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If You're in the Pulpit, Make Sure You Tell a Story
Tony Morgan more from this author »
TonyMorganLive.com
I spent nine years being mentored by Mark Beeson at Granger Community Church. In that time, we never had formal one-on-one mentoring sessions, but I was constantly observing how he lived life and led the church. I learned a lot in that season that still shapes who I am today. I remember one time, as I was getting ready to share a few announcements in one of our services, Mark was standing beside me. As I was preparing to go up on the platform, Mark leaned over to me and told me, “Make sure you tell a story.”
If you know Mark, you know that he’s a very gifted storyteller. I am not. I have to discipline myself to do that. I’m naturally more about the information. I’m good at details. What Mark understood, though, was that people would tune me out if I just gave them information. The only way they would engage is if I shared a story.
Jesus told stories.
Jesus, of course, modeled this. He was constantly sharing stories. They’re referred to as parables in the Bible. One day, his disciples were kind of perplexed with the way Jesus was communicating. I bet they were detail guys like me. It appears they were frustrated that Jesus wasn’t teaching verse by verse. Because they weren’t hearing the teaching they expected, they asked Jesus about it.
“Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. He replied, 'You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders'” (Mark 4: 10-11 NLT).
It turns out that Mark was telling me the same thing Jesus told the disciples. If you want people to engage the truth, you have to tell a story. This is especially important for people who are “outsiders” —those who we hope will take a next step toward Christ.
- If you want people to connect with your vision, tell a story.
- If you want people to engage in worship, tell a story.
- If you want people to understand the truth found in Scripture, tell a story.
- If you want people to give financially, tell a story.
- If you want people to take their next step toward Christ, tell a story.
Are you sharing stories?
Here’s what I believe about the Church today: We’re good at sharing information, but we are poor at telling stories. We see stories being told in culture all around us, but in the church, we’ve lost the art. It’s not our focus. Here are a few questions to help you assess your ministry in this area:
- Is your Sunday service more focused on sharing information or telling stories?
- Is your weekly program more focused on sharing information or telling stories?
- Is your Web site more focused on sharing information or telling stories?
- Are your small groups or Sunday school classes more focused on sharing information or telling stories?
Are you praying people will take their next step toward Jesus? If so, make sure you tell a story.
Tony Morgan is the Chief Strategic Officer and founder of TonyMorganLive.com. He’s a consultant, leadership coach and writer who helps churches get unstuck and have a bigger impact. More important, he has a passion for people. He’s all about helping people meet Jesus and take steps in their faith.
For 14 years, Tony served on the senior leadership teams at West Ridge Church (Dallas, GA), NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC) and Granger Community Church (Granger, IN). With Tim Stevens, Tony has co-authored Simply Strategic Stuff, Simply Strategic Volunteers and Simply Strategic Growth – each of which offers valuable, practical solutions for different aspects of church ministry. His book, Killing Cockroaches (B&H Publishing) challenges leaders to focus on the priorities in life and ministry. His most recent books on leadership and ministry strategy are available on Kindle.
Tony has also written several articles on staffing, technology, strategic planning and leadership published by organizations like Outreach Magazine, Catalyst and Pastors.com. Tony and his wife, Emily, live near Atlanta, Georgia with their four children — Kayla, Jacob, Abby and Brooke.
Comments
August 30, 2012
11. Prescott Jay Erwin says...
Come now, Brother Robert. This is where iron sharpens iron. We're here because we're interested in preaching better. This is not where we preach, but where we listen and discuss preaching. You have no way of knowing how or what any of us preach, so to come to such a harsh judgment seems unwarranted. For instance, I talk about preaching through exposition, Bro. Fernando observes that Stephen and others in Acts re-tell Israel's story from OT inception to NT fulfillment, but we're actually talking about the same thing in different terms -- at least in the manner in which I approach exposition. We need places like this to hash things out, hear about different approaches, and discuss differences. There's really nothing out of line here.
August 30, 2012
10. Robert Wheat says...
To tell or not to tell... is that the question? or the answer? We all have our favorite mentors, Paul, Apollos, Christ, Haddon Robinson, Mr. Morgan, or any of these who have reported on their great intellect. Not sure the world is listening to this thread... or to any sermons given by those who wrangle over words rather than souls. Hard to be witnesses to the world when we witness poorly to one another.
May 23, 2012
9. Fernando Villegas says...
Prescott Jay Erwin, actually, you might want to re-read the sermons in Acts, because they ALL tell a story. In fact, they all tell the same story--how the story of the OT has reached its climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Take Stephen's sermon in Acts 7, for example. It is all narrative! Forty-nine verses detailing the story of Israel from the calling of Abraham to the building of the First Temple by Solomon. The only exhortation, reproof, rebuke, or teaching through exposition and example found in the sermon is three verses of reproof at the end, after which he was promptly martyred. If you examine all the other sermons in Acts, you will find that this same meta-narrative is present, at least implicitly, in every single one of them. Obviously, there is a place for exhortation, reproof, rebuke, and exposition. But each of these must be placed in the context of the story of the Bible. Every sermon, on some level, must repeat the story of the Bible, from OT promise to NT fulfillment. It makes sense to do that because our lives are lived in story. Our lives are immersed in character, plot, setting, etc.; so it makes perfect sense that God would reveal himself to us in that way, and that we should proclaim God's revelation in that way, as well. Now, what will that look like in a sermon? Well, it depends on the preacher. I agree with you whole-heartedly that not every preacher can or should do it the same way. There's no need to limit ourselves to one type or style of preaching. But in every sermon, we should retell the Biblical story, at least implicitly.
May 23, 2012
8. Prescott Jay Erwin says...
Great observation, kb. Tony Morgan tellingly ends in mid-sentence with verse 11. The rest of the sentence, continued in verse 12 says, "...so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven" (Mark 4:12). To quote the author: "It turns out that [Tony's Pastor] was [SPECIFICALLY NOT] telling [him] the same thing Jesus told the disciples." If this is characteristic of the way we're supposed to preach through storytelling I want no part of it. I might add that when we read the sermons in Acts and the letters in the New Testament, we don't find those folks telling stories. By-and-large, they exhort, reprove, rebuke, and teach through exposition and example. Now, I will say this: if you're a gifted storyteller, absolutely use that! But don't suggest that everyone MUST or even SHOULD do the same thing as you -- and don't misquote or misconstrue Scripture to make that point.
May 23, 2012
7. David Rice says...
I also believe that we are not only to engage in storytelling as we unpack every passage that we preach from, but, we invite the listener into a larger story as well. The stories we tell may relate the passage to the listeners' life, but if I do not invite them into the larger narrative that is God's story of reaching the nations to make Himself famous I have missed it.
May 22, 2012
6. Tesfom Melake Araya says...
Pastor Morgan, Story-telling is one way of Jesus' teaching technique and story-telling is a prestep for getting people's attention to your main up coming information about the Lord and should not be the main topic of your sermon. Or as you tell the congregation story, then as Jesus did you should interpret them to the audience then only the message of your story will be effective in enlightening your audience. God bless your ministry.
May 22, 2012
5. Glenn Hawkins says...
And let's not forget: Jesus Himself used other methods to get the Truth across--sermon on the mount, anybody? When Jesus launched His ministry, He simply read Scripture (Lk 4). And what about Peter, Paul, James and John? Very few stories there. OT: I don't think it would go over very well if we produced some of the object lessons the prophets actually were told by the Lord to do.
May 22, 2012
4. k b says...
John, you're right. The great Haddon Robinson is a great storyteller. But he's also a good exegete. Mr. Morgan has attempted to use the idea that Jesus told parables to suggest that storytelling is the preferred method of preaching. The text simply doesn't support that statement though. My concern is that if Mr. Morgan preaches like he writes--by reading into the text what he wants it to say rather than what it actually says, this is the cause for spiritually dead seeker-sensitive churches.
May 22, 2012
3. k b says...
John, you're right. The great Haddon Robinson is a great storyteller. But he's also a good exegete. Mr. Morgan has attempted to use the idea that Jesus told parables to suggest that storytelling is the preferred method of preaching. The text simply doesn't support that statement though. My concern is that if Mr. Morgan preaches like he writes--by reading into the text what he wants it to say rather than what it actually says, this is the cause for spiritually dead seeker-sensitive churches.
May 22, 2012
2. John Alexander says...
I honestly don't think story telling leads to seeker-sensitive churches, there alot more going on there than story telling. I think a story brings the lesson to life for the people who hear it.
May 22, 2012
1. k b says...
Actually...Mr. Morgan is 180 degrees off of what Jesus said was the reason that he told parables. He didn't "tell stories" so that they would understand. He "told stories" so that they would not understand. This is maddening when someone takes a text and reads their own meaning into it. We've got too many storytellers playing around in the pulpits today...as a result, we have people playing church in seeker-sensitive mega-churches instead of actually growing. Granger is a prime example of the seeker-sensitive failure. After a period of rapid growth, they are now starting to lose numbers and can't figure out why.
