Tips for Using the Building Blocks of Faith Chart

The Building Blocks of Faith Chart is a convenient way to evaluate how well your church is addressing all four Building Blocks. Discussing the results with your team can lead to new perspectives and insights on the faith formation activities of your church. It can also influence how you look for a new staff person, write a job description, choose a curriculum, and more. And remember—God is present and is guiding these conversations. 

Tips for completing the chart

  • Fill in the chart by writing the names of your programs and ministries in the boxes that correspond to the Building Blocks they address. 
  • Some boxes will be empty.
  • You can list more than one program in a specific box. 
  • A particular program may belong in more than one box. Sunday school, for example, might go in the KNOW row for children, teens, and adults. Children’s worship could be in the BELONG, KNOW, and HOPE boxes for children three years old to second grade. 

Variations on the chart

Feel free to adapt the chart for a variety of contexts simply by changing the categories in the top row. Elders, for example, can use it to look at how the needs of specific families in their districts are being met. Youth leaders can put the names of their students in the chart. Some variations of the chart are located here.

Questions to ask when interpreting the chart

  • Which boxes have several ministries listed in them? Does your congregation need two or three programs meeting the same goal? Can your volunteer capacity sustain this work?
  • Which programs are listed in more than one box? Are the leaders of this program aware that they should emphasize all these goals for all the groups of people listed?
  • Which boxes are blank? How do you feel about that?
  • Did you list informal activities such as driving another person to church, delivering meals, singing or playing in the praise team, etc. in the chart? That will give a more complete picture. Do the informal activities need more support so that they can better serve the congregation?  
  • Would changing the emphasis or goals of one or more programs better meet the needs of the congregation?