4 Best Platforms for Church Storytelling

As I have stated many times and will continue to shout: "the Church has the greatest story ever told about the greatest man that ever lived!" The problem we face is that our stories compete with the millions of other stories that fly across our screens every day and the people that most need to connect with Jesus' story aren't darkening our doors for worship on Sundays, or Saturdays, or any other day of the week. How then are we supposed to cut through all the static and "fake" news for our stories to reach people in our communities that seek hope and healing in their lives and relationships? I think sometimes we overcomplicate the situation by looking for exotic or "bleeding edge" technological solutions. We can reach people by executing extremely well on the basic platforms we use already! Here are what I think are the 4 best platforms we all can access to tell our stories. 1) Worship I know, duh, right! But have you really thought about how to leverage worship to get your church's story beyond the walls into the light of day? You tell heart-impacting stories every Sunday in your sermons, but do they fade into the air ducts as the masses race to the exits at the last amen? There are several ways that your stories can see the light of day and reach fertile soil. One way is invite people to share their stories in worship instead of you telling them anonymously as part of the sermon. If you have screens, video testimonials can make a lasting impact with your audience. If you don't, then invite person(s) to share their compelling stories during worship. If you livestream your worship on your website (#2) and/or on Facebook (3#) then these stories can reach people beyond your church through organic searches or more likely because your people shared them with their networks. 2) Website Besides livestreaming your worship, your website is a great place to tell your stories through video, images, and even text. Your website is the new front door for visitors to check you out before they invest the time and energy to come and see you. So, you need to make sure you have information that is useful for them to understand who you are and what they can expect if they decide to show up. Stories told in multiple media formats not only answers their questions, but it gives your church a certain humanity or like stories they can connect. For example, if you have a great children's department, then have a short video of a young family sharing how easy it is to get their kids checked-in, how safe they feel, and the great experience it is for their kids. The key is to use the right stories, in the right places, in just the right amounts of text, images, and video. Simple, right?  3) Instagram & Facebook This is a no-brainer because Instagram and Facebook have platforms called Stories! These platforms work well because you can combine video or pictures as well as a long-form post to show and tell the story. Plus, it has a built-in app for people to engage with the story and even share their own. The same is true with Instagram and you can link your FB Stories to your Insta Stories. PRO TIP: video stories work very well on both platforms and you can easily capture video with your smartphone and post it instantly. Here are links for more help on Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories. 4) Starbucks In my humble opinion, the most important platform for the stories of Jesus and his church to be shared is still person to person. The ultimate goal for many of our worship and digital communication platforms is to equip a person with a story they can share with a friend, relative, or colleague that helps them address a hurt, habit, or hang-up in their lives. I truly believe that when we connect stories of pain and suffering to Jesus' story of hope and restoration, lives will be changed forever. That is the analytic that should matter the most to us, how many people are we building relationships with by connecting stories. We think Storytelling is extremely important for the church and we have some many different platforms and ways to tell them. ChurchCMO is committed to helping churches to tell stories that are not only heard but are connecting with the people that need Jesus. Let us know how we can help you!