Over the past few blog posts we have given attention to the fact that we need to help members of our congregations know the stories of faith and that there are three central stories each person needs to know and be able to share. These stories are the biblical/theological story, the congregational story and their own persona story of faith.

This week we turn our attention to helping people share their personal faith stories. I once started to help members of my parish share their stories and a woman came up to me and said, “I don’t think I have a faith story.” Of course, she did have a story. But the inability to share it in words meant two things. The first and most obvious thing is that she could not tell others about how she saw God at work in her life. But as true as that is, the second is perhaps even more tragic. She also had no real way of seeing and understanding for herself how she saw God at work in her own life!

A simple fact is that in most cases, if you can’t say it you don’t understand it. In other words, putting words to something forces us to “know” something that we wouldn’t have known prior to articulating it. When we tell our story, two people benefit: the hearer and the speaker.

Most of the work needed to help someone share their story is grounded in good questions. Simple questions look like this:

•      * When did you realize God loves you, even at your worst?
•      * Who first told you about Jesus?
•      * When has forgiveness and reconciliation happened in your life?
•      * When have you felt closest to God?
•      * What places feel most “spiritual” to you?
•      * How do you best pay attention to God in life today?
•      * What is your favorite Bible story about Jesus and why?

Of course, there are many more things you can ask. The key is to ask and then give space for people to listen and share their stories. Any leader who can do this will enhance the chances of people sharing their stories with others exponentially. But even more, any leader who asks these things will ensure that the people who wrestle with answering these questions will grow more aware of how they have seen God at work in their lives.