Painting Faith in Community: Joel Schoon-Tanis and Three Years of Collaborative Art
For the past three years, grantees in the Strengthening Ministry with Children Coordination Program have seen Joel Schoon-Tannis capture key themes from the event on canvas.
Joel sees his part in the conference as fulfilling a dual mission: to hold space by listening to what both God and neighbor are saying throughout the gathering, and to represent space by painting what he hears. Over the course of the conference, the canvases he sets up in the main gathering area take on the voices and stories of the people attending and the work they do together.
Joel started doing this work nearly thirty years ago. Based in Holland, Michigan, where he serves as artist-in-residence at Third Reformed Church, his work spans fine art, murals, children’s books, and global projects in places like Kenya, Mozambique, and the West Bank. Through all those mediums and cultures, the consistent thread through Joel's work is his approach to art as communication and shared discovery.
“I like making stuff,” Joel says simply. “Making things fulfills me, and especially when I can make stuff that has meaning."
Each year’s conference has invited Joel to present the story of God (and the story of the gathering) running parallel.
Year One: Shepherding our Children
“Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, with eagerness to serve God.” -1 Peter 5:2 NLT
Shepherding Our Children explores how churches cultivate spaces where children and families grow together in shared care. Drawing on the pastoral imagery of 1 Peter 5, the canvas features shepherds, growing trees, and flocks that mingle in unexpected ways. Giraffes appear among sheep, while children wearing headsets and other signs of accessibility are woven throughout the landscape.
Pastors and leaders contributed to the painting by sharing what faithful formation looks like in their own settings. Joel incorporated those reflections directly into the scene, creating a visual testimony to the many ways people are gathered into the care of the Good Shepherd.
The work reflects the church’s call to shepherd faithfully and tend a flock that reveals the breadth of God’s people. The image invites viewers to recognize themselves within the scene and to consider who else God is calling them to see and welcome.
“I want people to place themselves in it,” Joel explains. “To see where they fit, and who else God is calling us to see.”
Year Two: Teaching the Stories All Day Long
“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.” -Deuteronomy 11:18-21 NLT
Telling the Stories All Day Long centers on the Shema and the call to pass on God’s story in the rhythms of daily life, especially to children. Drawing on the language of Deuteronomy, Scripture appears throughout the scene on doorframes, beds, and gates, echoing the instruction to speak of God’s words at home and along the way.
Pastors and leaders shared Scripture passages that carry deep meaning in their lives and ministries, and Joel wove those verses into the painting itself. Some also added stars and even left their fingerprints on the work.
Children are at the heart of the scene. The imagery connects God’s promise to Abraham, whose descendants are as numerous as the stars, with moments from Exodus, the giving of the law, and the life of Christ. Together these elements reflect how God’s story is learned, remembered, and handed on through the everyday life of the household and the people of God.
Year Three: Building a Flourishing (and Playful) Kingdom
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”-Zechariah 8:4-5 NLT
A Vision of Flourishing draws on prophetic images of restoration and well being. The scene portrays a vibrant city alive with color and movement. Children play freely in the streets while elders rest in peace and animals live together in harmony. The image highlights a striking sign of shalom. The most vulnerable are not merely safe in the streets; they are playing in them.
Pastors and leaders contributed words that express their longings for the future of God’s people. Words such as “healing” and “renewal” are woven into the city itself, becoming part of its visual texture.
The painting holds before the church a vision of shalom and the flourishing of creation. The scene echoes prophetic passages from Zechariah and Isaiah where streets are filled with children at play and communities are marked by peace and joy. A small visual easter egg also appears within the scene: hidden in the city is the logo of the Strengthening Ministry with Children Coordination Program.
Joel explains, “It’s what shalom looks like. It shows what happens when things are as they are meant to be.”
The method of creating art in real time and collaboratively can feel intimidating. But for Joel, it grows out of a deep belief that collaboration helps people awaken to wonder. His commitment to this approach has been shaped by years of painting murals in schools and churches where he discovered that even small contributions allow people to become part of a larger story. When Joel works this way, each canvas becomes a shared spiritual artifact, capturing a moment that people experienced together.
“I’ve met adults who still remember which part they painted as kids,” he shares. “That matters.”
In keeping with the theme of the conference, Joel intentionally brings a childlike lens to his work—pairing simple drawings with intricate imagery and placing playful animals alongside sacred symbols. These unexpected combinations invite people to see familiar stories with fresh eyes and awaken again to wonder.
“Sometimes we think we already know the story,” Joel reflects. “Art helps us see it again.”
When asked what he would say to young artists, Joel emphasizes faithfulness to the process and the importance of trusting that inspiration often follows effort rather than leading it. He says, “Have a space. Have a rhythm. Don’t wait to be inspired; start working.”
He also believes deeply in the church’s need for creative voices, saying, “In a world where it’s hard to have good conversations, art can help us have them.”
Over the past three years, Joel’s presence at the Annual Gathering has helped capture and elevate the insights shared there. His work gives grantees a visual way to remember the experience by reminding them that, much like art itself, formation happens best in community.
