Faith Storytellers Framework

It’s not just about telling your story; it’s about crafting it so your reader or listener wants to “lean in” and learn more. The framework’s five-step process was developed by a national award-winning journalist so everyone — including you! — can share their Christian faith with confidence through a story.

Step 1: Pray for guidance.

Reflect on what true, first-person story to share about your faith.  Consider praying, “God, what story have you given me to share with others as a gift, with no expectation of return?” 

Step 2: Divide your story into three scenes.

Create three clear section, or scenes, in your story:

• Beginning (typically the opposite of your ending)

• Middle where something changes

• Ending that brings resolution and shares a personal statement about your faith (“What I know to be true about God that I didn’t before …”)

The last part of your story (what you know about God) is your main point of your story, or what we call the Story Anchor. Limit yourself to one Story Anchor.

Step 3: Create a narrative sequence

Review each of your three scenes (beginning, middle, and ending) and create a narrative sequence in each scene by adding or refining:

• Description of where you are (time and place)

• Action (what happened)

• Reaction (how you felt about what happened)

Make sure you include a detail from one of your five senses (touch, hearing, smell, taste, sight) in each scene.

Step 4: Add details that show how God revealed himself to you (but don’t tell us!)

Where was God in your story? How did he reveal himself to you?

Review your narrative scenes and make sure that God shows himself. Don’t state how he worked (don’t say, “God did this.”) Instead, describe moments that were meaningful and reflected God’s movement.

In our book, “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” we discuss how God is like the wind: You can’t see him, but based on the evidence of how the grass sways or how a calm settles in after a storm, you can see that he is there.

Step 5: Prepare your story to share.

Ask a trusted friend what parts can be refined for clarity. They will often see what parts are confusing (maybe you need to edit down the story) or which could use more details to make the story come alive.

Review your spelling, grammar, and word usage. If writing, use the Faith Storytellers Style Guide for how and when to capitalize certain words. Using the same writing style creates cohesion among a collection of stories.

Practice saying your story out loud from memory if you plan to speak it (you don’t have to memorize it word-for-word, just the main points).

If you’re submitting it in writing (here’s how to submit to Faith Storytellers), read it out loud to yourself. You may also want to share it with a friend. Depending on your naturally storytelling style, which we discuss in “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” you may want to add to or cut from your story.

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