This spontaneous screen capture was from a little research I was doing into how well churches are stewarding their testimonies and technology.
Stewardship of Testimony and Technology among Georgia Baptist Churches
For the last 10 years as a story missionary I’ve essentially been asking two questions:
What are the obstacles and barriers that keep Christians and churches from harvesting and sharing testimonies using video and the internet on a regular basis?
Why are the vast majority of churches, big and small, traditional and modern, old and new, in a state of story poverty (deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc., for example, poverty of the soil) when it comes to leveraging testimonies and technology?
Baking Soda and Vinegar
If you have some baking soda and vinegar, but never intentionally combine them at the same time, not much happens, in fact, nothing happens. Even if you have a ton of both of them.
But when you combine them, at the same time, in a very intentional and specific way…there is a predictable and explosive outcome. And it works every time.
Story Poverty
The Ministry of Story Midwifery
Every follower of Christ has a story that someone needs to hear.
For many, their story remains locked away,
perhaps never to see the light of day.
Some are unwilling to share their story,
some don't believe they have a story,
or a story that anyone would want to hear.
Some don't know their story because they've never thought about it.
Some don't want to relive their story.
Stories of highs and lows, grace, betrayal, forgiveness, abuse, redemption,
mercy, joy, hope, faith, reconciliation, salvation, healing, miracles, bumps,
bruises, thanksgiving, pain, valleys, mountain tops, twists, turns, cliffs, pits,
fire, and rain, and of course, Love. The greatest story of all.
Deep behind the prison bars of fear, pride, guilt, and shame,
somewhere in the non-existent margins of the speed of life,
lies a story waiting to be known, and to be shared.
Shared with the exact person, place and time that God ordains,
when we least expect it, and probably when we least feel like it.
Every follower of Christ has a story that someone needs to hear.
But a story can't be heard, unless it is first told.
It can't be told if it isn't known.
And it can't be known unless it's sought.
And it can't be sought without the willingness to seek.
And that's where the ministry of story midwifery begins.