Previously known as the Sunday and Adult School Union, the American Sunday School Union, and the American Missionary Fellowship, the organization has been known as InFaith since 2011.
While not new, given that its roots go back to 1790, its current expanded focus came about in the 1970s, when it began new evangelical works in overlooked communities across the United States, particularly those that have been overlooked or underserved by other evangelistic ministries.
Although InFaith is not a denomination, it serves many of the same purposes as a denomination and is not affiliated with any other.
Those who are called upon to start a ministry or Christian non-profit within the United States can apply to become affiliated with InFaith, which can offer financial, educational, and other resources to help that ministry to launch with less of an administrative burden than if the ministry were to go it alone. Its 501[c][3] non-profit status platform can be used for fundraising on the part of the ministry, with InFaith handling the paperwork and administrative tasks.
Those who are accepted are invited to InFaith's home office for four days of training in its School of Ministry, and access to the InFaith Continuing Education program and its database of theological and practical articles and studies. Additionally, there is an option to take a class or earn a degree at 50% off through its partnership with Cairn University, and the yearly InFaith Refresh Conference includes workshops and fellowship with the InFaith network of field staff.
An InFaith Field Director is available to encourage accountability and to act as a trained counselor for new ministries.
Ministries associated with InFaith may use its resources for background checks on volunteers, interns, and staffers.
Ministries supported by InFaith are diverse and may include church planting, as well as its original focus on Sunday School programs, while others may focus on military chaplaincies, prison ministries, urban or rural ministries, discipleship programs, summer camp programs, or ministries focused on children, young adults, or seniors. Just as many of its original Sunday School ministries later transitioned into full congregations, it is possible for an InFaith ministry to begin small, or with a focus on one particular population, but to later widen its focus and mission.
InFaith is a Christian organization and, while it does not identify itself as such, its statement of faith and ministry essentials, which must be accepted by ministry candidates, suggest that it is an evangelical Protestant body. However, it seems that InFaith allows for a wide diversity in the details. According to its statement of faith, InFaith holds to the "great foundational truths of the historic Christian faith held in common by like-minded evangelical Christians," including a belief in one God, Creator, and Sustainer of the universe, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, infallible, and to be used as the only authority for faith and practice.
Although its roots go back to the First Day Society in 1790, the organization was officially founded in 1817 as the Sunday and Adult School Union and was a response to the needs of illiterate children in Philadelphia. Within a year, the organization had expanded to nearly fifty schools.
The Union also published alphabet cards, the Ten Commandments, and blue and red Scripture tickets, which were handed to encourage the memorization of Scripture. To extend the work of Sunday Schools, the Union also published a large selection of books that included history, biography, travel, poetry, hymns, discourses, and didactic teachings.
In 1821, the organization expanded through missionaries who traveled throughout six states, from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, founding Sunday Schools. In 1822, a ministry to the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Chickasaws began.
In 1824, the Union re-formed as the American Sunday School Union to affirm its widening focus on the whole nation. Notable people, such as Francis Scott Key and John Marshal, were connected to the mission by this time.
In the 1830s, the Union turned its attention to white and black children in Mississippi and throughout the South. By the 1880s, the Union had reached the Pacific Ocean.
In the 20th century, various specialized ministries, such as Christian summer camps and Vacation Bible Schools, nursing ministries, and ministries to the inner cities, were included.
By 1974, it was recognized that the focus had expanded far beyond establishing Sunday Schools, and its name was changed to the American Missionary Fellowship.
In response to financial losses, the mission restructured, closing regional offices in 2008 and 2009, and took its current name, InFaith, in 2011.
Recommended Resources
A camping ministry of InFaith (NW Washington Field) and Nooksack Bible Camp, which has reached out to and challenged youth in the Pacific Northwest with the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than sixty years, the camp meets each summer at the W-Bar-B Ranch on the grounds of Warm Beach Christian Camp and Conference Center in Stanwood, Washington. Camp schedules, brochures, and registration forms, staff, and contacts are available. Contributions may be made online.
https://www.camplivingword.com/
Serving Minnesota, Gentle Shepherd Ministries is headquartered in Mankato, associated with InFaith, and focused on ministries to people in senior care facilities and in secure facilities, groups who are often forgotten or underserved in life and in ministry. Its senior care ministries, its prison ministries, and the people involved in them are highlighted, and a calendar of events is published on the site, which includes volunteer opportunities, online inquiry forms, and contacts.
https://gsm.infaith.org/
Funded by personal donations through InFaith, and in partnership with Calvary/El Calvary Church in Whittier, California, the art ministry for elementary-aged children offers a free, safe place for children to explore the visual arts, learn about famous artists, develop their own creative expressions, and grow in emotional self-awareness while hearing epic stories from the Bible. Its team classes, schedules, volunteer opportunities, and the InFaith mission are featured.
https://www.heartinkartscommunity.com/
Established in 1817, InFaith is a ministry support organization active within the United States, and unaffiliated with any other denomination. Its ministries, chaplain endorsement program, open opportunities, and affiliated people are identified, including stories of people associated with the organization, including its leadership, videos, and blog posts. InFaith's history, a statement of faith, ministry essentials, and an application for affiliation with InFaith are included.
https://infaith.org/
Representing and highlighting InFaith ministries in northwestern Oregon, the organization offers pastor and leadership support, fellowship development, and new ministry opportunities, which are highlighted here, with videos, a calendar of ministry events, newsletters, and the office mailing address, telephone number, and email address. An overview of its services is presented, including its Joshua Project to develop small church pastors, as well as a blog.
https://www.nworinfaith.org/
Located in Newberry Springs, California, the congregation began as a Sunday School started by the American Sunday school Union in the 1950s, and was incorporated as a church in 1955, with a continuing informal association with InFaith. The church's history and ministries are outlined, including an introduction for those who may be attending for the first time, a calendar of events, its missions, and an audio archive of past messages. Its telephone number, email address, and contacts are posted.
https://newberrycommunitychurch.com/
