Once Upon a Time…
Loriana Sekarski
Loriana Sekarski is the founder and president of BONSAI, a consulting company that transforms leaders (and businesses) into the best version of themselves. Outside of BONSAI, Loriana serves as an adjunct professor at Washington University's graduate student program. Additionally, she's fine-tuning her passion project, TakeFlight, a program that addresses domestic abuse within the Christian community.
Do you remember hearing those words as a kid? What feelings did they conjure up? How do your kids or other littles respond to having a story told? Even for adults, storytelling often evokes feelings of great anticipation and expectancy. We know something good is coming. Our ears perk up, and we pay attention!
Leadership is about influence. You don’t have to be charismatic. This article explores a way to be very influential for outreach through those around you. I encourage you to keep your mind open as you read—I may push a little on current practices with the hopes of the Holy Spirit speaking to you about small shifts that could make a significant difference.
Jesus and the apostles didn’t go around telling the miracles they performed – the people who were healed spoke for themselves. And when people saw the beggar at the gate walk and heard his story, “They were amazed.” And then they told others.
And today, two thousand years later, the response is similar. We are moved when we hear a testimony told in first-person. And when combined with seeing the person baptized, there is not much that compares. It reminds us, even inspires us, to live out the Great Commission. It is living out Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized.”
Being a part of this awakens dry bones. Patrick and I recently taught a fantastic group of high school students who were on fire and still talked about last year’s summer camp and the power of the Holy Spirit. They want more of that. And so do I. Sadly, this enthusiasm doesn’t pepper the conversation among many adults (which has not gone unnoticed by the students).
And it hit me, when was the last time I witnessed a baptism in person? Not because they weren’t occurring but because they weren’t taking place during the services. It wasn’t part of the rhythm of the churches where we worshiped. And this reality has grieved me over the past few weeks. Like missing having communion, I miss seeing people getting baptized. I miss the stories.
And I wondered if this is possibly why people aren’t as excited about outreach. Our small group had a great discussion about the cessation of spiritual gifts, especially healing. All of us had stories of seeing miraculous healing. So how could it be that people no longer believed in miracles? Then someone wisely asked, “Have we been sharing these stories? Do people know?”
Perhaps we all need to spend more time sharing stories of what God is doing –casually with people outside of church and on the worship platform on Sunday mornings.
"Jesus and the apostles didn’t go around telling the miracles they performed – the people who were healed spoke for themselves. And when people saw the beggar at the gate walk and heard his story, “They were amazed.” And then they told others."
Ever notice how pharmaceutical companies show stories of people using their meds living happy, fulfilling lives vs. a scientist discussing the efficacy of the treatment? It is because stats don’t spur us to action. Stories do. Companies learned this in the last few decades. Jesus proved this true centuries ago.
If your church conversion stories are primarily shared at baptism events, consider calculating the ratio of attendance at baptisms to Sunday worship attendance. Is it possible those choosing to attend baptisms are predisposed to outreach so that those who need to be moved aren’t exposed to a vital aspect of the Great Commission?
I find the best solutions are often a hybrid approach. Here, it is identifying opportunities to expose all your members to these stories, told by the person who experienced the transformation or who God used in this process.
Here are a few possible ideas to consider. I encourage you to brainstorm with your staff (who will more likely defend the status quo) and your members with a heart for evangelism.
- Ask someone with a transformational experience (or a powerful God story) to share monthly during the service.
- If you have baptism events not during worship services,
- Baptize one of the people during each service after they have shared their story, OR
- Have one person give their testimony during the service and play a video of the baptism
- The key here is the story. Just giving stats of playing a video showing many people getting dunked doesn’t have the power of the story.
- Have baptisms with testimonials during worship, even in place of preaching (if you have that many—what a tremendous problem!). Yes, it might mean a sermon will be cut short. But which will they remember in two weeks?
- Have people share stories about getting out of their comfort zone and sharing about Jesus. Even if it didn’t go as well as they would have liked, it is evidence they weren’t harmed in the process, and others can try it too.
- Move your service to the baptism location.
When we witness conversions, it reminds us of what God commissioned us to do. As a leader, you will build desire and momentum in your congregation for outreach.
