Christian Formation Resources
Image
The Office of Christian Formation provides resources for essential Christian practices that can be followed by churches, in families, by individuals, young and older, in communities, small groups, classrooms and retreats. We seek to honor the unique gifts, challenges and opportunities that come with every age and stage in a person’s lifetime of faith formation. The following resources come from our office, other areas within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and our partner associations.
All but a few of the resources listed are free downloadable PDF’s. Many are in the form of Quicksheets, Toolkits, Discussion Guides, or Retreat modules. Quicksheets are short PDF’s full of ministry ideas and links to other resources on a variety of Christian Formation topics. Toolkits include a Compass Point, Quicksheets, and a Resource Roadmap around the same topic or theme.
RESOURCES
General
- An Everyday Faith Conversation | Español
- Being Faithful with Money: A Guide for Families with Children
- Bible Presentation for Children | Español
- Blessings Around a New School Year | Español
- Catch and Connect: Faith Conversations
- Children and Anti-Racism Toolkit
- Children’s Ministry Beyond the Church Walls
- Explaining Dementia to Children
- Grandparent Camp Retreat Module
- Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible and FlyAway Books – Tips for Engaging
- Launching a New Family Ministries Program
- Peacemaking in the Family: 4 Events
- Resilient Young People: Camp Ministry
- Sabbath Practices Ministry Kit for Children
- Talking to Children about Homelessness
At Home
- An Everyday Faith Conversation
- At Home Formation: Building a Child’s Home Library
- Drops Like Me: World Changing with Families | Español
- Everyday Faith Moments Cards (Parent | Church Leader) Spanish cards (Padres | Líderes de la Iglesia)
- Family Faith on the Go (Parent | Church Leader)
- Faith Practices for At Home: Starting the School Year Faithfully
- How Do I Explain Dementia to My Child?
- Grandparents, Godparents and Faith
- Read*Pray*Wonder*Play - Flyaway Picture Book Guides
- Sabbath Practices at Home (Videos)
- Sacred Support: Family Faith Practices
- Simple Practices of Prayer at Home
- Summer Camp: Seeds of Faith
- Tips for Faith at Home: Creating Sacred Moments
Matthew 25
- Engaging Children in Matthew 25
- Engaging Matthew 25 as a Congregation Resource Roadmap
- Matthew 25 and Stewardship
- Pay It Forward Challenge
- Weaving Matthew 25 through Children, Youth, Intergenerational, at Home Ministries
Pastoral Care
- Pastoral Care with Children Six Essential Ingredients
- Pastoral Care with Children Tips and Tools
- Supporting Children in LGBTQIA+ Families
- Supporting Grieving Children Toolkit
Worship and Music
Youth Leader Support
- Basics of Youth Ministry
- Everyday Faith Moments Card Deck Quicksheet
- Forms, Forms, Forms: Youth Covenant and Release Forms
- Gift Giving Tips for Volunteers and Youth
- Resilient Young People: Camp Ministry
- Recruiting and Supporting Volunteers
- Things I Learned in my First Year: Tips from a New Full Time Youth Worker
- Things We’ve Learned in Youth Ministry: Tips from Seasoned Youth Workers
- Walking with Youth as the Discern Life after High School
- We Couldn’t Do it Without You: Recruiting and Supporting Volunteer Youth Leaders
- What’s Next After Youth Ministry? Supporting Student Transition to College
Program and Activity Ideas
- A Time for Advocacy
- Blessings Around a New School Year
- Catch and Connect: Faith Conversations
- Conversations with Youth about Understanding the Dynamics of Dementia
- Everyday Faith Moments Card Deck
- Here We Stand: Celebrating the Reformation
- Matthew 25 Resources: Pay It Forward Challenge | Resource Roadmap | Weaving Matthew 25 Through Children, Youth, Intergenerational and at home ministries
- Models for Confirmation
- Mindfulness as a Faith Practice
- My Grandparent Has Dementia: What Do I do?
- Sabbath Practices Ministry Kit for Youth
Reunions with Church Family - When 2 or 3 are Gathered: But You Planned for 8
- We Don’t Need Another Hero David LaMotte TEDx | Drops Like Me
Transitions to College/Young Adult
- College Student and Young Adult Commissioning
- Finding a Faith Community Supporting Young Adults in the Quest
- Preparing for the Journey Choosing a School
- Senior Capstone
- Staying Connected to Your Youth When They Leave Home
- Thinking About College? 10 Questions to Ask
Camp and Retreats
- Confirmation in the Spirit, Bread for the Journey Retreat
- Gifts + Callings: A Summer Camp Curriculum for Sr. High Leadership
- Rest and Renewal: A Youth Retreat on Mental Well Being and Spiritual Practices
- Summer Camp: Seeds of Faith (Parent | Church Leader)
- Youth Mission Work Camp Retreat: Living our Faith, Caring for God’s Many Gifts
- Youth Retreat: Creation and Creation Care
Resources from the Youth and Triennium Office
Leadership
Pastoral Care
- Being Grounded, Campus Ministry and Mental Health
- Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ Community
- Mental Health Issues on College Campuses
- Responding to Traumatic Events
- Spiritual Emotional Care: Essential Tools
- Supporting College Students and Young Adults
Program and Activity Ideas
- Exploring Spiritual Practices with College Students
- How to Help Students Articulate Their Values
- Planning a Retreat for College Students
- Promise and Possibility: The Movement of the Spirit through Gen Z 4 Session Study | Español | Korean
- Sabbath Practices Ministry Kit for Young Adults
- Values and Practices with College Student Study Series
- We Don’t Need Another Hero David LaMotte TEDx
- What’s Next After Youth Ministry
- Why Presbyterians are Like That: A 10 Session Bible Study
Transition to College/Young Adult
- Finding a Faith Community Supporting Young Adults in the Quest
- Preparing for the Journey Choosing a School
- Senior Capstone
- Staying Connected to Your Youth When They Leave Home
- Thinking About College? 10 Questions to Ask
UKirk Collegiate Ministry
Worship
- Liturgies of Celebration and Commissioning
- College Student and Young Adult Commissioning
- Worship Themes and Sermon Series
- UWorship Liturgy Resources
Study and Discussion Guides
- Around the Table Podcast Discussion Guides: Season 1 Season 2 Season 3
- Bending the Moral Arc Guidebook – For Courageous Conversations on Racism
- Every Living Creature: Authentic Christian Faith in a Multi-Faith World 4 Session Study | Español | Korean
- Give a Book, Get a Book Quicksheet
- Incorporating Hymns, Psalms, and Song Paraphrases in Adult Faith Formation Quicksheet
- Promise and Possibility: The Movement of the Spirit through Gen Z 4 Session Study | Español | Korean
- Reclaiming Daily Prayer as Part of Faith Formation
- Sabbath Practices Essentials
- Sabbath Practices Ministry Kit for Adults
- This Is My Song: Twelve ideas for using Hymns in Christian Formation
- Why Presbyterians are Like That:10 Session Bible Study | Español | Korean
Grandparents
- Grandparent Camp Retreat Module
- Grandparents, Godparents and Faith
- How do I explain dementia to my Child? Parent Quicksheet
- My Grandparents has Dementia…What do I do?
Older Adult Ministry
- 15 Tips for Home and Hospital Visits
- A Liturgy for Moving
- Care Partner Toolkit for caregivers and congregational use
- Devotions: A How to Guide for Spiritual Inquiry in Elderhood
- Expressions of Older Adult Ministry Training Website
- Gray is a Vibrant Color Quicksheet
- How to Develop a Dementia-Friendly Worship Service
- How to Use Expressions of Older Adult Ministry Training Website
- Ideas for Establishing a Card Ministry
- Loneliness and Isolation in Faith Communities
- Loving Communication Communicating with Loved Ones who have Dementia
- Mental Health Matters: An overview of issues that affect older adults. (Part One)
- Mental Health Matters: Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Part Two)
- Ministry with LGBTQIA+ Older Adults
- Supporting Older Adults Through Grief
- Talking Through Dementia Guide for Pastors and others to aid in communication
- Tips to Address Loneliness in Older Adults
- The Third Thirty
- Building a Neighborhood Together
- Connecting with God’s Creation Intergenerational Retreat
- Drops Like Me: World Changing with Families | Español
- Engaging Matthew 25 as a Congregation Resource Roadmap
- Everyday Faith Moments Card Deck | Español
- Grandparent Camp Retreat
- Intergenerational Mission Toolkit
- Neighboring Sunday
- Peace Cards
- Peacemaking in the Family: 4 Events
- Pull up a Seat Retreat: Spiritual Practices
- Sabbath Practices Ministry Kit for Intergenerational Ministry
- Shine: Living as People of God in a Restless World Retreat
- Weaving Matthew 25 through Children, Youth, Intergenerational, at Home Ministries
Find a wide range of Intergenerational Formation Resources including Faith Practices, Mission and Retreats here.
Books, Podcasts, Quicksheets, and Seasonal Devotionals for Church Leaders, Parents and Caregivers can be found here.
Around the Table Faith at Home Resources
The Around the Table initiative invites parents, caregivers, and congregational leaders to nurture children and youth, helping them grow in faith and discover who God created them to be in today’s world.
Additional Resources
- At Home Formation: Building a Child’s Home Library
- Faith Practices for At Home: Starting the School Year Faithfully
- Grandparents, Godparents and Faith
- Peacemaking in the Family: 4 Events
- Sabbath Practices at Home (Videos)
- Simple Practices of Prayer at Home
- Tips for Faith at Home: Creating Sacred Moments
- Summer Camp: Seeds of Faith (Parent | Church Leader)
Intergenerational
- Grandparent Camp Retreat Module
- Intergenerational Retreat: Connecting with God’s Creation
- Pull up a Seat Retreat: Spiritual Practices
- Shine: Living as Children of God in a Restless World
Youth
- Confirmation in the Spirit, Bread for the Journey Retreat
- Gifts + Callings High School Summer Camp Curriculum
- Rest and Renewal: A Youth Retreat on Mental Well Being and Spiritual Practices
- Youth Retreat: Creation and Creation Care
- Youth Mission Work Camp Retreat: Living our Faith, Caring for God’s Many Gifts
Adult
Faith Formation Leader Connection Cohorts | Community Circles | Resource Zooms
- 10 Best Practices for Cultivating Belonging Quicksheet
- Asking Better Questions
- Creating Safe Ministries
- Expressions of Older Adult Ministry Training Website
- Educational Technology Tools for Expansive Ministry | Technology and Teaching Quicksheet
- Faith and Disability Inclusion Toolkit
- Holy Shift: Young Parents are Rethinking Everything So Should We (Videos)
- Opening Doors to Discipleship Training Website
- Pondering and Planning: Resource for Faith Re-Formation | Español | Korean
- Ruling Elder and Deacon Training Quicksheet
- Trauma-Informed Ministry Quicksheet
- What Next? Resource
List of Spanish Resources
- Camp and Retreat Sunday (February)
- Mr. Rogers Day (March)
- Older Adult Week (May)
- College and Young Adult Sunday (August)
- Christian Formation Week (September)
- All Special Emphasis Days and Planning Calendar
- Beyond Worship: Music Resources for the Matthew 25 Congregation
- Church Family Moment
- Come Sunday: Ideas for Introducing Duke Ellington's Sacred Music in Worship
- Creating Alternative Worship Services
- Creating Space for Children and Their Families in Worship
- Exploring Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal
- Guiding the Male Changing Voice
- How to Start a Prayer Group
- How to Develop a Dementia-Friendly Worship Service for your Faith Community
- Improvising & Reharmonizing in Worship
- Incorporating Hymns, Psalms, and Song Paraphrases
- Jazz Vespers: Building Worship Around the Music
- Many and Great: Native Hymnody as an Invitation to Allyship
- Music in Scripture: Not Just the Psalms
- Only Takes a Spark: Finding Creativity in Crisis
- Planning Music Like a Worshiper
- Practical Resources For Handbells in Worship
- Reclaiming Daily Prayer as Part of Faith Formation
- Song Charts 101
- This Is My Song: Twelve ideas for using Hymns in Christian Formation
- Using Children's Books as Fun and Effective Choral Warm-Ups
- Using Music as the Basis of Faith Formation
- Why Do Worship Education with Congregations
- Worship Books and Intergenerational Ministry
- Worshiping God Together: A Guide for Children and Their Parents
- Worship Liturgies for Camp Sunday | Mr. Rogers Day | Older Adult Week |
College and Young Adult Sunday | Christian Formation Week
The PC(USA) Store is a central place to find all PC(USA)-produced books, curriculum and resources in one place.
- Christian Education and Ministry Resources Catalog PC(USA) Store
- Read*Pray*Wonder*Play -Flyaway Picture Book Guides
- The Follow Me Curriculum is for all ages and focuses on faith practices.
- The Thoughtful Christian
Helpful resources available from each of these areas:
Contact Us
Need help finding a resource? Contact us at [email protected]