Faith Conversations Talking about Faith on the Road of Life Author*: Dennis Tiger McLuen

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1 Faith Cnversatins Talking abut Faith n the Rad f Life Authr*: Dennis Tiger McLuen Overview Sharing yur faith stry is an essential part f yur rle as a leader yet this is usually a tugh area fr many peple in the church. This sessin will intrduce the basic ideas and skills necessary fr having a natural, relatinal cnversatin abut faith and life. We will admit ur fears and find a way t speak abut faith and life in real cnversatins with students. Big Ideas We Hpe t Get Acrss Sharing yur stry is the key t faith cnversatins We need t use wrds t express ur faith Mst f us are scared abut sharing ur faith, but it can becme a natural part f life Vague ideas wn t really help us talk abut faith Intrductin 5 minutes Say smething like: Tday s tpic is n having faith cnversatins. Fr many f us, this subject gets us nervus because we feel inadequate in this area. We think we have t be thelgians r bible experts t share ur faith, but tday is abut learning t be cmfrtable with sharing ur stry. As yu may remember frm the sessin n thelgy - all f us are thelgians. Yu dn t need t be an expert. Yu might als remember the Landscape f Yuth Ministry sessin, where we referenced Kenda Creasy Dean. She mentined hw few teenagers are able t articulate their faith and that they ften get that frm the adults arund them. She said that churches need t be labratries fr these faith cnversatins. THIS is the place where we shuld be practicing sharing ur faith. This sessin is designed t help us with this imprtant tpic, s let s get started. Open in Prayer 1 Script: Sharing Yur Faith

2 Reflectins: Life reflectins 10 minutes Small Grups: Have the participants get int grups f 4-5 t discuss the fllwing questins. 1. Describe a time when yu felt cmfrtable sharing abut yur faith with anther persn. What was that like? What made it cmfrtable? Hw did that g? 2. Nw, describe a time when yu tried t share smething f yur faith but it just didn t wrk ut at all. What happened? Why d yu think it didn t wrk? 3. As yu think abut sharing yur faith with teenagers what are sme f yur fears r cncerns abut that? Vide Segment #1: Tiger 5-7 minutes Highlights f the vide: Sharing faith is nt just fr the prfessinals. We ALL have a stry. Kids struggle with articulating their faith because they dn t see adults d it. Sharing ur faith has t include ur wrds it can t just be a vague idea. Luke 24 Jesus drew near t them ur jb is t cme alngside kids, can t d faith cnversatin frm a distance, we need t talk abut life and faith; Jesus asks questins asking questins creates envirnment that shws interest in their wrld, listening t the answers, THEN teaching at the right mment Reflectins: Sharing Yur Faith minutes In the same small grups, use the fllwing questins t have the participants discuss sme elements f their wn faith stry. Yu may want t ask the questins in tw sets. Set One Questins: Name a time in yur life when yu felt clse t Gd. What stry in the bible rings true fr yu? Any character in the bible? A mment in a bible character s life? What did Tiger say t get yu thinking abut sharing yur faith mre clearly? Set Tw Questins: On a scale f 1-10 (10 being the mst cmfrtable), hw wuld yu rate yurself when it cmes t sharing yur faith with thers? What makes it difficult fr yu? What are yur fears in this area? 2 Script: Sharing Yur Faith

3 Reflectins: Large Grup minutes Bring the grup back tgether and get sme respnses frm the small grup time. What were the times yu felt clse t Gd? What were the fears abut sharing yur faith yu named? Hw did yu rank yurselves? This will give yu a gd sense f what the grup is feeling right nw. Yu may want t put sme f these n a whitebard r flip chart fr reference. Practice Sessins: minutes Have the participants get int pairs t practice sharing their faith, using the questins belw. Assume that the persn asking these questins is a friend nt a stranger. They simply are asking these questins in a natural setting with yu. Set up each questin frm up frnt. Ask the questin in the cntext just given as a friend asking a friend. In pairs, have them answer the questin t each ther. Give them time t respnd. After there has been enugh time fr each persn t respnd, set up the next questin. Remind them that this is a great time t practice. They dn t have t feel pressure, and they may feel uncmfrtable. Like anything, practice is valuable in becming mre cmfrtable. 1. Why d yu g t church? What value d yu find in ging? 2. S, if yu g t church, then yu believe in Gd, right? Why d yu believe in Gd and what des that faith in Gd d fr yu? 3. S, yu g t First Lutheran. That is a Christian church, right? S, hw des Jesus fit in the picture? What d yu believe abut Jesus and why is he s imprtant? Leader Nte: If there is time, yu may wish t add the ptinal questins/exercises in the appendix, r give this as an assignment fr them t d after the training. Large Grup Discussin 5-10 minutes Bring the grup back tgether and have a few peple share their thughts n the experience. Hw did that exercise g? What did it feel like t answer each f these questins? Which questin was the hardest t answer in a cnversatinal way? Where did yu get stuck? Leader Nte: Yu will sense the willingness f the grup t be hnest abut this. Hpefully, yu can encurage them t share hw it felt t try t put wrds t their faith especially mving frm Religius Behavir (Questin #1) t Christian Distinctives (Questin #3). 3 Script: Sharing Yur Faith

4 Cnclusin: 5 minutes Say smething like: I appreciate yur willingness t talk abut and practice this idea f sharing yur faith stry. It can feel intimidating, but we believe that teens are helped when caring adults arund them actually put wrds t their faith. Like anything, it takes practice t becme mre cmfrtable. Yung peple need t hear us put wrds t ur faith let s nt keep it vague. Lk fr pprtunities t cnnect life cnversatins t faith cnversatins. Keep wrking n this stuff because this is really the cre f ur ministry. Clsing Prayer *This curriculum was develped fr the Practice Discipleship Prject, an initiative f the 2012 ELCA Yuth Gathering ( in partnership with the ELCA Yuth Ministry Netwrk ( While primary authrship belngs t the authr nted abve, this is a cllective wrk f the Practice Discipleship writing team: Dr. Terri Eltn (Luther Seminary: Dennis Tiger McLuen (Yuth Leadership: and Dr. Jeremy Myers (Augsburg Cllege: Permissin is given t use these resurces in yur lcal cntext, s lng as n rganizatin r individual prfits frm the use f these materials. 4 Script: Sharing Yur Faith

5 Optinal/Appendix: Practice sharing Gd s stry. What wuld yu say are the key elements t yu abut this stry f Gd s lve fr us? Remember the Lutheran thelgy piece? Where can we find spaces t share it? Hw can yu transitin general cnversatins with teens t talking abut Gd? Practice sharing yur stry. Wrk n a shrt summary f yur faith jurney. Hw did yu get t where yu are tday? Hw is yur faith impacting yur life at wrk, at hme and life in general? What are sme key elements f yur faith at this pint? Hw wuld yu put wrds t sme f yur cre beliefs? Tiger McLuen