‘The most powerful words in English are: “Tell me a story”.’

Pat Conroy, American novelist 

Storytelling is a universal human experience. Every culture, every community, every individual has their own stories to tell.

When we sit round the table for dinner as a family, we share the things we’ve done and the people we’ve met – we don’t just reel off a series of connected facts, we tell the stories of our days. It’s one of my favourite moments of the day. 

Here at LICC, we love stories. By sharing stories, our eyes are opened to the ways in which God has been at work through ordinary people in their everyday lives. And, through these inspiring stories, people are compelled to become more attentive to the ways in which God is working in and through them as they go about their everyday. 

It’s one of the most effective ways to help grow and sustain whole-life disciples. And, when we know more of each other’s lived experiences, these stories can fuel our prayers and help build communities. 

But how do you unearth and share stories in your own church family? Because, trust me, there’ll be an abundance of stories, big and small. God’s always working, and he’s working right where you are. There’ll be stories of struggles, stories of hope, stories of God’s power, grace, and presence, and stories of opportunities to share the love of Christ through word and action.  

Not all of us our naturals at collecting stories, and it may not be something we’ve give much thought to before. So, where do we start?  

For practical tips about finding and sharing frontline stories – stories from the places where we spend our time and meet people who don’t know Jesus – check our blog post ‘Unearthing & Sharing Stories’ by Joe Warton. 

For real-life portraits of ordinary people including hairdressers, policemen, and parents, dip into ‘The One About’, collections of stories collected and edited by Mark Greene. It also comes with a video from Mark on how you can spot these kinds of stories in your church community. 

And, finally, for one church’s story about how gathering and telling stories impacted their church family, read this case study from St Andrew’s & All Saints, Malvern.

Before you dive in, take a few minutes to jot down something from your frontline. What’s going on there? What’s God been showing you, and doing through you, there? What could you share that might help someone else?  

Jules Gadsby
Church Engagement Specialist 
LICC

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If you’ve uncovered encouraging stories right where you are (with permission, of course), or if you have tips from your own experience on how to gather stories, we’d love to hear from you: [email protected].  

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