A story is “an account of incidents or events” (Merriam-Webster definition).
What makes a story “good?”
Stories that are most compelling teach a life lesson through others’ experiences. (Take the gospel and the power of personal testimony, for example). A story is “good” if it has the potential for its lessons to be applied and retold by the listener. Every story has the potential to be applied and retold if it’s presented in the right way. (That’s where the assistance of your editor/storyteller comes in.)
Why does our church need stories?
The overall goal in sharing stories is for our members to be inspired to live out our church’s mission of engaging the whole person with the whole gospel of Jesus Christ anywhere, anytime, with anybody. We also share stories for our members to “hear, do, and repeat” the gospel message in practical and tangible ways. The gospel can be shared in a variety of forms and telling stories is one of those ways.
Submitted stories need to have the “what” and the “why.”
For example, we not only need to know what a team did on a mission journey or disaster response trip, but we also need to clearly state why the individuals felt led to go and were impacted by the journey or trip. Stories can be from our members, staff, or those who have been engaged with the gospel. Here is an example of a story.
- Recap of Chattanooga Tornado: “The husband was in the yard as the tornado rapidly approached the home. While the winds escalated, he was miraculously able to pull himself through the front door without getting hurt and went to be with his wife in the lower part of the house until the storm passed. When they were able to walk outside again, they looked back at their home and noticed that the cross, which they had hung on their door for Passover, was untouched and still in place. The cross truly stood as a testament of a profound truth: the world may be shaken, but the work of the Lord will not be. The work of Christ gives us the motivation and responsibility to continue in the labor that is before us. And, His life gives us hope for today and every tomorrow.”