Forming Faith: Discipling the Next Generation in a Post-Christian Culture

NEW for Fall 2024! Our Best-Selling Book.

Resiliently rooted in Christ — living into this formational moment.

What would it look like to form kids with lasting faith in Jesus, no matter the culture or context? Does this seem possible? It’s getting harder to imagine in our highly secularized culture. Current approaches to faith formation aren’t working. Matt Markins, Sam Luce and Mike Handler combine leadership experience with pastoral wisdom to provide a much needed, timely resource for the church and home.

Forming Faith helps us understand what isn’t working, why it doesn’t work and what we can do to build the church. Markins, Luce and Handler — fathers and leaders — look at the blueprint often employed in children’s ministries that seems innovative but is greatly misguided. Forming Faith brings not only analysis; it provides biblically based, backed-by-research solutions to form lasting faith in our children.

We have real concerns and fears for the kids we love. More than anything we want to see younger generations follow Jesus with conviction and compassion. What must we be doing at church and at home to strengthen our influence? This resource provides the focus, resiliency and hope we all need!

“This book will shake up your world! It goes way beyond surface talk and dives deep into how to see kids grow up to love and follow Jesus for a lifetime.”

Dale Hudson

Next Gen Minister &

BuildingChildrensMinistry.com

“Forming Faith is essential reading. Matt, Mike and Sam not only highlight our past mistakes but also provide a clear roadmap for correction.”

Jim Wideman

Pastor, Author & Pioneer Kidmin Leader

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

MATT MARKINS serves as the President and CEO of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. As a researcher in child discipleship and children’s ministry, Matt has commissioned eleven research projects since 2013, including a study conducted by Barna Group called Children’s Ministry in a New Reality. He’s a board member at large for the National Association of Evangelicals and is the author or coauthor of four books, most notably The Faith of Our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Discipling the Next Generation and RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church. He’s also the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum and D6 Conference. Matt and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry for more than 25 years and spend their time in Nashville with their two sons.

MIKE HANDLER serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Awana. Prior to Awana, Mike was a pastor and a church planter, as well as the principle of a creative agency. Mike is a coauthor of Resilient and the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum. Now in the Nashville area, Mike and his family are originally from Chicagoland and miss the food there.

SAM LUCE has been a pastor at Redeemer Church in Utica, New York for over 25 years. He holds a B.A. in Theology, an M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies and an M.A. in Christian and Classical Studies. Sam and his wife, Sandra, have four beautiful kids together.