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OUR VALUES:

Faith and science, together: We root all resources in faithful language and peer-reviewed, scientific data.
Via Karis: We live out FBCA’s “Way of Grace” (or Via Karis), combining essential teachings of the Christian faith with five spiritual practices: water, word, table, body, creation.
Sacred Worth of Each Person: We uphold the uniqueness of all people as beloved children of God.
Beautiful Belonging: We affirm FBCA’s vision that the wide range of humanity and their gifts belong to God and to one another in a beautiful tapestry reflective of God’s creativity.

OUR GOALS:

Gain confidence in parenting
Increase their theological knowledge and vocabulary
Gain knowledge of children’s developmental milestones and appropriate expectations of 0-3 year olds
Engage one’s own faith during daily parenting routines with prayer, songs, and books
Increase faith-filled practices in daily life that involve young children
Learn to create secure attachment between caregivers and child
Develop parenting skills as spiritual formation

BACKGROUND:

For decades, researchers have emphasized the crucial importance of the first three years of a child's life for development, including faith formation. Recent studies suggest that congregations should support parents and caregivers in nurturing young children's faith. Research confirms that children "learn what they live," making ages 0-3 a critical period for faith development.

It all started with Via Karis

A spiritual formation guide for followers of Jesus Via Karis was developed by pastors of First Baptist Church of Asheville, NC (FBCA) to introduce the essentials of Christian discipleship. Via Karis helps guide some of FBCA’s children & youth’s spiritual formation along with adults. Via Karis invites us into a richer experience of Christian faith and discipleship that draws us closer to God and one another. It guides formation through five elements: water, word, table, body, and creation. These elements are introduced in the following pages. We hope that, through Karis Parenting, Via Karis will guide spiritual formation for even more Christians as they welcome these practices into their daily lives.

How is Via Karis connected to Karis Parenting?

Parenting is a spiritual practice. Faith-filled parenting needs both a basis in scientific findings of psychology and early childhood development and deep, meaningful theology. Via Karis is Karis Parenting’s theological lens. Its five elements help point us towards a common theological language for children and adults centered on daily and weekly activities. Karis Parenting relies on Via Karis to infuse sacred meaning into the daily routines and patterns of life with 0 - 3 year olds. We hope that this deep theological lens will become immensely practical for parents and caregivers of little ones.

Our Supporting Role

Children born into families with a relationship with God are more likely to develop their own faith. Additionally, a child's attachment, security, and trust with parents and caregivers strongly influence their understanding of God.
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We aim to empower all parents and caregivers – whether biological, adoptive, or foster-to confidently share their faith with young children by modeling divine love, using modern parenting techniques, and incorporating faith language early. We hope this and future resources will provide modern tools to help caregivers share their faith with their young ones.

Love and Enjoy God Forever

The Karis Parenting Program stems from a strong baptistmal identity and attends to the practice of Scripture-reading, prayer, communion, gathering, and new creation. Its primary aim is to engage the parents and caregivers of young children with a practical “rule of life” that equips parents and children to “love and enjoy God forever.”
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It will provide a constellation of new resources that guide parents and caregivers of young children to reimagine their homes as little churches and to perceive ordinary tasks as infused with sacred power. The intention is to cultivate a capacity for enchantment and ever-deepening love of God for all participants and to link the spiritual themes of the Via Karis to the elements of everyday life.

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Join the Karis Parenting Community

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