In the Field
Three Story-Telling Ministries
Bible stories come alive when we learn them, tell them, and act them out (Footnotes by John Ortberg).
When was the last time you told a Bible story? Share the Story teaches “Bible Storying” to help believers make disciples in every people group. Sometimes sermons and lectures fall flat; the message is good but the medium doesn’t work. In those contexts, oral storytelling—following Jesus’ example—bears more fruit. i
But before you tell Bible stories, you have to learn them. The ecumenical Network of Biblical Storytellers International helps pastors, educators, and laity master and share biblical narratives. Their passion is to breathe life into the proclamation of Scripture by recapturing how its stories were originally embodied and performed. ii
And to be inspired by professional theatrical biblical storytelling, check out The Logos Theater. Their motto? “Making the Bible Come Alive in Minds and Hearts Through the Power of Storytelling.” If you can’t see a performance in person, watch from the comfort of your own home with an On Demand ticket.
i. Robert McKee writes in Story (best book ever about story-telling) that a story is a living proof of an idea, the conversion of idea to action.
ii. Old hymns celebrate this: “I love to tell the story…” “Tell me the story of Jesus…” It is striking that no other major religious figure (the Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius) is mainly a story—but Jesus is. The teaching of Jesus and the story of Jesus are inextricably intertwined.
