Lifelong Faith Formation
Welcome to Lifelong Faith Formation!
The Northern Great Lakes Synod offers a diverse series of online classes for adults who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of the Bible, church history, Lutheran Theology, contemporary Christian issues, and more. Launched in 2020, Lifelong Faith Formation, evolved from the synod’s Lay School for Mission.
Lifelong Faith Formation is not driven by an end result, such as graduation from a program. It is not a certification program to become a Licensed Lay Minister. It may play a role in an individual’s discernment to participate in a higher accountability program through a neighboring synod (East Central Synod of Wisconsin or Northwest Synod of Wisconsin) or lead to seminary. If you are interested in becoming a Licensed Lay Minister, please read this article and contact Bishop Katherine Finegan.
Mostly, Lifelong Faith Formation is designed for curious adults who want to engage more deeply with the Bible, to learn more about church traditions, to become better equipped to serve the work of Christ in their congregations and to grow in spirituality and faith.
Winter Semester 2022
While pandemic restrictions have eased, these are still uncertain times. The Synod will continue to offer online classes this winter. Classes are FREE, but may require the purchase of textbooks or other materials (details below). Students will receive Zoom links from their instructor.
For more information or to ask questions, please contact Deacon Lori Ward at (615) 519-1969 or lori.ward@nglsynod.org.
Promotional Materials
Please help us share the news of our fall semester of classes! Download materials below for your church’s newsletter, bulletin and more.
Bulletin & Newsletter Announcements
>click here to view PDF
>click here to view in Word
Fall Lifelong Faith Formation Flyer
>click here to view PDF
>click here to view in Word
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Materials
“A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (Revised Edition),” Hardcover by C.L. Seow; $22.53 new, less than $5 used. Time needed to obtain book: 1 week if purchasing new through Amazon, longer if purchasing used through a third-party.
https://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Biblical-Hebrew-Revised/dp/0687157862
(a note about Kindle: only purchase the Kindle version if you are very familiar with learning from eBooks and willing to take a lot of notes. While the convenience of eBooks is great, they can prove a barrier for learning languages. Even though it is more expensive, a physical book will make things easier for most students.)
Flash Cards – physical note cards or virtual. I strongly recommend making your own notecards. Do not purchase premade physical or download premade virtual flash cards. While they will save you time in creating them, the creation of the flash card helps with learning, and you will spend more time reviewing the premade flash cards than if you had made them yourself. Making physical note cards tends to help most people learn faster, but the convenience of having the flash cards on a phone may encourage some people to use the note cards more, outweighing the benefits of the physical cards. Use your own discretion. See syllabus for recommendations of virtual flash card apps and flash card tips.
Pens or pencils in at least 8 distinct colors – optional, but I cannot recommend highly enough unless you are color blind.
Zoom Instructions
New to Zoom? No problem. Here is a simple step-by-step set of instructions to follow as you prepare for your class this winter.
Step 1: Log into your email account.
Step 2: Find and open the email from your meeting host that contains the invite link.
Step 3: Click on the invite link and Zoom will redirect you to a webpage. This webpage will ask you to download the Zoom app on your device whether you are using a desktop or a mobile device.
Step 4: Once the application is downloaded on your desktop, install and open it. Zoom should automatically open the meeting. If that does not happen, head back over to your email and click on the invite link. You will now see a prompt to open the link in the Zoom app.
Step 5: Grant the necessary permissions to the Zoom app to use your camera and microphone in order to get started and join the meeting.
Northern Great Lakes Synod
1029 N. Third St., Suite A
Marquette, MI 49855
Phone: (906) 228-2300
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