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Formed in Faith Project

  1. Whitworth University
  2. Church Engagement
  3. Formed in Faith Project
  4. Churches & Ministry Leaders

Churches & Ministry Leaders

Partner with families to explore and experiment with new models of Christian education

The Formed in Faith Project is designed to help ministry leaders connect with the families in their congregations, explore and experiment with new models of faith formation for parents and children, and build networks of support with churches and leaders around Spokane. Fill out the interest form below to get connected to the program.

Church & Ministry Leader Interest Form

Family Ministry Residency

The OCE is hiring! Children’s and Family Ministry Leaders serving in the Spokane area are invited to apply to be a Formed in Faith Resident. Designed as a paid residency position, this program is meant to provide professional development opportunities to local ministry leaders and increase their capacity to experiment with new models of faith formation with children and their caregivers.  

The goal of the Residency program is to better equip churches and their leaders to partner with parents/caregivers as they share faith with their kids and to help churches cultivate an intergenerational life of community & worship that is radically hospitable to children and their caregivers.  

What you can expect as a Formed in Faith Resident:

  • An $8,000 per year stipend
  • Monthly trainings in areas of childhood spirituality, intergenerational ministry, and parent engagement
  • Individual and group coaching from ministry experts (meet our team of coaches here)
  • Connection to a community of other Residents doing this work and representing a diversity of church expressions
  • Funding to aid in contextualization and experimentation in your church context
  • Funding to attend conferences and ministry immersion experiences
  • Engagement with spiritual formation & practices meant to attend to your own life with God
  • An individualized report, delivered at the conclusion of the project, that details the ways each church has changed during the project and recommendations for future work

Residents can expect to devote approximately 10 hours/month to attending trainings and doing Formed in Faith-specific work. Another 10+ hours should be spent contextualizing learnings in your ministry context. This should overlap with the church work you are already doing! At the end of two years, Residents will be awarded an endorsement in intergenerational ministry & family faith formation from Whitworth University (note: This is a non-credit bearing endorsement).

What we expect from you as a Formed in Faith Resident:

  • A two-year commitment, including attendance at all program gatherings and retreats (see timeline, most will include childcare options)
  • Thoughtful engagement with various readings, videos or podcast episodes designed to deepen your learning and aid in your experimentation
  • Willingness to experiment and contextualize program learnings in your church context
  • Intentional engagement with parents and caregivers in your church
  • Commitment from church leadership to support your work, including occasional participation from senior leaders and a willingness to integrate principles of intergenerational ministry into the life of the church
  • Participation in evaluation and data collection in your church
  • Assistance staffing Formed in Faith community events or Children’s Ministry Leader Network gatherings (2-3 times per year)

View a Formed in Faith Resident Job Description.

Interested in applying? Here’s what we need:

  • Information about your sense of call when it comes to ministry with children and/or parents and families
  • Information about the church you serve
  • Written commitment from your church’s senior leadership to support your work and participate in project events when required (instructions for this can be found in the application)

Our application opens September 1 and is due November 27. Interviews will be conducted during the first week of December with final selections made by December 6.

APPLY Program Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the time commitment?

    Residents will spend approximately 10 hours/month attending trainings, coaching meetings and other Formed in Faith-specific work. We estimate residents will spend another 10+ hours in their ministry context as they apply things they are learning to their work in the congregation they serve. See the residency timeline for more details. Note that a few weeks are heavier (i.e., parent circle trainings in February-March 2025) and others are lighter (i.e., December; we know your ministries already have enough going on in December!)

  • When will trainings take place?

    Trainings, gatherings, coaching meetings and retreats will always take place on a week day. We are working to provide child care during these gatherings for those who need it. See the residency timeline for specific details. 

  • I pastor a smaller church without a designated children’s/family ministry staff member. Can I apply to be a resident?

    Yes! When filling out the application, select "no" for the question: “I have discussed this opportunity with the appropriate pastor/leader at my church and can provide you with their contact information.” You will then be asked to share more details about your staff structure. OCE will be in contact with you to discuss this further. 

  • What does the "data collection" entail?

    Often as ministry leaders we try new approaches and implement new programs, and we hope that the things we try are:

    1. Appropriate to what the congregation needs and/or wants
    2. Working – or are at least helpful changes

    We often make these decisions based on a combination of our own inklings, wider church efforts, and anecdotes or feedback from church members.  

    Our approach in this residency is to be data-informed and Spirit-driven. We are seeking to follow God’s movement in our ministries, and we recognize how this can work in concert with our own efforts to gather data about our place and our people. What do the parents/caregivers in our midst need? How do members of our wider church understand their role in helping raise our congregation’s children together? Through quantitative and qualitative data collection (including two to three all-church surveys, interviews with select community members, a story collection gathering and your resident's feedback), our research specialist can provide an individualized report for your church. This report will be available to you by the end of the project and will include ways your church is already hospitable to children and parents, unique strengths of your congregation you can leverage toward this goal, and ways you might grow even as the residency concludes.

    Research gathering is a minimal time commitment and will happen concurrently with the residency. See timeline for more details.

  • I don’t currently serve in a church, but I still would love the training. Can I apply to be a resident?

    Unfortunately, no. You must be currently serving in a church as a staff member or an invested volunteer who acts in a leadership capacity in order to apply. Our approach is heavily contextual, meaning you cannot apply learnings adequately unless you are embedded in a church. 

  • I’m not in Spokane. How can I get involved?

    At the end of this two-year residency experience, we hope to translate what we learn into something accessible to leaders in other geographical areas. Sign up for our Formed in Faith newsletter in order to stay in the loop! We also use our newsletter to share practices we are trying and to advertise community-wide events.

Not ready to commit to a residency? You can also partner with the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement to reimagine the paradigm of childhood faith formation through:

  • Listening Sessions – Our team will help organize and fund a listening session with families in your church (including providing food and child care). If you would like to organize a listening session for your congregation, please reach out to Program Director Lauren Hunter at lhunter@whitworth.edu.
  • Events – We plan to offer online and in-person events. Events will be a mix of small- and large-format gatherings that provide opportunities for both parents and ministry leaders.
  • Children's Ministry Network Gatherings – This network of children's ministry leaders will gather for support, shared learning and worship. The gatherings will be held in person and are open to any church leaders in the area. Fill out the interest form to be notified of these gatherings.
  • Micro Grants – The OCE will take applications for small grants related to child and family faith formation. More information about this funding opportunity will be forthcoming.

If you have other thoughts or needs related to families and children's faith formation, please reach out to our team!