Preachers as Storytellers: Who Doesn't Like a Good Story?
 

There is no substitute for Spirit-filled and anointed preaching and teaching. However, even the best teacher, Jesus, was a crafty and captivating storyteller. We need to look no further than His parables in the Gospels.


Today, in Christianity, Max Lucado is arguably the best modern-day preacher storyteller. There are many others...

Pentecost has, and has birthed, some of the best, also.

In reading Tommy Tenney's recent book, The Ultimate Comeback, I've come to appreciate his insightful and skillful ability to use personification and other creative figurative devices to tell a good story while still relating biblical truths.

In the book, he tells a heart-wrenching, yet fascinating, tale of the almond tree whose hopes and dreams of ever being fruitful were dashed when it was uprooted, stripped, made bare, and dried so it could be fashioned into a rod for his Master. The rod is later taken from his new comfort zone, his master's hand, and placed in a dark room.

The rod was Aaron's rod. The same rod that bore his name and joined the other 11 rods laid up in the tabernacle before the Ark of the Covenant, as described in Numbers 17.

This hopeless dry rod never imagined that in the presence of the Almighty he still could bud, blossom and yield almonds.

Having heard his dad, TF Tenney, speak twice in person, I know Tommy's gift of storytelling was passed onto him.

Yet there is a delicate balance, in my opinion, with preachers who engage in storytelling. I know of one who is probably the worst ever!!! He has mistaken telling anecdotes for the Word of God. Some make the mistake of becoming entertainers and leave you hungry for the Bread of Life.

Although, who doesn't like a good story? ... especially if it leads you to the Way, the Truth and the Life - Jesus Christ .... the greatest story ever told.

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Who are your favorite preacher storytellers?

What are your opinions and thoughts about storytelling when preaching and teaching the Word of God?

I don't mind a story here and there. Actually many of the texts preachers use and sermons that are written/preached from those texts are just that - stories! The stories are used to drive home a message.

I don't like all stories though. I like to hear "Word" and I like some depth.

I think as in everything else you need "balance".

Charles Grisham is hands down the best story teller I have ever been privileged to hear. So much depth and wisdom in a 40 minute sermon.

I am always disappointed when the sermon is over. His pamphlet about gradualism is one of the most simple - yet biblically correct writings I have seen on the subject.

Joy Haney would run a close second. She can weave a story into a topical sermon like few can.

I for one, PP ... want to be able to be fed when I go to the house of the Lord ...

I know some preachers like instantaneous feedback and response from their listeners ... but I love when I go home full ... and it takes days, even weeks, to digest the Word of Life planted in my belly.

Here's a 4 minute audio of one of those good stories by Tommy Tenney:


http://www.esnips.com/doc/96716acf-3...enney-Comments

Is this the story about the sycamore tree ... J ... from God Chasers CD?

Unless it was destroyed in the October Disaster, (Hot water heater decided to be a slow drip irrigation system into the Garage full of boxes....) My Favorite book by Charles Grisham was "Gladiator in the Ministry."

B - I - N - G - O

I am going to share something that may be hard for some to imagine, and may be hard to communicate via this medium.

One of the things Jesus has birthed in me in my year-long journey to the wilderness and back is a spiritual depth I have never known. I suppose the best way to describe it is a pilgrim's journey. Daniel, it is one thing to tell a cut and paste a story purchased on a sermons-r-us website and another entirely to be able to impart nuggets of spiritual wisdom gleaned through a consecrated life.

The depths of God's wisdom cannot be imparted with someone else's story. The preacher must not only believe the message, he must live the message. He must become the message. The man and the message become inseparable and indistinguishable.

Men who have this level of separation and consecration never have a problem relating to the congregation. They do not demand specific responses from the congregation. They have a level of faith, trust, and confidence in their message and their relationship that allows perfect comfort in the pulpit.

These men are disciple makers Daniel. Mark them. They will become the Joshuas and Calebs of this day. They will survive in faith and inherit the promises of God. All who follow men of brokenness and consecration will inherit the same.

I enjoy hearing others weave a good relevent story into their message, simply because I'm not a gifted story teller myself. However, I am always disappointed when I have sat through a one-hour message and yet if you removed the stories you wouldn't have 15 minutes of Word. It can be entertaining, but you don't feel as if you've been fed.

This is what I don't get about someone like Charles Stanley. I mean how does the guy get so many to listen to him and follow his ministry at the local level as well as tv and radio? He rambles in monotone, making point after point, speaking in sound bites and three to four sentence paragraphs. No stories, no illustrations, no word pictures. Just nebulous phrases and utterances.

A friend (and a good preacher to boot) told me once "A sermon without illustrations is like a house without windows."

Bros. Jerry Jones, Rex Johnson, Paul Mooney, & Sis. Nona Freeman are great story tellers. Chuck Swindoll ain't bad at story telling either.

I've only heard CS once ... He had some depth but he is monotone. No doubt that voice inflection can affect the listener. Yet, PP does make a good point about the level of separation and consecration of the messenger.

I know I talk a lot about my Dad here a lot, maybe ad nauseum. He was never a skilled orator ... but because he lived the message and was a disciple maker folks hung on his every word. It amazed me, at times.

Having read the depth of your posts and artistic use of language ... I'm sure you can spin a good relevant bible-based yarn ... I'd love to hear you preach, DB.

Some Preachers

Are

Good Storytellers
:slaphappy

And Some Preachers

Are

Just Plain Ole

STORY TELLERS ! !


jmho
Bishop1
:amen
Bishop1

Who are the best storyteller preachers you know, Bishop? I'm sure you can spin with the best of them!!!!

Jerry Jones is very good. I remember one message in particular. It was at GC in North Carolina years ago.

If I remember correctly he was masterful in telling the story of the servant girl Rhoda who opened the door for Peter when he was freed by the angel and escaped.

Lee Stoneking did an excellent job of telling the story of Jesus walking on the water and bidding Peter to Come at the LA campmeeting this year. I don't think he embellished/added to it but he made it personal with the listeners.

My favorite Jerry Jones story was about a man who told JJ the tale of how he was on some scaffolding above the platform of his church changing bulbs in the canned lights located there. Something happened and the man lost his balance and tripped falling 30 feet to the ground. Before he hit the hard surface of the platform, the bulk of his body struck the podium and it was just enough to absorb his fall that he did not die from the accident. He told JJ, "Brother Jones, I was saved by the pulpit!"

That was the opening story to a message to preachers about the power of preaching. Man, was it a memorable message and memorable story.

Paul Mooney is a great sermon illustrator.

From inference, I share your concern for when preachers embellish and add to the Word ... and it happens ... a lot ... especially when storytelling.

We know that God's Word never changes and should not be tampered with but I thank God that He's not boring!!!!

He allows us flexibility, elasticity, malleability and creativity in delivering it. He also has given us a colorful and vibrant palette of preachers and teachers in the Body that help bring the Word alive.

Probably the most fun I ever had preaching/teaching was when I shared a message entitled "If These Rocks Could Cry Out" ... using personification and the first person point of view ...I knitted the stories of a handful of rocks in the bible as if I were them ... each sharing a spiritual nugget ....

I started with a rock manifesto declaring their need to speak up ... and proceeded to tell their stories all leading to Golgotha and the stone that was rolled away at His tomb ....

I had so much fun ... Can a wanna-be preacher admit to as much???? Were they fed? Yeah.

Wanna-be preacher?

He is indeed!!

Went to B.C. Campmeeting last week one night to hear him preach. What a treat it was! He knows how to strike rapport with his audience even mixing it up with the people sitting in the pew. I thoroughly enjoyed him. He's my kind of preacher. I like that style.

Mind you, his message that night was very simple - he had forgotten his glasses so couldn't read his notes so he preached ad lib on the Holy Ghost. But it was great, he did a great job, it was a great campmeeting type message, it was effective and he had great response. :thumbsup

There's a difference between timely, meaningful, well-placed illustrations and merely "stories." Ugh...I've heard some 'preachers' that don't seem to be able to do anything except ramble on about everything under the sun aside from anything Biblical.... Just sitting in the crowd listening to them, I feel ashamed for them.

I've seen that a time or two. It's an uncomfortable feeling to sit in the crowd and listen to them.

I pray to God I'm not one of them.

My husband and I were just talking the other day how our favorite preachers are usually preachers who intermingle good stories into their sermons.

If the Old Testament writings are types and shadows then why not use those stories to illustrate points in the Gospel and Espitles. Seems like Jesus and the writes of the New Testament did.......generally use of a text that includes something from the New Testament, then an illustration(s) from the Old Testament and illustration(s) that bring it into focus for our time make good messages. I love preaching that includes great story telling.