What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Faith Formation is the umbrella over programs to support both children and adults in their personal faith development.

Faith Formation is for children and youth with Sunday programs and special events.

Faith Formation is for adults with covenant groups, classes and book studies.

Faith formation is for families with events like the Fall Festival and Pine Song.

All Faith Formation programs are designed to enrich participants through addressing the following questions.

• What makes a life meaningful?
• Is there something out there bigger than myself?
• What happens after death?
• When things seem too big to handle on my own, where do I turn?
• How can I have a better relationship with myself and the people around me?
• When I’m overwhelmed by the big problems I see in the world, what is mine to do?
• What are the sacred texts I can explore for answers?
• What are practices I can use to find deeper meaning with that thing some people call spirit?

Faith Formation is learning how our particular way of being, whether we call it spirit or soul or something else, encourages us to express our faith. This might show up as becoming an activist for a marginalized group or an important cause, or it might show up as taking that leap of faith to pursue art or acting or singing, or it might show up accepting a scary call to become a teacher or diplomat or minister. The goal of Faith Formation is to provide people with the tools and knowledge to make value-based, ethical decisions.

Faith Formation is also the place to learn how to articulate what our faith does and does not teach.

We, in Unitarian Universalism, are a principle-based faith, not a dogma or creed-based faith. We look to a set of principles to guide us. Those principles, described in detail here, are inseparable from one another.

We strive to take our values and principles into the world through acts of love, justice, and compassion in service to our community. “Love spoken here” is far more than a slogan: it is an invitation to walk our faith to create a more just and inclusive world.

Faith Formation begins with the personal and moves into the community where we actively foster connections not only within our own congregation, but with the larger communities in which we live.