Empowering Families for Spiritual Formation with Dr. Sarah Boberg
Brian Foreman talks with Dr. Sarah Boberg, Assistant Professor of Christian Education and Director of Empowering Families for Spiritual Formation at Campbell University Divinity School, about church, creativity, and what actually helps families grow in faith. The conversation centers on spiritual formation in the home, how churches can better support parents, and why playful, practical ministry matters. It is both a candid look at the challenges of church life and a hopeful case for small, intentional changes.
Key topics
- We discuss why she believes congregational life shaped her own call to ministry, from teaching her first Sunday school class at 16 to preaching her first sermon in her home church.
- She explains how creativity in ministry is not a shortcut but extra work, because it requires knowing the material well enough to translate it into something engaging, formative, and accessible.
- Brian and Dr. Boberg talk about why some church cultures still reward the “navy blazer” version of authority, while younger generations are drawn to authenticity, playfulness, and relational leadership.
- We discuss the common false narrative that parents do not care about faith formation. Dr. Boberg says the families she works with genuinely want their children to know Jesus and live faithfully.
- She shares that many parents feel underqualified, not unwilling. Her goal is to give them confidence and tools, not to burden them with another impossible standard.
- Brian and Dr. Boberg reflect on how entertainment-based youth ministry formed a generation that loved church but did not always learn spiritual disciplines at home.
- Dr. Boberg argues that churches should celebrate what worked in the past before trying to move on, because honoring former ministry models makes change less defensive and more faithful.
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