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I Want to Be a Faith Formation Curator!
by Susan Moseley, WPC Church Educator
I recently read an article by John Roberto in the spring 2011 edition of Lifelong Faith, a religious education journal, titled “Becoming a Faith Formation Curator.” The premise of the article is that there has been an absolute explosion of information in recent years, and as a result, we are experiencing a type of content overload. “Many experts estimate that all of the information on the Internet is doubling every 72 hours…[and] a lot of this content is religious content – Bible studies, prayer and spiritual practices, daily devotions, online course, to name only a few examples. And this is only the online content! Think of all the religious content created each day by religious publishers and organizations, seminaries and universities, congregations, and individuals.”1
John Roberto believes that religious educators do not need to create new content as much as they need to be able to make sense of all the content that is being created by others. He says that “the leader in faith formation is shifting from providing religious content and programming to curating religious content and experiences for all ages.”2 This article has impacted the way I understand my role as church educator particularly with regard to adult formation.
First, a bit of background information is appropriate. Westminster’s excellent Sunday morning adult education program is designed and implemented by the Adult Education Subcommittee, chaired by Margo Reign and staffed by Dr. Anne Ledbetter. Anne and I have agreed that as soon as I complete my doctorate in 2012, I will take over as staff liaison for Adult Education, and Anne will continue to be involved by teaching occasional classes and starting small groups. I really look forward to working with adult education, and the journal article mentioned above has only increased my enthusiasm.
The concept of “faith formation curator” expands the idea of adult religious education to include individual learning as well as group learning. Thus, my role might include helping interested adults design their own personalized faith formation track for spiritual growth and development. For some, a Sunday morning adult class or midweek small group satisfies their educational, spiritual curiosity. Others of us, however, are hungry for additional resources and experiences that stretch us and stimulate our hearts, minds, and souls.
The point of this article is to help you see my role at the church as expanding — not just a program director for children and youth ministries, and not just resourcing adult education as they develop topics for Sunday classes. I hope to work with adults individually to help them make choices regarding classes, books, experiences, spiritual practices, etc. based on their unique spiritual path. I would relish the opportunity to help you access and process content that complements your unique interests, longings, and passions while at the same time connecting you to the many educational, spiritual, and mission opportunities within our own congregation.
1 John Roberto, “Becoming a Faith Formation Curator,” Lifelong Faith, (Lifelong Faith Associates, Spring 2011), p. 20.
2 Ibid.
