Age to Age

The Age to Age Initiative is seeking passionate congregations ready to explore innovative ways to nurture children’s spiritual development through worship and prayer. While applications for Cohort 2 are closed, we encourage you to stay connected and apply for Cohort 3 in 2026.

What is the Age to Age Initiative?
The Age to Age Initiative is a grant-funded program designed to equip congregations with tools and support to strengthen faith formation across generations. Through the partnership and collaboration of a Specialist and Coach, each congregation selected to participate in a cohort will work on a specialized project in their ministry context with children & families in mind.

Who Should Apply?
We’re looking for congregations committed to fostering creative approaches to faith formation for children, youth, and families. Whether you’re just starting or seeking to deepen your ministry, this initiative is for you!

What's Included?

A specialist to accompany your ministry project
A coach to assist your team in setting and attaining goals toward your children's ministry
$750 Innovation Grant towards your ministry project
- The Coach and Specialist will each conduct a site visit to your congregation in addition to monthly online meetings via Zoom.

Join us as we continue to nurture faith, Age to Age. Together, we can shape a brighter future for the next generation.

About Us

"People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs."

Mark 10:13, 14 NRSVUE

How A2A Came to Be:

Capital University was recently awarded $1.25 million dollars from the Lilly Endowment as a part of their series of Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer grants. Our project, Age to Age: Curating Congregational Rituals to Form Faith With and Within Children, will equip faith communities with accessible, culturally competent resources that strengthen the faith of young people. With professional expertise in theology, education, music, accessibility, DEI, and human development, Capital is positioned to empower congregations of all sizes -- and especially those that do not employ professional children's ministry staff -- to provide compelling opportunities to strengthen children's faith.

Each year, Age to Age will gather ecumenical cohorts of 8 congregations that will meet monthly together to accomplish three goals.

Through monthly remote meetings, we will accompany one another in solidarity as we minister in this precedented era.
Congregations will identify ways that their particular communities might better support faith formation in children.
Each cohort member will be matched with a consultant whose professional expertise matches their particular needs.

Throughout the year, Age to Age consultants will create and curate resources for cohort members and then help congregations implement learnings in their specific contexts.

What Sets A2A Apart?

Age to Age's intent is to create and curate faith formation resources that are both accessible and culturally competent. This is vital because, for people to know God, precisely because all people deserve to so that our children can form profound faith that appreciates ways that God's image incarnates within people of all abilities, ethnicities, genders, races, sexual orientations, and more.

By creating and curating accessible, culturally competent resources, we're ensuring that all children can come to Jesus, even if that means we, like the disciples, need to get out of the way and do some things differently.

Cohort Expectations

Nurturing congregations, children, and people of all ages for a lifelong journey of faith.

Congregational Cohort Overview and Expectations

2025-2026

What is an Age to Age Congregational Cohort?

Congregations selected through the application process will engage in a year-long learning journey, partnering with an Age to Age Specialist or Coach* and the partnership of the other congregation. These specialists and coaches are attentive to the ministries and intentions you have identified within the application process and in conversation with the director. This year, there will be eight congregations chosen for this cohort.

What makes up your Age to Age Congregational Cohort?

Congregations put together a team depending upon the need and capacity.

Each congregation must have:

A Congregational Champion who serves as the connector between the grant team and the congregation team. They will convene the team for meetings with the Specialist or Coach.
The expressed support of pastoral and elected leadership because projects with widespread support of both members and staff are more likely to succeed.

We also encourage congregations to include:

A staff person or church leadership team member (elected or appointed) dedicated to the project. This ensures information is shared across multiple layers of congregational life throughout the project.
An Age to Age Implementation Team that represents the congregation and its commitment to children’s faith formation.
- Essential qualities include:
  - Love for children and your congregation.
  - Willingness to reflect and dream, rooted in Christian theology and practice.
  - Collaborate with congregation teams (your own & others).
  - Accept accompaniment of a Specialist or Coach.
  - Report experiences to the Age to Age Director.
  - Openness to training
  - Willingness to listen to and learn from others in your own congregation and others in the cohort.

What is the expected time commitment?

Selected congregations upon entering the cohort should expect:

Main children’s ministry leader comes to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, July 28-30, for the launch of the cohort with your cohort peers.
Monthly cohort meetings with the eight congregations of the cohort. These will be on the second Thursday of every month at 1:00PM Central, beginning August 14th.
Monthly meetings with your Specialist or Coach via zoom towards the goals you are working towards together via zoom.
Site visit with Director and Specialist or Coach sometime in 2025 or early 2026 at your congregation.

What is the cost to participate?

The Age to Age Initiative having received a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment is able to offer this to cohort congregations at no cost.

The grant also provides the following benefits for your congregation:

Specialist or Coach to accompany your ministry innovation project
- Site visit to your congregation (transportation, housing and meals covered)
- Monthly online meetings (August-August)
$750 ‘innovation grant’ towards your ministry innovation project

*Your congregation will be assigned a Specialist or a Coach at the Cohort launch in July based on your innovation project and the needs of your congregation.