Being With
Being With is a ten-session course for exploring Christian faith through conversation, storytelling, and relationships. Originating at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, the course was created by Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells and Rev. Sally Hitchiner and has since developed into an international network of trained leaders and participating congregations.
The course is designed particularly with people on the edges of church life in mind, including those who are curious about Christianity, returning to faith, uncertain about what they believe, disconnected from church, or carrying difficult experiences of church. It does not assume prior biblical or theological knowledge.
Rather than following a teaching-heavy or question-and-answer format, Being With centres the experience of a small group listening to and sharing stories. Groups typically include up to twelve participants and two leaders and can meet either online or in person. Each session follows four parts:
Welcome: Participants share something from their week, beginning with the question, “What is the heart of your week?”
Wonderings: Simple prompts invite people to reflect on experiences connected with the session’s theme, such as freedom or feeling trapped.
Story: An approximately eight-minute presentation introduces an aspect of Christian faith.
Reflection: The group discusses what the session has brought to mind, beginning with the open-ended question, “What is in your heart or your head?”
Across the ten sessions, participants explore themes including meaning, Jesus, church, suffering, prayer, and the cross. The approach is grounded in the idea that relationships and attentive listening can create space for people to explore questions of faith through their own experiences and the experiences of others.
For churches looking for ways to create accessible faith conversations, Being With provides a structured small-group format that can be used with people at different points in their relationship with Christianity. It may also be useful for existing church members who want to explore their own faith while learning how to have deeper conversations about belief and life with others.
Alongside the course itself, Being With offers training for leaders and two companion books: Being With: A Course Exploring Christian Faith and Life: Leaders’ Guide and Being With: A Course Exploring Christian Faith and Life: Participants’ Companion.