Christian formation for the whole of life.
Why
CLC Exists.
Scroll to follow the story.
Or choose a number.
01 — The Ache
Life is not as it was meant to be.
An empty chair. A difficult diagnosis. A relationship that comes apart. We know the ache of a world that is not as it should be—and the longing for life made whole.
02 — The Hope
In Christ, we see the life we were created for.
Created in God’s image, we are made for relationship with God, one another, and the earth. Jesus reveals that life in its fullness and calls us to grow into it.
03 — The Story · Learning Series 1
God’s story gives shape to ours.
Scripture tells the story of God’s work of creation, reconciliation, and renewal. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time helps us read the Bible within that larger story and recognize our place in it.
04 — The Family · Learning Series 2
How have we lived that story?
We belong to a church with a long and complicated history. Our Family Story explores its faithfulness and failures, helping us learn from those who came before us and live more faithfully today.
05 — The Words · Learning Series 3
How do we give voice to this hope?
Recounting Our Core Testimony explores the Christian convictions that help us speak about who God is, whose we are, and how we are called to live. Theology gives language and depth to the faith we share.
06 — The Shared Life
Formation takes shape in everyday life.
Through teaching, conversation, spiritual practice, and friendship, CLC helps people grow in Christ and help others grow. In partnership with pastors and congregations, that formation nurtures leadership expressed in everyday care, welcome, and responsibility.
This is why CLC exists.
To come alongside “people in the pew” as they grow into
the fullness of
human life in Christ
—strengthening congregations to live God’s mission among their neighbors.
Rooted in God’s story. Renewed in community. Living God’s mission.
Explore the ResearchA closer look · The research
What helps faith
take root?
CLC’s commitment to formation grows from our faith in Christ. Research helps us listen more closely to the people and congregations we hope to serve.
These findings highlight three places to pay attention: opportunities to contribute, friendships that encourage growth, and the formative life of the local church.
Choose a finding to read more.
01 · Gifts & participation Room to contribute. Only one in five Gen Z churchgoers strongly agrees they can use their gifts at church.
What the research found
American Bible Society’s 2025 study found that about one in three respondents in other generations strongly agreed they could use their gifts at church, compared with one in five among Gen Z.
This finding concerns U.S. adults who identified as Christian and had attended a Christian church within the previous six months. Gen Z respondents were ages 18–28.
Read the American Bible Society findings (opens in a new tab)State of the Bible 2025 · Chapter 5
Published August 14, 2025 · Survey: January 2025
The connection to CLC
Recognizing a gift and knowing how to use it can take time, conversation, and encouragement. CLC makes room for that discernment within a learning community.
What might God be inviting me to contribute?
02 · Faith & friendship Faith needs room to be shared. In Barna’s study, 56% of U.S. Christian adults described their spiritual lives as entirely private.
What the research found
Alongside that sense of privacy, 82% agreed that friends should challenge one another to grow in healthy ways. The findings suggest an openness to growth through friendship, even when faith feels deeply personal.
Barna published this analysis in 2022, drawing on surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021. It offers a perspective on spiritual friendship from that period.
Read the Barna findings (opens in a new tab)Growing Together · Barna & The Navigators
Published March 16, 2022 · Surveys: 2020–2021
The connection to CLC
Shared conversation and spiritual friendship give people space to bring questions, speak about faith, and encourage one another as they learn to follow Jesus.
Who helps me notice how I am growing?
03 · Congregations & growth There is good work to build on. In the 2026 report, churchgoers rated their churches an average of eight out of ten across measures of satisfaction with support for spiritual growth.
What the research found
American Bible Society asked about biblical depth, relationships, opportunities to take spiritual next steps, a culture of service, and pastoral example. Most churchgoers expressed satisfaction with their churches.
These are churchgoers’ assessments of their congregations, rather than a direct measurement of personal spiritual growth. The report also identifies lower satisfaction among Gen Z men.
Read the American Bible Society findings (opens in a new tab)State of the Bible 2026 · Chapter 5
Published August 12, 2026
The connection to CLC
CLC comes alongside the worship, teaching, care, and witness already taking place in congregations. Sustained learning gives people additional space to connect that shared life with daily practice.
How can we deepen the good work already taking root?
These U.S. studies describe wider church life; they do not evaluate CLC participants or programs. The connections to CLC reflect how we understand their relevance to our work.