52 – The Interactive Question Wall

A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship

The Interactive Question Wall

Voicing Our Spiritual Doubts

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Theme

Creating space for questions in worship can be just as powerful as offering answers. A "Question Wall" gives the congregation permission to wonder out loud, explore faith with honesty, and join in a collective act of inquiry.

 

Core Message

Faith isn’t static. It grows through exploration, curiosity, and shared reflection. By voicing our spiritual questions and doubts together, we create a more open and supportive worshipping community.

 

Worship Ideas & Congregational Participation

1. Setting the Scene
At the front or side of the worship space, attach a large sheet of paper to the wall or position a whiteboard with a banner titled: “Questions We Carry.” Provide sticky notes and pens or markers nearby.

Introduce the wall at the beginning of the service with an invitation:

"Faith grows through questions. During the service, or afterwards, you’re invited to write down any questions you have about faith, God, life, today’s message – anything – and place it on our Question Wall."

2. Engaging the Wall During the Service
Offer moments in the service for people to walk to the wall and add their questions. This could be during a quiet instrumental piece, a time of reflection, or after the sermon.

Encourage people to write one question per sticky note. These might include:

• "Why does God feel distant sometimes?"
• "What does forgiveness really look like?"
• "Is doubt part of faith?"
• "How can I serve others when I feel empty myself?"
• "If God is good, why does evil persist in the world?"

3. Reflecting Together
After everyone who wants to has posted their questions on the wall, read a few aloud. Try grouping them by theme. Invite respectful discussion, shared prayer, or simply let the questions stand as a sacred offering.

Keep the wall up for several weeks. Provide fresh sticky notes and pens for people to continue adding questions. This builds a shared tapestry of spiritual curiosity over time.

4. Follow-Up Options

• Use the collected questions as inspiration for future sermons, small group studies, or newsletters.
• Create a “Question of the Week” segment where one question from the wall is thoughtfully explored.
• Invite congregation members to write responses to one another’s questions on additional sticky notes.

5. Scripture Tie-ins

• Mark 9:24 – "I believe; help my unbelief!"
• Job 3 onwards – Job's open questioning of God
• Luke 2:46 – Jesus found in the temple, "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

 

Closing Thought

Worship is not only a place for certainty – it can also be a sanctuary for the unknown. By creating a Question Wall, you honour the searching hearts in your congregation and affirm that questioning and doubt are not weaknesses of faith, but signs of life within it.

Encourage your people to ask themselves in the coming week:

• What question am I carrying today?
• Where might that question lead me?

Ngā mihi
Philip