Tim H. Swanson
Who's your favorite monster from a story? Is it Mike from Monsters Inc. Is it Dracula or the Wolfman? How about Godzilla or Sloth from The Goonies?
Mine is Ludo, from Jim Hensen's The Labyrinth. He's a massive furry monster with giant razor sharp fangs. When the story’s heroine, Sarah, first meets him, she is scared. He looks dangerous, and she’s not entirely sure he won’t eat her. But she follows her gut and approaches him. She discovers that he's an incredibly loyal and kind hearted oaf. Through the rest of the movie, Sarah and Ludo become good friends.
I love Ludo. In a way, he reminds me of myself. He’s over-sized and intimidating looking (which I have been accused of), but on the inside he’s pretty harmless and he just wants to be your friend. That's the thing about characters from a story, each one adds a unique dimension. And it's those special characters that we love and connect with who keep us coming back for more. This principle rings true for all of our favorite books, movies, and plays, but have you ever thought about how captivating stories and inspiring characters could change your ministry team, or even your whole church?
We already tell stories. Anytime we’re gathered around the water cooler, we naturally tell each other stories about what’s happening in our lives or the lives of our friends and family. When we have lunch meetings, we tell stories about our successes and failures. The day after an exciting party, date, dinner, or any other function, we seek out someone who will listen to our story. We do this because, in the same way that stories from our childhood connected us to the characters in them, the stories in our lives today challenge us with new ideas, and help us imagine what is possible in our lives.
For that reason, your church needs a new kind of character - a story monster. Imagine what would happen in your church if someone was intentional about collecting and sharing stories of people living out God's calling. What if somebody captured the stories of people who's lives were being transformed by the gospel? What would your congregation become capable of if they were connecting with inspiring success stories from inside their own team?
As you dream about the kinds of things that an inspired church would be capable of, here are three types of stories to begin looking for.
1. Stories of an example to follow. There are millions of inspiring people out there. A few months ago, I told the story of my friend, Benhur (Read it by clicking here). He’s from India, and he has the most inspiring faith in God I’ve ever seen. I shared the story of his faith because it inspires me to focus on living out my own faith. Who on your team has an inspirational story that will show others what’s possible, and get them wondering how they could live differently?
2. Stories of a person whose life was transformed by the church’s efforts. When you’re working toward a common goal, there’s nothing more inspiring than hearing stories of people whose lives were changed by your efforts. This is especially important if your team’s work takes place far from the ‘frontlines’. My team is made up of church service planners, musicians and live A/V technicians who rarely get to hear how the church services they create are changing people’s lives. So I have to be intentional about collecting stories to show them how effective they are.
3. Stories of people who have overcome adversity. Look for someone who has had success with innovative thinking, or someone who found a good way to do something that others typically have a hard time with. Maybe someone in your church has had success by sharing their story in a new way. Then don’t just share the innovation or the new way of thinking. Share the story. People can connect with that. Then they’ll begin to wonder what they’re capable of.
Stories have great power, and we use them every day. Imagine what would happen if we were intentional about collecting stories that would motivate and inspire other believers.
Question: What one story does your church need to hear this week?
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