Beloved Community StorySharing Guide

In StorySharing, we tell our own stories and welcome other’s stories of what matters most. Through StorySharing, you will articulate the many ways you have experienced God’s presence and the many ways you experience your own life, your racial and cultural identity, and the differences God has planted throughout all of creation.

You will begin to find language to share what is true and holy and hopeful and challenging and loving with those you encounter in your everyday life. And you will learn about creating hospitable, respectful, generous space for others to do the same.

All this talk may sound evangelistic. Well, that’s because evangelism is what disciples do. Evangelism is simply the spiritual practice that allows us to seek, name, and celebrate the loving presence of Jesus in our lives, and to invite the people around us to grow their own relationships with God. We share the love of God we have found in Jesus not to fill our pews or to make the parish budget. We share the love of God so that we may become agents of good news and reconciliation in our churches, communities, and in the world. That is what StorySharing is all about.

This Guidebook includes several designs for StorySharing, all of which you can customize to your unique ministry context:

1. Exploratory: Coffee Hour, Bible study, meetings

2. Formation Series for youth & adults: Four to six sessions of 90 minutes each

3. Mini-Retreat: 3-5 hour session

4. Way of Life: Tools for integrating StorySharing into ministry and personal life

 

Download Beloved_Community_StorySharing_Guidebook
40 page reproducible guidebook