On a freezing cold Saturday morning, I was selling church peanuts at the local Farmer’s Market. To be honest, I was not in a great mood. The traffic through the market had been slow, and I was literally freezing! Thoughts of reading a great book by the fire were making my fingers and toes even colder.
Then God works as only God can. A woman walked up and asked about the peanuts. She saw the name of our church and said, “You are the church that does so much.” She looked from peanut containers to my face. I asked her what she meant, and she went on to tell the most beautiful story about our little church on the corner. A stranger… was telling OUR story.
It made me wonder briefly if our own congregation could relay a story as beautifully as this stranger had shared with me this morning. It made me wonder if I shared that story of our church or if I allowed the fears and frustrations to dictate my narrative.
We need to be about telling our story more clearly than ever right now. Our local church’s mission is to Love All and Serve All. Pretty simple, right? Still, are we telling the story of how we do that well? Do we share the ways we leave our walls to make those words verbs? If we aren’t, who will?
Right now, hearts are getting very conflicting messages about what churches are about and what Christianity looks like in action. If we aren’t careful, we will lose an entire generation of world changers who don’t want to be part of the stories they hear about churches and the people in them. We must get better at living in and sharing our stories.
Here are some EASY things you can do at your own churches to better tell your stories!
- Utilize your outdoor sign to share your events and invite the neighborhood.
- Give the keys to your social media accounts to the most passionate and energetic storyteller you have in your pew! Share the good stuff!
- Don’t stop broadcasting your online services. People are still watching and are looking for the heart of your story every Sunday morning.
- Leave the walls and wear your church gear! When you serve as the hands and feet of Christ in this kind of cold environment (figuratively and literally), people will connect your heart to your church. Seeds are planted.
- Keep learning and growing, AND invite BOTH the people in the pews beside you and the friends who are struggling with where to put their feelings right now to join you.
- Don’t forget to share it with me! As your Lay Leader, I can help share your story in any number of ways. Each church is a unique and beautiful chapter of this amazing story we share in our connection.
Remember, if you don’t tell your story your way…someone else will tell it theirs.
Blessings,
Kim