Sharing Life, Faith, and Jesus with Friends Through Spiritual Conversations
Spiritual Conversations: Sharing Life, Faith, and Jesus with Friends is a seven-lesson course designed for teachers and youth leaders to help high school-aged students recognize and respond to opportunities to have spiritual conversations.
Combining insights from Barna Group research and LHM’s commitment to equipping people to share the Gospel, this course includes interactive group activities, videos, data to consider, opportunities for discussions on Scripture and faith-sharing conversations, and more. The lessons can be presented daily, weekly, or even monthly, depending on the context and schedule of the group.
“I enjoyed the vibe of the class,” says Addison, a high school student from Buffalo, New York. “I thought it was a really fun way to learn how to spread faith. I have a couple of friends that I invited over to my house for a sleepover. One of them brought up some questions about why I believe what I do and what Christianity really is to me. I thought it was really moving because she’s not very religious, so it felt cool that I was able to share my faith. I thought this course really helped me know how to share it well with her.”
The Teacher Guide explains how to implement the course and engage students. Instructors are considered the classroom experts, but being an expert in spiritual conversations isn’t necessary to have a powerful learning experience. Lessons begin with a purpose and learning goals. Kickstarter Questions get students thinking on topic, while videos and group activities create a fun environment for exploring video content and related Scriptures. At each lesson’s conclusion, Exit Tickets give students the chance to share their thoughts, prayer requests, and more, in a confidential manner with their teacher.
The underlying motivator in Spiritual Conversations: Sharing Life, Faith, and Jesus with Friends is the apostle Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 4:5-6 to “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Insights gleaned from LHM’s Spiritual Conversation Curve and LHM Learn’s online suite of Barna-based Outreach Essentials courses have played a key role in building this course.
“I just want to thank LHM for all that they do,” says Rev. Matthew Bohlmann, associate pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Missouri. “The materials that they produce, as a pastor, help in a variety of ways. We’re in this together. We’re not just a bunch of individuals, but we’re working together because our goal is to tell the world about Jesus.”
Visit lhm.org/schs to learn more and register.