To enable leaders to understand and utilize the power of stories to shape and define kids (and themselves) as people and followers of Christ.

OVERVIEW

LEADER PREPARATION

• Read Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins, focusing on stories' power to shape and define individuals and groups.
• Read The Peaceable Kingdom, focusing on the role of community in the narrative process.
• Read the Gospels. Take note of how often Christ communicates through parable and story. What do we learn about God through Jesus?

GROUP BUILDING

Play some basic story games. Have everyone tell

1. An embarrassing moment.
2. Two truths and one lie about themselves.
3. The best day of their lives.
4. The most exciting or scary thing they have ever done.

GROUP PRESENTATION

• Show a brief clip from a show such as "The Wonder Years" to illustrate an adult's remembrance of events (his personal story) as a tutor for living life.
• Read an example of Christ's use of story to say, "The kingdom of God is like..."

GROUP DISCUSSION

• Can you recall a story or event from your childhood that has had a shaping impact on you?
• Why was the parable Christ's primary idiom for describing himself and the Kingdom of God?
• Why is the story of the prodigal son more impacting than the statement, "God is a God of extravagant grace and forgiveness?"
• Who are the primary storytellers in kid's lives today? What stories do they tell?
• How does this critical absence of substantive narrative effect the development of character in kids?
• How can we tailor our evangelism and discipleship to utilize the power of narrative?
• In doing this, how are we called to "take part" in the Christian story?

WRAP-UP

• Point out that Western Christianity's penchant for rationalistic discourse is not Biblical, but, rather Hellenistic in origin.
• Stress the narrative vacuum in kid's lives. This vacuum is usually filled by little other than the mass media.
• Emphasize the need to both orally tell the Christian story and actively live it.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

• List tangible ways to make youth group talks and discipleship groups more narrative.
• List ways to seek out and find kids' stories.
• Increase use of testimonies in youth group settings and discipleship groups.

IMPLICATIONS

• Kids will hear the true Gospel.
• Kids will be equipped to genuinely respond to and change as a result of the Gospel.
• They will become a part of the story, the community of God.
• They will have a place (the body) and a framework (the Christian story) to develop healthy self-identities (Christian character).