Your story is powerful! Sharing your story in a gathering is also great practice for sharing it more naturally with friends and those you meet around town.

Here are some tips for sharing your story effectively in public:

  1. Remember, you're sharing a STORY, not a SERMON. If you preach, you'll tire people out before the sermon. If you tell your story, you'll inspire people for the sermon to come and to follow Jesus. A story is usually the what and how parts of your story. When you share why, it's probably a sermon 😄
    1. Follow story: focus on what you do, or how you do it; avoid why.
    2. Faith story: share before Jesus, meeting Jesus, and after Jesus.
  2. OPTIONAL: If sharing a scripture, share only ONE. If your story is something like, "How I've learnt to fast", and you don't need to share a scripture, don't. If your story includes a scripture, lean towards one that best encourages faith in Jesus. If you share more than one scripture, it's a sermon, not a story.
  3. Stick to TIME! The longer you speak, the less effective you will be!
    1. Good or God: Less than 1 minute.
    2. Follow Story: Less than 3 mins. ["How I give, pray, fast"].
    3. Faith Story: 3-5 mins makes space for before Jesus, meeting Jesus, and after Jesus. Less than a minute is a good challenge! See 15-sec video below.
    4. Story as a Sermon: If your story is an illustration, <3 mins. If your story is the main part of the message, <8 mins. Check with the preacher.
  4. Have FUN, be ENCOURAGING. Even if your story contains suffering, aim to encourage, not discourage, others in their season. This is why we gather.

If you're keen to learn how short and sweet your story can be, watch this 4-minute video to inspire you with the power of a 15-second testimony: