Support CFC
The Center for Faith and Children (CFC) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is committed to reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. CFC supports local churches, ministry leaders, and parents as they nurture children’s faith formation, holding the tension between theory and practice and allowing the best wisdom of both practitioners and scholars to inform and elevate the center’s programs and resources.
What We Do
The Center for Faith and Children shares a warm and stubborn belief in God’s love for children – and in the real possibility of a children’s ministry equipped and empowered to reflect this love. Our vision is to empower churches, encourage parents, and equip ministry leaders. We are committed to supporting local churches and their congregations with resources and partnerships. We are here for parents as they nurture their child’s faith, developing and providing resources and community. We are inspired to come alongside passionate ministry leaders with educational opportunities, research, and community.
Our Origins
Over a decade ago, Dr. Mimi Larson, Assistant Professor of Educational Ministries at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), began to ask God for a way to help churches nurture children’s faith Formation. When she received a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., she knew it was God’s answer. She established CFC to come alongside local churches as they help children deepen their relationships with God. As a center at TEDS, CFC has become a pioneering initiative within Christian theological education.
Explore with Us
We study in order to engage children deeply in a relationship with God as they wonder about and interact with the world. We are rooted in research that examines what works in real-life ministry contexts. This means building resources that actually meet children where they are at, fostering conversations that are open and imaginative, and discovering opportunities that inspire you to think outside of the box.
About the Director
Mimi L. Larson, PhD is the Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Children (CFC). Dr. Larson served over twenty-five years in practical church ministry and denominational leadership before entering into higher education. Her research is in the area of children’s faith formation, with a particular interest in how faith is formed in early childhood as well as children and worship. She holds a PhD in Early Childhood from Concordia University-Chicago. She also has two master’s degrees, one in Theological Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis and the other in Educational Ministries from Wheaton Graduate School. Her undergraduate degree is from Wheaton College.
