(Photo by www.freepik.com.)
Hello, friends–I yield this space to my collaboration colleague Heidi Indahl, who works through a process called Designed for Discipleship (TM). She consults on how to combine missionary discipleship and education and formation, and has written for us before. This article is the third in a series on evaluating parish faith formation from a mission standpoint…but also from a success standpoint! God wants his mission to bear fruit! Thanks again for contributing, Heidi.
If you want to make an apple pie, would it make much sense to go to the grocery store for ingredients and buy a bag of oranges instead? Of course not!
Many times in our faith formation programs, however, lack of a clear sense of purpose leads us accidentally to do exactly that. We desire a new result so we rush out to replace our current curriculum with the shiniest and brightest alternative we can find. The one that claims to guarantee the outcome we want.
People have a tendency to look at new curriculum as the primary way to change course in faith formation, but what if it isn’t a new curriculum itself you need but to change the way it interacts with the rest of your program?
In reality, your faith formation program consists of three key components that interact to lead to the mouth-watering pie you are craving. There is a high likelihood that if you are suffering from a lot of stress and tension in your faith formation, something is off between the alignment of your human resources, your physical resources, and your curriculum.
1. Physical Resources
This includes the physical classroom environment for small and large group activities, materials available, financial resources, class time, class structure etc. Some of these things may be adapted and modified, others may not. You can probably quickly fundraise for art supplies, less so for a new building!
2. Human Resources
This includes the human formation of your students, parents, clergy, parish staff and volunteers. It includes their prior knowledge and skills and can be influenced through training and other approaches. Human resources also include any experts, like Dr. Susan or me, that you have available to support adaptations to the three key ingredients.
3. Curriculum
Technically one of your physical resources, this is the specific method or approach your program uses to combine your physical and human resources.
You need all three program components to create a sturdy bridge between where your community is right now and your desired outcomes.
Recipe Check
To do a quick check of your recipe and ingredients, give this a try. Take a piece of paper (or a whiteboard if you are able to do this in a group), turn it horizontally and make three columns. At the top of each column, write the words physical, human, curriculum.
Set a timer and spend five minutes writing everything you can think of to describe your program under each category. Descriptions only, no evaluations. Don’t be tempted to spend more than five minutes on this step.
Next, take a second piece of paper and write all of your frustrations about your program. Limit yourself to five minutes again.
Finally, compare your two exercises. What are the real sources of frustration? What are the ones you can modify through changing the physical environment or program structure? Do you need to invest in additional formation and training of your volunteers? Are you using a curriculum that starts beyond where your students or families are?
Making Modifications
Here are a few common limiting factors I hear from faith formation coordinators:
Lack of space
Lack of financial resources
Lack of volunteers
Student background knowledge
Families not coming to Mass
Volunteer experience, knowledge, and skills (including discipleship)
Uncatechized or non practicing parents
In many of these cases it is the way that the curriculum is implemented that actually needs to be changed, not the curriculum itself. For example, providing a different space to work in or training for your catechists. It could be that leadership is spread thin across too many programs, preventing any of them from being as effective as they could be.
Pray and plan
Just like grandma’s pie baked with love, Jesus is the binder in your faith formation recipe. You won’t be able to make all the changes at once and not every frustration will have an obvious solution. The Holy Spirit can help you identify connections and themes as you decide how and where to focus your efforts in a way that aligns with your community needs and desired outcomes.
Curriculum is an important component of faith formation but it is not a magic bullet. Rarely are programming solutions as straightforward as simply buying a new one. The good news is this- with intentional prayer, clear goals and program assessment the most effective solutions to your frustrations and component misalignment will lead to deeper discipleship because they are rooted in the reality of the community you have rather than a generic ideal. Without the investment in a new curriculum, this often comes with a smaller price tag!
Are you looking for support to complete comprehensive program evaluation that dives into whole program inventory, individual program evaluation, in depth resource alignment, and more? Contact Heidi at co********@*****************ay.com to check availability for both parishes and schools. Now booking for 2025-2026 school year. Fully remote program evaluation is available in most cases.
