In the Beginning
In 2001, Normandale Lutheran Church of Edina, MN began the process of developing a ministry that would engage families and children prenatally through age three in intentional faith reflection.  Through focus groups, surveys, committee meetings, and conversations with respected authors and theologians, the concept of Faith Imprints was born. Two pilot groups, Birth-12 months and 12-24 months began in 2003.
The journey began with the simple vision of supporting parents in fulfilling their baptismal promises. The common practice was to clap for parents promising to raise their children in the faith and then say “infants we will see you in three years for Sunday School”. It seemed that there could be more done to support parents in their Christian vocation of parenting.  In exploring ways to do this, there was a literature review as well as a review of current ministry resources in Christian congregations in the United States. The literature reflected a growing awareness in brain research naming the power of imprinting experiences in the first three years of life and the importance of parents as primary guides during this time. Lacking was an intentional community of parents and children gathering to learn and practice spiritual disciplines—parents worshipping with their infants, praying with their toddlers, and celebrating how God is present and at work in each child and family right from the start.

Present
Throughout the five years of developing and implementing this ministry the power, presence and participation of young families in the life and breath of a congregation was discovered.  As families set aside intentional time in their busy lives to connect with their children, their faith, and their church community, amazing things happened. Families grew in their faith, deepened their connections to congregational life and formed lasting bonds with the other families in their small groups.

Future
The hope for the future is that this transformative ministry for families of young children will be a blessing to many congregations. God is leading and invites us to listen, learn and envision new ways for families to discover the power of raising their children in faith—right from the start.