I asked our friend Tim Broyles, Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries at Church at the Crossing, how they tell the stories of people in their congregation!

We all have a story. Where we were born, what growing up was like, how life is playing out in the present. And as Christ followers, we know that our story really isn’t OUR story at all. We are a part of God’s story.

And quite frankly, God’s story is pretty amazing. I love hearing stories of God’s provision. I love hearing stories about God’s faithfulness. And I love hearing stories about lives changed and restored by God’s grace.

So how do we use these stories as outreach tools? And where do we get people to tell us their stories? 

I asked our friend Tim Broyles, Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries at Church at the Crossing, how they are doing it. When we tell other church leaders about the Crossing and their “That's My Story” videos - that are done on a weekly basis - they always want to know more.

We hope these tips will help other churches and leaders shorten their “on-ramp” time and help share good stories of God at work:

  • Try to base your testimonies on the teaching that is happening during the weekend service. Once the teaching calendar is set, brainstorm people in your church that would have something to add to the subject by something pivotal happening in their life. Harvesting the stories should come pretty naturally.
  • Don’t script your people. Give them some general parameters, but let the story come out organically. Our friends at the Crossing told their people they wanted them to answer the question, “What has God been doing in your life?” Tim mentioned, “Those that worked best are ones where the person knew the story they wanted to tell but told it from their heart. This is about stories, not clever scripts.” They encouraged their people to jump right into the story and tell it with as little intro/unneeded detail as practical.
  • As the producer, pray with the person being filmed before they start. This helps put the person at ease and keep their mind on why they are doing it. It also reminds them what you hope to accomplish by inspiring others. 

Check back next week for some tips on how to technically make all of this happen (on a budget).