Fahs Collaborative

Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation

At Meadville Lombard Theological School, we are committed to preparing transformational religious leaders for a changing world through the collaborative works that lead to our collective liberation. The Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation has supported this mission by advancing innovative approaches to religious education that nurture both individual spiritual growth and collective social transformation. Throughout our history, we have cultivated partnerships with religious educators, ministers, and lay leaders across our movement in support of liberal a/religious values. Our work is clear: to forge pathways in faith formation that spark the human spirit and build more just, compassionate communities.

During the Academic Year ‘25–’26, we will enter an exciting new planning phase to develop the next chapter of the Fahs Collaborative. We do so with deep gratitude for the countless religious educators, ministers, and lay people who have contributed to the rich legacy of Unitarian Universalist religious education. Your dedication, creativity, and commitment to justice have shaped generations of learners and continue to inspire our work. In the spirit of collaboration that defines us, we will be hosting listening sessions, focus groups, and stakeholder conversations to learn how we can better serve our communities and meet the evolving needs of faith formation in our time.

Faith Formation for Social Transformation

The work of liberal religious education has never been more vital. In an era of profound social change and global transformation, our communities need educational approaches that build resilience, foster critical thinking, and cultivate the spiritual resources necessary for justice-making. The Fahs Collaborative continues the pioneering legacy of Sophia Lyon Fahs, an early 20th-century Unitarian religious educator who pushed the boundaries of institutional religious life. She asserted that the church's function is "to teach us how to put religious and ethical qualities into all kinds of experience," recognizing that transforming education for the future of faith is our "great work."

We continue our commitment to generating new ideas, developing resources and practices that deepen faith, build resilience, honor diversity, and strengthen communities. We believe that the work of religious education in the service of faith communities transforms lives, and the world we share—dismantling theological and cultural walls that divide the human community while promoting alternative approaches to outmoded thinking, teaching, and learning strategies.

Our Collaborative Work

Our work has been responsive to the Living Tradition that we share, shifting over the years but including the following kinds of projects:

Transformational Curriculum Catalog: Our curriculum catalog includes Beloved Conversations, Creating Theology Together, Sophia Fahs Sunday, and We Who Defy Hate—resources designed to support learning that makes a lasting difference in participants' lives and communities.

Curriculum Incubators: We offered Curriculum Incubator services to help innovators develop new approaches to faith formation.

Innovation Network: The Fahs Innovation Network connected religious educators committed to developing innovative solutions to challenges in faith formation and congregational life.

Living Heritage: The MacLean Religious Education Special Collection preserves over 200 years of Unitarian Universalist religious education artifacts and curricula. This growing collection, supported by the Fahs Collaborative, serves scholars and educators in research, teaching, and learning that honors our past while building our future.

We invite you to join us in this life-affirming and community sustaining work of aligning the aspirations of your heart with educational practices that heal the world. Together, we are not just preserving a tradition—we are forging a future where liberal religious education continues to be a force for personal transformation and social justice in our rapidly changing world.