Project: Faith Forward

Since 2012, Faith Forward has been at the leading edge of progressive ministry with children in America, resourcing a movement to re-imagine what it means to do faith formation with children and young people. Part retreat, part conference, part networking event, Faith Forward gatherings can be difficult to define. Founder David Csinos tells us more.

Faith Forward is diverse

Having bounced around from tradition to tradition as God has called me, my faith life is one not easily categorised by denominational borders. It is out of this theological diversity that I have envisioned Faith Forward as a place where ecumenism can be forged not in spite of significant theological and denominational difference, but because of it.

Faith Forward is empowering

I’ve been to far too many children’s and youth ministry conferences that utilise pedagogical strategies that separate experts from novices. Usually this is most pronounced through a reliance on speakers who talk at length to a captive audience. At Faith Forward, we certainly have speakers who share their wisdom and imaginations with our participants, but this is only one aspect of what we do to re-imagine ministry together. Rather than telling people how to do ministry, we attempt to create a space where participants can resource one another as we all explore the deeper purposes, values, and visions we bring to our formational endeavours with youth people.

Faith Forward is creative

Faith Forward began because a group of us wanted a space to ask tough questions about ministry with children; questions that were incredibly important but weren’t always safe to ask in other contexts. This is still central to our mission. And while we love to ask questions and love when others bring their tough questions to our events, we aren’t quick to provide answers. Instead, we like to put our heads together and find creative responses to the questions, challenges and issues we are facing in our congregations, families and ministry contexts.

We try to build this creativity into every aspect of what we do. Our sessions include presentations by amazing speakers, but they also include conversations and artistic contributions from all sorts of people. All of this blends together to push the boundaries on what a ‘conference’ looks like.

Faith Forward is revolutionary

The creative and diverse group of leaders who attended Faith Forward 2015 joined together to create a community of empowerment. For many of these folks, children’s and youth ministry exists on the fringes of their faith communities and ministry contexts. While there may be lip service paid to the importance of ministry with young people, the reality of budget cuts and wider congregational concerns means this work is not often placed at the top of priority lists. So the community of co-conspirators that gathered in Chicago became one in which struggles common in many contexts were met with mutual empathy and support.

This gathering of people ‘on the fringes’ in their faith communities reminded me that revolution doesn’t begin in the centre and move to the margins. True revolutionary change starts at the fringes and gradually works its way throughout a whole system. Ironically, it is actually the fact that children’s and youth ministry often exists on the fringes that gives it the potential to radically change what it means to follow Jesus in our faith communities. The ideas and practices that the folks at Faith Forward are experimenting with are nothing short of revolutionary for the Church — so much so that many of them would never be attempted in the core ministries of congregations. Yet I left Chicago hopeful for the future not only of children’s ministry, but of the church in Western society, for a revolution is underway and it begins with children and young people!