Gospel Culture: Honor Time
Note: this resource is part of our gospel culture series, written by Vince Greenwald, the student ministry director at Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN. As part of an effort to embody a gospel culture in their student ministry, they practice Honor Time, Walking in the Light, and Burden Bearing Time together during their regular Wednesday night meetings. These regular practices are centered on the idea that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. They help students see that the gospel shapes their real lives and is more than just a good idea. For more on these, listen to the YPT Podcast with Vince on episode 10, “Growing Gospel Culture in Student Ministry.”
Outdo one another in showing honor. - Romans 12:10b
Death and life are in the power of the tongue - Proverbs 18:21a
Words can hurt. Our conversations during the week are often characterized by weather talk and insincerity, sarcasm and put-downs. But in the book of Romans, christians are commanded to competitively honor one another, to “outdo one another in showing honor.” What if we carved out a space to honor our fellow believers, to intentionally tell them with our words how we see Christ in them? That’s what Honor Time is all about.
How to do Honor Time:
Scripture - Introduce the time by reading the passages above and explaining what we are about to do, share how we see Christ in each other.
Context - Honor time can work in big groups or small groups. It can also be done in 5 minutes or could easily run an hour. Depending on group size, you may ask people to stand up when they share, raise their hand, etc. Make it work for your context.
Ground Rules - Honor time can easily devolve into flattery, empty compliments, or sucking up to the leaders or popular people in the room. Explain the ground rules. “Here’s what we’re not doing. This isn’t a time of flattery or empty compliments. Here’s what we are doing, recognizing the work of Christ in each other. A great honor starts with: “I see Christ in you in how you _____________” or “When you ________, that was evidence of the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in your life.”
Sharing - Leaders often kick off this time, but they don’t necessarily have to. Just launch into a time of people encouraging one another.
Helpful Hints for Youth Leaders:
When doing honor time with young people, it really helps to have a tactile object that keeps you on track. The way our groups practice this is by throwing a ball of yarn from person to person when honoring one another, and then everyone holds onto the cord as it goes around. We do this for two reasons.
1. This makes it more likely that everyone gets in on both honoring others and being honored.
2. This is also a lot of fun. It makes a big web of honor, and the students love it. We do this at the end of each semester and often to close out retreats and camps.