Starting conversations about faith, life and Salvationism!

Spiritual conversations are one of the sources for our spiritual life. In a conversation we are able to find the words for what we think, feel, hope for and fear. In a conversation we are able to listen to the stories of others that help us to better understand ourselves, others and God. In a conversation we may be surprised by God’s presence through a simple word, feeling or image.

Faith Talks encourages intergenerational conversations so that people of all ages can express their beliefs, listen to and learn from each other and deepen their personal faith. The game cards prompt players to share personal experiences, rather than knowledge. 

Jesus was a master of conversations that led to transformation. Sometimes Jesus shared a story, sometimes he asked a question and sometimes he explained something. Whatever he shared in the conversation, it changed something in the lives of people who joined the conversation. The disciples started to think and act differently, making them signposts to God’s Kingdom. Having spiritual conversations is life-giving and vital for anyone who wants to follow Jesus.

Try the game and you will have a great time together while learning more about God, The Salvation Army and each other!

Colours of the cards

The game consists of cards in seven categories that link to the chapters in the book Called to be a Soldier. Each category has a colour that corresponds to one of the seven colours of the rainbow. The colours reflect the covenant and promise from God: ‘I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth’ (Genesis 9:13 NIV).

During the game play with the cards in categories one to six. The seventh category, ‘Finish’, is for use at the end of the conversation.

See the cards

How to play the card game – online

• Play with 2-20 people.
• Ask the youngest player to roll a dice to select a category from one to six.
• The player clicks on one of cards from the selected category and reads the question or action out loud.
• Let the reader respond first, then others can respond in turn.
• When the conversation on that topic has finished, close the card on the screen.
• Take as much time as you like.
• At the end, click on one of the purple cards (category seven) to close the conversation.

How to use the cards in other settings

Classes and groups

The cards could also be utilised as an opener and closer to classes such as Junior Soldiers, Corps Cadets, Character Building, Sunday School, Scouts and Guides and Bible study groups. You could also decide to split into small groups and give each group a different card to discuss.

Meetings

Use the cards to encourage people to share their testimony in a meeting. Choose a card that links to the theme of the meeting. Project the card on a screen and ask someone to answer the question on the card. Or print a card and give it to someone before the meeting, asking them to respond to the question on the card in the meeting.

You could also project or print a card and use it to interview someone in the meeting.

Mentorship

Print a few cards and take them with you when you have a conversation with your mentor or mentee. Choose a card and have a conversation!

Finish cards

You can use the cards from this category to finish any conversation such as a pastoral visit, a Bible study or a meeting.

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to everyone who helped us in creating this game.

Territorial youth secretaries from the different zones of The Salvation Army helped us in formulating the questions. We couldn’t have done this without you!

Thanks to Fernanda Rivera, our intern, who designed the game.

A special thanks goes to The Salvation Army's Australia Territory which gave us permission to use some of the questions from ‘Pass the Salt’. If you enjoyed our game and want to have more conversations, we recommend you order ‘Pass the Salt’. There is also an online version.