{"id":10910,"date":"2015-09-30T16:18:08","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T23:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=10910"},"modified":"2016-03-09T10:17:23","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T18:17:23","slug":"we-have-a-story-to-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/we-have-a-story-to-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"“We Have a Story to Tell!” \u2013 Why, exactly?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Scriven | Director of Communications & Young People\u2019s Ministry<\/h4>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard the proverb that if you only have a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. So it should come as no surprise that to a communicator, the challenges we face as a church today all look like failures to tell our story well.<\/p>\n

That said, it is hardly a stretch to see the importance of story in the work we share as the church. Good storytelling\u00a0has the power to provide\u00a0meaning, helps people to find\u00a0their place in a community, and empowers purpose and collective mission. Jesus sent his disciples out with the primary task of telling a bold story of\u00a0Good News for all nations. That is still our work today.<\/p>\n

Of course the opposite is also true, in my humble opinion:<\/p>\n

If you don’t have a good story, you don’t have a prayer.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is why our communications training on November 14th is focused on the importance of storytelling. A\u00a0church can have all of the most amazing tools, and the best technology around, but its storytelling efforts will\u00a0inevitably fall\u00a0short\u00a0if their message\u00a0is too timid, unclear, and\/or\u00a0ungrounded in reality.<\/p>\n

During plenary sessions at \u201cWe\u00a0Have a Story to Tell\u201d (#Story2TellUMC), we\u2019ll hear\u00a0from\u00a0Ray Buckley, a gifted Native American storyteller who has served our denomination in several prominant roles\u00a0(Read Ray\u2019s Bio<\/a>). We\u2019ll also learn\u00a0from Rev. Bill Gibson, our new Director of Strategic Faith Community Development (Read Bill\u2019s Bio<\/a>). Gibson has a background in communications and, as a successful church planter, strong awareness of how important story is in gathering people together.<\/p>\n

This training really is for church leaders of differing skill levels.<\/strong> While we\u00a0hope that participants will\u00a0pick up some technical tips and insights during the workshops, we are trying to strike a balance that will allow regular practitioners to encounter new ideas without overburdening others with technical jargon. After all, storytelling isn\u2019t the sole responsibility of the pastor or another staff member, it is the charge of each disciple.<\/p>\n

You can read more about this training and the workshops we are offering by\u00a0clicking here<\/a>. We are excited to have staff from\u00a0United Methodist Communications<\/a>\u00a0present, joining\u00a0a number of skilled trainers<\/a>\u00a0from our episcopal area.<\/p>\n

Taking one last swing with my proverbial hammer, let me finish by suggesting that having a good story, and telling it well, is essential to reaching new people, particularly those who are younger and\/or unchurched.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0a recent blog post by Karl Vaters<\/a>\u00a0points out, we may assume that people don\u2019t attend church because they are angry or disagree with us. However, that assumption makes it more likely to miss that some people, perhaps many people, simply aren\u2019t moved or compelled by the story we are telling.<\/p>\n

Dropping our assumptions should drive us to ask questions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n