Speaking Our Faith Leader Guide: Equipping the Next Generations to Tell the Old, Old Story - Softcover

Carlson, Kit

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1640650296 ISBN 13: 9781640650299

Publisher: Church Publishing, 2018

Synopsis

This Leader Guide offers five session plans designed to bring the process described in Kit Carlson’s book, Speaking Our Faith, to small groups of adults in a congregational or school chaplaincy setting, in order to help them learn how to speak and share their faith. Guidance for the leader in how to facilitate each conversation is given, noting issues that tend to arise in each of the sessions. Homework assignments continue the work from week to week and are provided as well. The time to speak, to share our faith, is now. Through the sessions provided, participants will learn how to put words to their own experiences of God, create their own statements of belief, and begin to have compassionate, caring conversations with other people about spirituality, belief, and Jesus Christ.

About this title

About the Author

KIT CARLSON is rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing, Michigan. A passionate commitment to the future of the Church and the future of the faith in the changing landscape of 21st century Christianity led her to research how post- Boomers speak about their faith, as part of her doctor of ministry degree. She is author of The Leopard Son, Bringing Up Baby: Wild Animal Families, and Working Dogs: Tales from the K9-5 World. She is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and writes at Pastor in the Pasture of Life.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Speaking Our Faith Leader Guide

Equipping the Next Generations to Tell the Old, Old Story

By Kit Carlson

Church Publishing Incorporated

Copyright © 2018 Kit Carlson
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-64065-029-9

Contents

Introduction, 
Session One: Setting the Tone, 
Session Two: How Do You Know What You Know?, 
Session Three: Who Is the God That We Know?, 
Session Four: Faith in Action: Practices and Ethics, 
Session Five: This I Believe, 
The Final Celebration: One Month Later, 
Handouts, 

CHAPTER 1

SESSION ONE

Setting the Tone

This first session helps participants get to know one another. Establishment of group norms is an important part of this session. There is an initial round of "getting to know you" conversation, followed by explanation of the program, norm setting, and naming of expectations. Then there is a second, deeper round of "getting to know you" conversation. In this initial session, participants should begin to articulate why they decided to participate in this group, what they want other group members to know about them, and what questions they bring about God and faith as they begin this exploration.

The timer numbers at the beginning of each transition are there to help you stay on track through a ninety-minute session. Leader guidelines are offered throughout the session with questions listed below the conversation topic. Don't expect that you will get through all these suggested questions. They are there to help you guide the conversation in the best possible way for your group.

Materials Needed:

[] Blank paper and markers

[] Handout A: "Circles of Faith" diagram

[] Handout B: "River of Life" exercise to take home

[] Flip chart if you like, to record group norms

Opening Prayer :00

(5 minutes)

Invite participants to sit comfortably, feet on the floor. Take a deep breath. Then another. Say, "We are going to sit in silence, sit in the presence of God, and pray that God's Spirit will move within and among us over these next five weeks." Hold the silence for at least five minutes. End by saying, "Now as you slowly return to the room, thank God for this time of silence and prayer." Take a pause, then say, "Amen."

Introductions 00:05

(15 minutes)

Introduce yourself first, saying a little bit about yourself, why you ended up as a leader for this group, and what you hope to gain out of leading this group. Continue with questions like these to the group:

• Who are you? What is going on in your life right now?

• Why did you decide to participate in this group? What do you hope to gain?

• What do you wonder about? Why are you here?

Creating a Safe Space 00:20

(10 minutes)

Introduce the ideas of norms by saying something like this:

• Vulnerability is an important part of speaking about your faith. This is not just about your head, what you believe in your mind. It is also about your heart, how you know and love and encounter God. In order for us to work at the level of faith, with all its questions, doubts, convictions, and joys, this should be a safe space for all of us to share freely.

• This five-week journey is designed to help you listen to God and to each other, in order to help you grow in your faith, to talk about what you know and don't know, what you believe and don't believe, what you hope for and what you fear. It will help you develop your own authentic language of faith. It will help build your confidence in talking about your faith with others. It may lead to a natural evangelism, where you are less ashamed or intimidated to talk about your relationship with God and understanding of God. But it can also lead to a deepened spiritual life, to better connections among your brothers and sisters in Christ in this church.

• There will be homework exercises between the sessions. Don't be afraid of the exercises. You may or may not like the exercise presented, but at least attempt it in faith and with a willing heart and see what comes out of it. If you have a strong resistance to the exercise, perhaps the goal for that exercise is then to explore what is your resistance? What bothers you about it? What are you afraid it might touch? Your willingness to engage with the exercises and to share what comes out of them for you will enhance this experience for you and the other members of the group.

• To talk about faith like this with other people touches three main themes: vulnerability, an acceptance of not having all the answers, and the ability to speak one's own truth. The way to honor these themes and help them develop is through open-ended questions, non-judgmental listening, and open, respectful conversation.

As a leader, you might talk some about your experiences in groups like this, what you have learned about how a group can be a safe space for everyone, and about your own experiences being vulnerable in front of others. How you model these themes — your own vulnerability, your own willingness to not have all the answers, and your own ability to speak your truth — will help participants do the same.

Developing Ground Rules 00:30

(10 minutes)

Help the group to develop norms for how they are to be together. Sample norms include:

• Listen as well as you can.

• Don't jump to judgment.

• Disagree respectfully.

• It's OK to share disagreement, but not to disagree in a personal way.

• Own and articulate your own feelings.

• You can talk outside the group without identifying who said what. Strip out identifying information.

• Revisit these norms if necessary.

• No interrupting. Let each person finish his or her thought.

• Don't assume; be inquiring.

• In general, keep your phones off the table and out of your hands.

If the group has a hard time getting started, offer one or two norms off the list as a starting point. Ways to surface norms are to ask questions like: What do you need to feel comfortable in this group? What norms could help us do that? What do you need to happen to be heard? How can we help everyone be respected and heard?

The group should develop its own norms. The sample is just a sample. If the group doesn't own its own boundaries for how to be together, then people won't feel safe. After this session, prepare a list of the group's norms that you can easily refer to in future sessions — either as a handout for members, or on a sheet of flip chart paper that you post each week.

Another Round of Getting to Know You, Only Deeper 00:40

(20 minutes)

Distribute the diagram with the circles of different kinds of faith (Handout A on page 49).

• Explain how this is based on the work of John Westerhoff, who developed a model of faith formation back in the 1970s. He writes that the beginning of faith is an experienced faith, much like we feel as children. It's based on feelings of trust, love, and acceptance. It is basically passive, and experienced through the love of other community members.

• The next stage is affiliative faith. This also is based in a feeling of belonging, especially to a community with a clear identity. "In my church, we always do ..." "Episcopalians never do ..." People in this style of faith need to experience awe, wonder, and mystery.

• Growing out of this is searching faith. This is a time to test the community's faith story, to question and to doubt. It is a religion of head and heart, as the person leaves behind a noncritical acceptance of the faith they were taught and begins to wrestle with what is valid, true, and believable.

• The outer ring is owned faith. This is really a conversion to living a whole-hearted faith that makes a fundamental difference in the person's life. The person has wrestled with what they do and do not believe and made peace with ambiguity, while becoming clear about the purpose of belief in their own life. There may be a significant shift in behavior, in what the person spends time on and cares about, and in what they are committed to.

Open the conversation to the group members:

• Where are you on this circle?

• Where do you hope these conversations will lead you?

• What are your fears and uncertainties?

When the group has answered these questions, go around the group again and ask:

• What do you want the group to know about you going forward to help make this a valuable experience for you?

An appropriate self-disclosure of vulnerability on your part might help open this up. Start by saying something important you want the group to know about you first, that will help them understand something about where you are in your life with God. Be sure everyone has a chance to answer this question, but it is not necessary to push anybody deeper than they want to go in this first session.

River of Life Exercise 01:00

(20 minutes)

You will need blank paper and markers for everyone. If you really have twenty minutes left (sometimes conversation takes longer than you planned), then you can take your time with this. Have enough handouts of this exercise (Handout B found on page 50) for your whole group, but hold those until the end. Just give them the paper and markers to start. Read these sections below; leave some space in between them for participants to think, start to draw, etc.

The River of Life Exercise

Begin with a blank sheet of paper. Don't draw anything yet. First, before you put anything on the paper, think briefly about the course of your whole life. If you could compare your life with a river, what would the river look like?

Leave some space and silence here ...

When and where are the smooth, flowing waters — those times when events and relationships seem generally positive or there is a sense of ease about your life? When does the river take a sudden turn (and what caused the turn), or change from smooth waters to rough, tumbling rapids or to an excited rush of water? Are there rocks or boulders falling into your river — unexpectedly landing there, changing its direction forever? Are there points at which it flows powerfully and purposefully or seems to slow to a trickle?

Leave some space and silence here ...

Now, start to draw your river of life with its bends and turns, its smooth waters and rough spots, its strength/vitality, and its direction.

Leave some space ...

Write in your approximate age, and/or dates, along the flow of your river. Identify on your drawing the various key "marker events" in your life — the boulders in the river, or places where the river changes course — that shape your story. If you could divide your life journey into sections, where would the section divisions occur? Give names to each of the sections of your life river.

Leave some space ...

Now think about the various people who have accompanied you along this river's journey. What relationships have been the most significant at different points in your life? Who has most shaped you? Have there been significant losses of relationship along the way? What groups or communities of people were most important? Record these key relationships and losses in the appropriate places on your river of life. If you wish, you might also want to jot down some of the thoughts and feelings that go along with these relationships.

You will probably be running out of time at this point. Encourage participants to continue to work on their River of Life over the week ahead. Pass out the handouts at this point so they can have them as references during the time apart and for sharing at the next session.

Closing Prayer 01:20

(5 minutes)

You can develop your own closing ritual. You can use the Lord's Prayer, you can use an easily memorized prayer, or you can make a circle and ask each person to offer a short prayer or intention as you go around the circle.

Think ahead about something that feels good to you and will be routine and comfortable for the group.

CHAPTER 2

SESSION TWO

How Do You Know What You Know?

This session focuses on epistemology (how you know what you know) or the question of revelation (how do you know it's God revealing God's self). By doing the "River of Life" exercise in between sessions, participants have had an opportunity to reflect on places in their life where they felt God was present or absent. This leads into a conversation about how one knows or experiences God. Where does one turn for authority in understanding these experiences? What role does a faith community play? What role does scripture play?

In this session, participants should begin to speak about how they understand and know God and what part God has played in their lives. They should also be able to talk about where they do and do not find credible authority or resources for understanding these encounters with God.

Materials Needed:

[] List of group norms on a sheet that is easily referenced

[] A Bible, or a copy of John 1:1–14 printed out to share among the readers

[] River of Life homework

Opening Prayer 00:00

(10 minutes)

The Lambeth Bible study is a way of encountering scripture as prayer, instead of as an objective text to be struggled with. Slowly and purposefully, someone reads the scripture. After a moment of silence, each person shares a word or phrase that stood out to them. A second person (of a different gender, if possible) reads the scripture again. This time, after a moment of silence, each person shares where the passage touches their life today. Then a third person reads it again. After a moment of silence, each person shares where they hear God calling to them in this scripture to do or be something today. Use a Bible with the section marked, and pass around from reader to reader, or print out these verses before the session and pass the sheet from reader to reader.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-14).

The three questions are:

• State one word or phrase that stands out for you.

• Where does this passage touch my life today?

• From what I've heard and shared, what is God calling me to do and be today?

River of Life Exercise 00:10

(30 minutes)

Review the "River of Life" exercise. Ask the group to take turns reflecting on:

• Who or what was God to you at the different times depicted in your diagram?

• What caused you to feel closer to, or more distant from, God at these different times?

• What places or situations were encounters with the Sacred for you?

• Have you faced situations or experiences devoid of any sense of God/the Sacred?

As you go through this session, as the leader, it's important for you to begin to "conduct" the conversation. Make sure everyone gets a chance to talk, and that a few people aren't dominating the conversation. Remember your group norms, and help the group remember them too. Listen deeply, and with compassion, and use your comments to help connect ideas and experiences between the speakers. As these sessions go on, the conversation becomes more and more the work of the group, and you as leader are the prompter, the facilitator, and the guide.

How Do We Know God? 00:40

(25 minutes)

This leads to a more open-ended conversation about how we know God, what helps us to know God and what gets in the way. The following questions can help open up the conversation. You don't have to ask them in this order, but turn to them as the conversation shifts, or lags.

• Did anything in your upbringing/religious education/church life help you to interpret these experiences of God/the Sacred?

• How do you know it was God? Did anyone or anything help you understand God's working in your life?

• What was your image of God when you were a child? a teenager? now?

• What has determined how you understand God? experience? church teachings? scripture? books? friendships?

• When you wonder about God, where do you seek answers/knowledge?

Resources and Stumbling Blocks 01:05

(15 minutes)

Reading the Bible, talking about God, or attending church may be a new or unpleasant experience for your group members. Create a foundation that the group can build upon:

• Let's talk about the Bible: How has scripture informed your understanding of God?

• When is scripture helpful? When is it not helpful? What kind of authority is scripture for you in your knowledge of/relationship with God?

• What about church? Church experiences — how have they helped you know God or confused your understanding/relationship with God? What is church for in your life?

• What strengthens your relationship with God? What draws you closer? What opens your understanding?

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Speaking Our Faith Leader Guide by Kit Carlson. Copyright © 2018 Kit Carlson. Excerpted by permission of Church Publishing Incorporated.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Church Publishing
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1640650296
• ISBN 13: 9781640650299
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 56