Tell Me Your Story

Not long ago, I preached to our students from the book of John. I used my typical format of teaching, trying to convey the heart of the passage. As I looked out in the audience, the students felt unengaged, uninterested, and ready to head home. It was discouraging, but I began to recognize who I was speaking to. These students sit in lectures and classes with little to no interaction. They hear someone speak to them constantly of very important things. 

So I changed my tactic. As I started my message, I shared a story. It was a personal one, detailed, exciting, and just a little bit funny. Throughout the message, I would refer back to my story. I left that night feeling as if this message landed a lot better than the previous one. Why? Because stories matter to us.

We are drawn to stories. Whether we're telling ghost stories around a campfire or tucking our kids into bed, stories have a way of igniting our imaginations and sticking with us long after they're told.

The good news is that we all have stories to tell. We have all encountered some sort of memorable moment that connects to our teaching in some way. Even more, every believer has a story of God's grace to share. Our testimonies don't have to be dramatic to be meaningful; they can help others see that the gospel we proclaim is real and personal.

One of my favorite teaching series we use in our student ministry is called “This Is My Story.” It’s pretty simple. We discuss four separate people who encountered Jesus and were transformed by that encounter. We use it to communicate the importance of sharing the gospel. But each night, one of our leaders will get on the stage and share about their own personal testimony. We would even end the night by walking through a formula for building our own testimony (before I met Christ, my life was __________ and ________. But then Jesus met me and now my life is ________ and ________. Do you have a story like that?) The result was incredible. Students were now able to articulate their faith story and use that as a natural transition to share the Gospel. But many students discovered that they did not have a testimony. Some trusted Christ for the very first time. 

The students in your audience are craving connection. Many of our students live in a world filled with constant information, competing voices, and digital distractions. Intentional storytelling can help us create connection and reinforce the biblical truths we want them to understand. Telling stories in your youth ministry could reinforce a greater understanding and connection with the teaching you are trying to convey.

Storytelling Connects Us with the Audience

As you tell a story, you are reminding your audience that you are a lot like them. Some will connect with you, some will sympathize with you, some will laugh at you. No matter how it shakes out, building connections with your students on and off the stage is going to be highly important for them to learn to trust you. 

Jesus used this model. Look through the gospels and you will see that Jesus often told stories. He spoke to shepherds about sheep, hungry people about bread, and to farmers, he spoke about agriculture. Jesus was able to identify his audience and communicate a heavenly truth in a way that they could understand and experience because that was the world they lived in. 

When you take the time to weave the gospel and its power through your own story, students begin to see how the gospel can fit into theirs. Often we can communicate that the person on stage is distant and untouchable, but communicating through stories is one way to connect the stage presence to the person in the audience. 

Personally, I struggle with focus. It is a struggle for me to maintain attention for very long. Once a speaker moves from explanation to illustration, it’s as if the clock resets, my ears perk up, and I find myself tuned in again. Gripping stories, funny stories, or worrisome stories help the audience to lean in and relate to the speaker. 

Remember our sermon series where our leaders shared their testimonies before the message? One of the biggest points of feedback we heard was how different yet relatable each story was. A newfound friendship began between two leaders because they both discovered they were saved at the same age at a similar event! 

Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”  ― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Stories don’t have to be long, complex, or heroic. In fact, they should be simple and relatable. The goal is not to make ourselves the hero of the story, but to communicate how the gospel truth is lived out in our own life.

Storytelling Makes Our Teaching Memorable

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus frequently used stories and illustrations to reveal truth about God's kingdom, challenge His listeners, and help them understand spiritual realities through familiar experiences. One of my go-to illustrations is on avoiding sinful habits. I like to use a story of myself walking to my car in the dead of winter. I knew the driveway was slippery, but I did not take caution. For what felt like five minutes, I slipped and danced on the ice trying to catch my balance. Suddenly, I’m flat on my back! Why am I surprised that I fell when I walked where it was slippery? I then say, “If you don’t want to fall, don’t walk where it’s slippery.” I often have students (past and present) tell me that this simple illustration was so helpful for them to understand how to avoid sin. 

We are constantly seeking how we can better connect with our students. Good stories reinforce our point and model humility as we share what we have learned through our own experiences.. Finding and employing good illustrations can be difficult, but it is an incredibly important part of our teaching. 

As we share stories and illustrations, we practice and exhibit the immediate relevance of the Scripture in our lives. Because a good, well-timed illustration provides a much-needed brain break for our oversaturated, overstimulated Gen Alpha friends, students can remember the point of the message when they recall the point of that story. I have even had students tell me that, although they were not there, they like to imagine me slipping on ice and falling on my back. I’ll take it! 

As we employ stories, we provide for our students a real, relatable, and authentic proof that the Scriptures mean something to us. It shows our audience that the doctrine at hand can be lived out and believed.

Practical Tips for Storytelling

Anyone can tell a story, but good storytellers can paint a picture that lives in the mind of their hearers. Here are a few tips as you work toward implementing storytelling and illustrations in your teaching. 

Share in great detail

A good illustration paints a picture for the hearer. The next time you read a book, notice that the author attempts to turn the words into imagery without using pictures. Illustrations often fall flat when they lack sufficient detail. Even worse, take the time to familiarize yourself with the illustration. If you can step out from behind your pulpit, make eye contact, and communicate the story from memory, your audience will be even more likely to connect with the story. But an illustration that is missing a lot of detail feels fake and forced and the one that is read from your notes doesn’t have the punch that you think it will! Use enough detail to bring the story to life, but not so much that the story overshadows the biblical point.

Don’t make other people look bad or make yourself look great

It can be tempting to use someone else’s failures for an illustration. I was once used as a sermon illustration without my permission that made me look like an idiot. I felt so hurt as the audience laughed at this story. Even more, we can be tempted to try to make ourselves look great. 

My rule of thumb is to only use someone else for an illustration if it celebrates them and only use myself for an illustration if it doesn’t make me the hero of the story.  Jesus is the only hero. We can share about how we have learned and grown from an experience, but the point of an illustration is to make Jesus known and celebrated, not ourselves. 

Don’t make other people’s stories your own

We should be people of truth, therefore our stories should belong to us. If the story isn’t ours, we can share about a story we heard, but please do not try to pass off a story that isn’t yours as your own! As we share our stories, make sure to be honest and truthful, and do not embellish your story to suit your message. It just isn’t worth it. 

Get to the gospel quickly

Your illustration should not be the main aspect of your message. Stories and illustrations exist to get to the heart of the message. Just like the preacher who rattles on far too long, a long and difficult illustration is hard to navigate. If you’re not careful, you may find that you have gotten lost on a rabbit trail and never returned to the main point you were trying to illustrate at the beginning. 

Telling a Better Story

Stories give students something concrete to picture, experience, and connect with as they listen. When used well, illustrations can make an abstract biblical truth more understandable and memorable. So stories can prop up the point of the message in a powerful way. Take some time to practice the sermon illustration. Share it out loud to an empty room so you can experience the flow of the sermon and the illustration. Ultimately, your story points to a greater story. Helping students understand their story in light of God’s great story is a responsibility. Don’t take it lightly. But don’t take yourself too seriously. It really is a gift that we get to shepherd the next generation in knowing and understanding God’s great redemptive story.

Questions to Consider:

• What stories do I remember that have really helped me connect with the point of a message? What made it an effective story?

• Does this illustration help my students connect with the truth of Scripture? 

• Will this story help students connect with me as their leader? 

• Do my illustrations celebrate Christ and His work, or do they subtly draw attention to my own accomplishments, knowledge, or abilities?

• Is this story authentic, honest, and mine to tell? 

• Will students remember the biblical truth, or just the story? 

• Is this illustration relevant to the world my students actually live in? 

• Am I using this story to lead students toward the gospel?