The Task of the Core Member within Small Group is not to be a teacher, but a facilitator. A facilitator is a leader who starts, guides and pushes the conversation and learning of others. This is primarily done through open-ended questions that do three things: help process a presentation, make new connections, and apply Christ’s truth to one’s own life.
The most basic requirement of a Life Teen Core Member is an adult who has received the love of Jesus Christ and is living his/her Catholic Faith daily. (Note that I did not say “perfectly” but “daily.”) This means that every Core Member is first a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who follows Jesus Christ and not merely one who believes in Him. Believers hear, but don’t act. Jesus said that the wise person is one who “hears these words of mine and does them”. Jesus as extended an invitation through faith- “Come, follow me.” And it is by faith, hope and charity that we actually follow Jesus.
So there you are, a twenty-something college Religious Studies graduate running a high school youth group in the suburbs, in a room filled with 100+ teenagers who are collectively angry at whatever it is you, as an old man, have to say about sex and relationships. You clear your throat and begin...
BUT WAIT! Don't make the same mistakes that I've made in my rookie days as an anstinence-pledge-card-bearer. Here are 3 simple things you can do when giving a chastity talk to have a wider impact on the hearts and minds of your students that can create lasting change.