EDUCATION: Storying or Story Telling

For years people had no written Bibles to read and shared the stories of Abraham, Noah, Samson, and the rest by telling them generation after generation. Telling stories and talking about them is a fantastic tool for teaching young people about the Bible. Yes, they can read them or have them read to them, but can they tell them back? The process of retelling a story solidifies it in the memory. Here are the basics for how to use storytelling in a Bible study or for a children's message. Don't let people have Bibles open so that they really listen and pay attention.

Storytelling Steps

Step 1:  Tell the story.  Retell the story. (Be sure to keep God's Word separate from any personal interpretation you might have.)

Step 2:  Have students (adults or children) tell the story. If it's a small class people can volunteer to tell it, they can tell it to each other, or you can start and have different people continue it until the end. Don't be afraid to stop and correct or add details if the story becomes distorted or if important items are left out. This isn't about telling a more exciting version like in a movie. It's about telling God's story.

Questions For After The Story

• What is your interpretation of the story?  (context)
• What do you like about the story?
• What don’t you like about the story?  Or What makes you uncomfortable about it?
• What do we learn about people?
• What do we learn about God?
• His interaction with us.
• His relationship with us.
• His communication with us.
• His promises to us.
• How do we apply this to our lives?
• What does God want you to know?
• What does He want you to believe?
• What is God teaching you?
• What is He calling you to do or start doing?
• What is He calling you to repent of or stop doing?

Children's Messages

If you have a bunch of very young children who come up for a children's message try adding some movement to go with the story. For this purpose you may want to tell the story once and then have them retell it with you. (Couldn't hurt to have the adults help by doing it from their seats as well....)