StorytellingStories. They are all around us. In books, movies, television shows. As children, we learned through stories and as adults we gravitate towards good ones. Every photo album, every friendship, and every family is filled with stories. Stories give meaning to our lives and provide the context for the unfolding events that we are in.  With news and information at our fingertips, an entire nation has been able to see first-hand the unveiling story of the OJ Simpson case, Columbine, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and so on. We tune in and want to see what happens next, we talk about it with our friends, and we become immersed in the story. We are a story-driven culture.

 

Yet why is it that we do not harness the power of story in our preaching, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership?

Jesus was a storyteller who spoke in narrative form every time he had a crowd gathered around him.

Why then do we preach a 3-point sermon, evangelize with the 4 spiritual laws, disciple following 5 easy steps, and lead our ministries with a purpose statement that is also an acronym for some catchy word?

It is so tempting for us to zoom in on propositional truths because it is easy. The problem is that in doing so, we miss the big picture of God’s Story throughout history. In the same way that we can’t stand an inch away from a Picasso painting and think that we fully understand it, we can’t focus on a couple key truths about God and be satisfied. We must step back and see the big picture, the beautiful sweeping strokes of God’s limitless love and overarching masterpiece of creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration.

I heard Donald Miller recently say at a conference, “evangelism is about communicating to somebody a better story than the one that they are already living. The problem is, the Church isn’t telling a very good story.” The unfolding story of God’s redemptive love, rescue, and reconciliation is so much more powerful than a list of bullet points about things a Christian should and should not do.

Over the next 5 posts I want to explore with you the power of storytelling within the context of youth ministry. Specifically, I want to focus on:

(1) How storytelling is the most effective mode of communication to the millennial generation
(2) The necessary elements of storytelling
(3) The need to understand and be able to communicate your own story
(4) The need to understand and be able to communicate the biblical Story
(5) How Jesus gives us an example for how we should preach, disciple, evangelize, and train leaders

Until then, I will leave you with 3 myths and 3 truths about the power of story that are found in a book I highly recommend, “Reconnecting God’s Story to Ministry” by Tom A. Steffen:

Myth 1: Stories are synonymous with fiction
Myth 2: Stories are for children
Myth 3: Bible stories and theology are unrelated

Truth 1: Storytelling is a universal form of communication that transcends cultures.
Truth 2: Approximately 75 percent of the bible is narrative
Truth 3: Jesus taught theology through stories