Story Sharing Guide
Sharing life together in Small Groups offers building community and time for forming trusting relationships. While we know sharing a meal around the table allows us to get to know one another, this summer, we invite you to go a little deeper by giving each member an opportunity to share their life story.
Follow the provided Story Sharing Guide. You will still meet as you normally would, but in place of the sermon-based guide, use this as a template for sharing your life stories.
If you’ve never done this before, this is a great exercise to think through your life and to see how God has been working. It can also be a great way to build trust in your relationships, which can have a big impact on the depth and vulnerability in your group when you get back to the regular rhythm in the fall.
Helpful Instructions
Create a Schedule: With your group, decide what nights throughout the summer you will meet to share stories. We recommend scheduling ahead of time who is going to share so they can prepare (1-3 people share per meeting). Some may choose to put together notes or an outline; some may choose to share spontaneously.
About the Gatherings: When you meet, if you can, share a potluck-style or simple meal before the time of sharing. After dinner, gather in a living room, or back patio—somewhere that is comfortable and where you can sit in a circle. Give time for each member (1-3 per night) to share their life story in 10-20 minutes.
About Sharing: This can be pretty open ended. Share about your childhood and upbringing. Share important changes or moments that impacted your life. Education, career, family, romance. Share your journey of faith and in relationship with Jesus. Of course, while we encourage you to share only what feels safe and appropriate, you may decide to share things that go beyond the level of small talk and are more vulnerable. Remember to honor one another, offer trust, don’t try to fix, and hold one another’s stories in appropriate confidence.
Kids in your group? Depending on the ages/stages of the kids in your group, you may choose to include them in the sharing, inviting them to share their own story so far. Or you may decide to let them play in a different space. Consider even splitting the cost of childcare for these evenings for some uninterrupted time together.
Suggested Pattern for Sharing
Offer a brief opening prayer or silence
Allow the one sharing to begin when they are ready
Listeners give attention without asking questions or commenting while holding the one sharing in prayer.
After the one is finished sharing, if they’re comfortable, lay hands on the one while you pray. Offer blessing, petition, and thanksgiving for God’s ways in their life. Some may choose to pray a verse from Scripture or an image to encourage the person who shared.
Transition to the next story
Before going on to the next person, offer a moment of silence
Allow next person sharing time to begin when they are ready
Follow the same sharing pattern from above…
Closing Prayer
At the end, have one person read Psalm 150 as a prayer of blessing for this time shared together
Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.
2 Give praise for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his great majesty.
3 Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Give praise with tambourines and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
5 Give praise with crashing cymbals,
praise him with sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath
give praise to the Lord!
Hallelujah!
