Witness

Faith Sharing (Renew Ministries)

The following guidelines will keep your faith-sharing community focused and help you to grow in faith, hope, and love. They are included in the front of every faith-sharing book published by RENEW International.

Principles

1. Faith is a gift from God. God leads each person on his or her spiritual journey. This happens in the context of the Christian community.

2. Christ, the Word made flesh, is the root and foundation of Christian faith. It is because of Christ, and in and through him that we come together to share our faith.

3. “Faith sharing” refers to the shared reflections on the action of God in one’s life experience as related to Scripture and the faith of the Church.

4. Faith sharing is not discussion, problem solving, nor Scripture study. It is an opportunity for an encounter between a person in the concrete circumstances of his or her own life and a loving God, leading to a conversion of heart.

5. The entire faith-sharing process is an expression of prayerful reflection.

Guidelines

1. Constant attention to respect, honesty, and openness for each person will assist the community’s growth.

2. Each person shares on the level where he or she feels comfortable.

3. Silence is a vital part of the total process. Participants are given time to reflect before any sharing begins, and a period of comfortable silence might occur between sharing by individual participants.

4. Before sharing a second time, participants are encouraged to wait until all others who wish to do so have contributed.

5. The entire community is responsible for participating and faith sharing.

6. Confidentiality, allowing each person to share honestly, is essential.

7. The natural culmination of the sharing should be the action commitment, the key to the spiritual growth of both individuals and community.