Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin...

Rich Hasnip explored the art of great storytelling for preachers at the last Elim Leaders Summit, and showed how a well–told story can do more than decorate a sermon – it can transform the way people see God and the world

Once upon a time there was a preacher who wanted to tell a story. But where should they start? How could they make it compelling? And should they dare to involve the congregation? Rich Hasnip, who teaches Performing Arts and Applied Theology at Regents, tackled these questions head-on in his workshop, ‘Storytelling for Preachers’.

You really had to be there to experience his dynamic, interactive examples in full (you still can, via Elim’s podcast channel), but here are seven standout insights for anyone who wants their preaching to connect more deeply.

1. Don’t hide behind your lectern

“Preachers often are stuck behind a lectern because they have notes, but storytellers want to use space in a more dynamic way,” says Rich.

A story needs eye contact, movement and presence. Anything placed between you and your listeners becomes a barrier. If notes are holding you back, learn them – or at least learn the shape of the story so you’re free to inhabit it.

2. Give your story a mythical edge

“I’ve often thought of my own story as not very exciting,” Rich admits of his testimony – growing up in a Christian home, teaching himself to swear to fit in at school, and later committing his life to God after a period of depression.

“No one’s clamouring to adapt my testimony into a film,” he jokes.

Yet Rich showed how even an apparently ordinary story can come alive when told symbolically.

He recast his testimony as a fable about a bat, caught in a war between birds and beasts, flitting between both sides and committing to neither.

“My testimony doesn’t have a great dramatic arc, but when you turn it into this bat story, it has interest. Could you do something like that?”

3. Give an old story a new setting

Stories can sometimes slip past defences that sermons bounce off. Rich illustrated this with a personal experience.

“Before I’d become a Christian properly I went to London to see King Lear,” he says. “On the way to the theatre there were homeless people everywhere and it frightened me to walk past them.”

Lear, he explains, is “the story of a king who loses everything, goes mad and finds himself wandering the heath in a storm, having made foolish decisions. It was so moving. When I left the theatre I saw the homeless people in a different way, because every one of them became the fallen king of Britain for me. I didn’t know what to do about that, but it certainly made me see the world differently.”

Reframing a story – biblical or otherwise – can open fresh windows of understanding.

4. Whose voice will you use?

If you’re telling a story, think carefully about the narrative voice, says Rich.

A third-person voice gives the classic storyteller’s, God’s-eye view. Telling the Good Samaritan this way might begin: “A man went on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers.” This perspective allows you to move freely, describing thoughts, feelings and hidden motives.

A second-person voice draws listeners straight in: “Imagine it. You’re lying there. You’re covered in dust, you’re covered in blood. To move is agony, and then you hear footsteps…”

A first-person voice brings people closest of all: “I was lying there, covered in dust…”

“This voice brings people emotionally closer. You tend to empathise most strongly with a story that’s told in the first person,” says Rich.

5. Where will you begin?

“Very often, the best place to start is the beginning – it tells you everything you need to know,” says Rich. “But there are particular things that you can achieve if you start somewhere else.”

Beginning in the middle sparks curiosity in two directions – how did we get here, and what happens next? Starting just before the end can be just as powerful.

“Imagine Daniel in the lions’ den. Perhaps an interesting place to start would be as the lions are closing in on him, just before the angel appears.”

“‘How did I end up here?’ Daniel thought as the lions advanced…”

Experiment. Let the story itself tell you where it wants to begin.

6. Get your audience involved

Participation keeps people alert – and can calm your own nerves too.

“I have a story from Acts – Peter’s escape from prison,” says Rich. “Remember how he knocks on the door and the servant doesn’t let him in, even though they’re praying for him upstairs? That’s quite funny, so I do it like a knock-knock joke.”

With each knock, the children respond, ‘Who’s there?’, and the story unfolds collaboratively. Laughter, anticipation and memory all deepen.

7. Use your A, E, I, O and U

Rich commended Keith Warrington’s AEIOU framework as a practical way to work with stories:

A – Ask what it means to you.

“In the story of the prodigal son I’ve identified with just about every character except the pigs,” says Rich. “I’ve empathised with the prodigal and certainly with the older brother.”

E – Emphasis.

Don’t distort the story, but do choose what to highlight – often shaped by the point of view you adopt.

I – In your own words.

Retelling a familiar story differently can unlock fresh understanding. “It might mean changing the context a bit – Jesus’s stories were told in the context of His time and there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.”

O – Other verses.

“Sometimes you can achieve really interesting effects when you think about parts of the Bible that prefigure, recall or nod towards other stories,” says Rich. Which Scriptures add depth or surprise?

U – Use it.

Telling a story for the first time can feel intimidating, but people usually love it. The more you practise, the more natural it becomes.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.