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In this new resource, Anderson identifies a repeated mistake happening in church practices all across North America. The mistake is not inviting, equipping, and expecting parents and other adults to play a vital role in the faith formation of their children and the young people in their congregation.
Anderson calls this error The Great Omission. The result of repeatedly making this mistake has had a negative impact. Young people have left congregational life in droves. Ironically, research shows they have not left their spirituality behind, they simply have not found communities of faith that embrace them and challenge them to live lives of faith and service.
In From The Great Omission to Vibrant Faith,Anderson traces how this has happened and what to do about it. He writes to congregational leaders, parents, grandparents, and adults who seek a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ for themselves and their children.
"David W. Anderson has written a beautiful and important book about the lush graceful life of the household and the way the faith travels as a gift across the generations. This book has a generous and inclusive view of families and homes and posits "valuing families" of whatever composition. I believe the renewal in mission comes with a renewal of the primal relationships that undergird the church in mission. At the center of this web of relationships are the home and the family relationships."
Stephen Paul Bouman, Executive Director of Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission, ELCA
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