that deepen young people’s faith experiences
  • Best practices for ensuring safety and healthy boundaries in ministry
  • The developmental stages of children and youth and how they shape faith formation
  • The importance of multiple caring adults in young people’s faith development
  • How to assess and adapt activities for relational and age-appropriate ministry
  • Strategies for supporting faith formation in the home and working with parents
  • How to cultivate intergenerational connections and activities
  • Methods for identifying and guiding volunteers effectively

About this Course

  • Modules

9

  • Learning Elements

77

  • Videos

15

  • Practices & Activities

14

  • Time

7 hours 30 minutes

  • Price

$55

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Here's What's Inside...

In this module you will:

  • Describe a theology of children and youth that understands them as the present, not just the future of the church.
  • Consider several ways children and youth can participate authentically in worship.
  • Design small experiments to deepen the experience of young people in worship.

In this module you will:

  • Develop an understanding of gifts children and youth bring to the church.
  • Consider how to best steward the gifts of young people.
  • Be prepared to implement best practices to assure safety of children and youth.

In this module you will:

  • Learn how faith formation ministry helps young people live into their identities as children of God.
  • Consider the delicate balance between engaging groups and meeting individual needs.
  • Sketch beginning ideas for how to accommodate students with exceptional needs.

In this module you will:

  • Develop a working understanding of the characteristics of developmental stages in children and youth.
  • Create a personal definition of relational ministry.
  • Assess current activities for their age-appropriateness and relational quality.

In this module you will:

  • Develop an understanding of the unique characteristics of various generations.
  • Learn about the benefits of intergenerational activities.
  • Create an experimental intergenerational activity.

In this module you will:

  • Appreciate the importance of the family in the forming of faith in young people.
  • Consider ways to encourage faith formation activity in the home.
  • Develop strategies for working with the needs of parents.
You'll Learn How to Cultivate Community
An adult and child’s hands rest together on an open Bible, symbolizing faith, guidance, and connection.

Our young ones are the hearts of our congregations! Let’s come alongside them with open ears, forming life-giving relationships as we raise these youngest disciples in hope and faith.

What to Expect

  • Lifetime access to the course materials, including a comprehensive course handbook.
  • A FREE account inside the Faith+Lead Learning Lab, a private online learning community where you can connect with other learners and leaders walking through this course.
  • If you're already a Faith+Lead member, click here to access this course—it's included in your membership at no additional cost: https://lab.faithlead.org/courses/leading-faith-formation-in-children-youth/ 

Ready to Enroll?

Enroll in this one on-demand course today or unlock free access to this and all on-demand courses plus more with Faith+Lead Membership →

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Access to monthly group coaching

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Access to this on-demand course

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Access to an online supportive community

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Access to 20+ on-demand courses

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Access to all workshops and their recordings

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Access to member-only live Q&A monthly interviews

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Access to monthly group coaching

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Need a scholarship? Apply here.

Looking for just in-time training resources?

Use this on-demand course as a complementary ready-made resource for small groups, Bible studies, discipleship growth, and equipping lay leaders in your specific ministry setting.

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Meet Your Instructor

  • Stephanie Luedtke

    Associate Pastor, St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Minnesota

    Stephanie Luedtke is a minister, educator, and artist. She often combines the three, weaving education and arts through her ministry or ministry into arts education. Stephanie is a rostered Pastor in the ELCA with 25 years of experience in ministry of various sorts, and holds a Master’s Degree in Worship Arts. She enjoys helping people of all ages find meaningful ways to worship, learn, and to be in faithful community together. Through her work in schools, private settings, churches, and at the judicatory level, and independent work as a consultant, coach, and curriculum writer, Stephanie has always tried to follow her passions and assist others in doing the same.

Connect as you learn

Connect inside the Faith+Lead Learning Lab

Learning happens best when you do it together with folks who are on the same journey as you are.

That's why our private social network, the Faith+Lead Learning Lab, hosts conversations about course content with other learners, instructors, TAs, and community leaders.

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Study together with a small group or congregation

Want to bring Leading Faith Formation for Children and Youth to your Bible study, small group, or even your entire congregation?

Choose "Enroll a Group" at checkout and select how many people you'd like to provide access to the course. You can go through the course together in-person, watch lessons together via Zoom, or even create a private group in the Learning Lab where participants can connect asynchronously.

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