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Adult Faith Formation: Making It Work in Your Parish
by Jo Rotunno

I once heard of a parish that invited the renowned Scripture scholar, Fr. Raymond Brown, to speak. It was quite expensive to have him come, and so the staff agreed that it would be best to allow him to speak for the full three-hour block of time, with a short refreshment break at the midpoint. They wanted to take advantage of his great expertise and allow the participants to hear as many of his ideas and insights as possible.

What did the participants learn from this experience? The several who were auditory learners recalled quite a lot of what he had said, although they admitted they didn’t understand all of it. The compulsive note-takers, if they went back and reviewed their notes, felt that they had learned a bit more, although they still had a lot of questions. The ones who just allowed themselves sit back and listen found it an enjoyable experience, but admitted that their main insight was that Fr. Brown was certainly a brilliant man and they were privileged to have heard him speak.

Was this adult faith formation? Certainly not for most. Was it even a good educational experience? I don’t think so. It would have been better to cut back the amount of presentation time and provide some opportunities to check comprehension, invite dialogue, and allow integration. If it was a privilege to listen to Fr. Brown, how much greater a privilege it would have been to ask him a question directly. And how much more useful it would have been to reflect on what his great insights might mean for one’s own spiritual life.

I knew of another woman who was a bit of a Scripture scholar herself and who was well known as a speaker in my local diocese. She traveled from parish to parish offering her insights to groups of interested adults. She would look at the topic chosen for her presentation and make an outline of what she might say. She then took her list and divided it in half, and then in half again, until she arrived at a simple manageable concept that she could use as a basis for presentation, dialogue, and personal and private reflection with the group. She was a biblical expert who also understood the educational and formational difference between a lecture and a process of discovery.

Adult faith formation can happen in many ways, through faith sharing groups, reflections on the Sunday readings or, certainly, through sessions with strong doctrinal content. But when you plan for adult faith formation in your parish, plan for both parts of the process. Decide on the best delivery system for the content, whether it be print material, video, or a well-trained catechist or invited speaker. But also plan for the process that will connect this content with the lives of the participants. Train table group facilitators if you have more than 8-10 people attending. Plan the questioning strategies that will allow for reflection and integration. Allow time for dialogue with the speaker. And always, always, include time for prayer and for fellowship. In our Church, formation always happens best in community.

Adult Formation
The Faith Connection®

Whole Community Catechesis
Online Resource

Sacrament Preparation
Eucharist and Reconciliation

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