TIPS FOR BIBLE STORYTELLERS

Begin by telling the Bible story. One of the 3. The storyteller may need to include
most difficult things for most Christian leaders complementary facts to make the story
and Bible teachers to do is to narrate a Bible understood by today's listeners
story rather than preach or teach. One must
make a conscious effort to change former Many facts that the original listeners
habits in order to become a storyteller. understood leave today's audience confused.
Most Christian leaders and Bible teachers The storyteller may remain true to the biblical
are accustomed to dissecting Scripture and narrative but include complementary facts to
explaining each minute detail. A frog that has enable his listeners to better understand the
been dissected doesnt hop. A dissected story Bible story. Examples:
is no longer a living story. 1st The original listeners to the narrative of
Jesus birth would understand that an
1. Bible stories are organized to be engaged Jewish couple had a legal
understood orally commitment that could only be terminated
by divorce. The engaged couple was
The Bible storyteller needs the conviction called husband and wife even though the
that Bible stories were told orally before they marriage ceremony which initiated the
were written. Even the written story was couple living together would only happen
recorded to be understood and remembered in the distant future. Today the couple
when read aloud. Bible stories are organized would be called fiancees.
nd
to be heard orally, in one setting, without 2 Those who heard Jesus tell the parable of
interrupting it for explanation. the Pharisee and the Publican who went
to the Temple to pray (Lk 18:9-14)
2. When telling a Bible Story, do not personally knew Pharisees and the
invent facts beyond those found in the Publicans. Todays listeners may not
biblical narrative know who they were. It would be helpful
to include the complementary facts that
The Bible storyteller should not the Pharisees were respected spiritual
exaggerate and recreate the story by inventing leaders who were legalistic in following
facts, situations and events not found in the the religious traditions of their ancestors.
biblical narrative. The storyteller needs to be The Publicans were corrupt Jewish tax
exact in order to not mislead the listener. Many collectors who became wealthy by
story-listeners will not be familiar with the overcharging their fellow citizens. They
story, and they will not know what is were despised and called traitors by
embellished or what is factual. fellow Jews.

Therefore, while the Bible storyteller

should not exaggerate and make up facts not
found in the biblical narrative, it may be
necessary to include explanations not
mentioned in the Bible that complement and
clarify the story.

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 TIPS FOR PREPARING TO TELL A BIBLE STORY
' 1ST TIP: PREPARE BY IDENTIFYING THE STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE STORY

The storyteller begins his preparation by identifying the structure of the story. (In the Short Bible
Storying Track, most of the structure has been identified and included at the beginning of each story.)

STORY STRUCTURE OF THE STORY

Storys Setting / Background . . . Background information:
Key person(s),
Key-location(s),
Initial-situation (give background information)

Story begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Initial-problem

events
Sequence of
STORY

Key-repetition

Dialogue

Problem(s)
Key-attitudes
told
is

...........

Story ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Final-situation

1. Identify key-person(s) hatred, anger, compassion, etc. are presented

through dialogue and actions, not description.
Determine who are the chief characters in
the Bible story. Stories are character-driven. 2. Identify the key-location(s)
Characters act, experience conflict and
undertake the struggles in a story. The events Identify the principal location where
in the story are generated by the key- events took place. Listeners need a picture in
characters predicaments. The storyteller must their heads of the place where the specific
make his story-listeners see, hear, feel and events occurred. Develop the skill of describing
know the key-character(s). locations with few details and few words.
Bible stories present characters through
action and dialogues, not through description. 3. Identify key-repetitions
The storyteller should show, not tell. Instead of
simply using abstract descriptive words, he Repetitions are made in biblical stories in
should use concrete descriptive words. Instead order to emphasize truths, to build to a climax
of saying: Jacob was a man without moral or to express strong emotions. The Bible
standards, show this characteristic by passages that come before and after the story
description of actions or dialogue. It would be need to be examined to determine if the
better to say: Jacob lied to his father in order chosen story repeats words, themes, facts or
to steal his brothers inheritance. ideas that are emphasized in the context of the
Dialogue can include internal dialogue, in story. Since repetitions are used to emphasize
which the character talks to himself. Also, the what is important, the storyteller needs to know
characters feelings and emotions of love, what is emphasized through repetition.

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4. Identify key-attitudes expressed in the actions. It also makes us aware of goals the
story characters desire to achieve.
In Bible stories, the initial-situation is
Stories express attitudes, feelings, values, usually found in the context of Scripture that
and emotions. A story may express a positive comes before the text that contains the story.
or negative attitude. Resignation, cynicism,
hostility, shock, horror, sorrow, pain, love, joy, 6. Identify the initial-problem
surprise and wonder are some of the attitudes
expressed through stories. The storyteller Stories are about characters, their
needs to determine the attitudes the Bible struggles and their conflicts. A common
story expresses in order to help his listeners characteristic found in stories is that some
experience the desired emotions. problem or need near the storys beginning
Characters have attitudes toward disturbs the initial-situation. A problem appears
themselves, other characters, certain values, in the form of a person or circumstances which
events and certain issues. A characters interfere(s) with the key-character(s) achieving
attitudes express opinions, points of view, and something that is important to him. Stories
slants that a character takes toward other begin with a problem or need, which intensifies
characters and events. with a series of episodes until a final-situation
Bible stories use actions, descriptive is reached.
words and dialogue to present the characters
attitudes. 7. Identify the final-situation of the story
For example: the text in Genesis 4 says
that Cain was very angry. Then it uses: After the initial-problem, there is a pattern
# Description: to say Cains face was of problems, conflicts and aborted attempts at
downcast. resolution until there is a final result. Some
# Dialogue: God asked Cain, Why are you stories have a positive ending, others a
angry? Why is your face downcast? negative. The final-situation answers questions
# Action: Cain attacked his brother Abel such as the following:
and killed him. # How did the story end?
# How was the initial-problem solved after
Review the Bible story and consider what the key-character faced a crisis?
attitude the storyteller desires to express with # What were the results of improper action
each event and with each character. Then taken in an attempt to resolve the key-
include the concrete descriptions, actions and crisis?
dialogues which express those attitudes. # What is the connection between the
storys initial-problem and its final-
5. Identify the initial-situation of the Bible situation?
story
The final-situation may be similar to or
The initial-situation introduces the main completely different from the initial one. Often
characters and their historical setting. The a connection exists between the initial-problem
initial-situation provides the listeners with the the final-situation.
historical setting for the story, background When telling Bible stories in chronological
information about the characters and previous order, the final-situation of one story becomes
events that will influence the characters the initial-situation of the next story.

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' 2ND TIP: PREPARE YOURSELF BY LEARNING THE STORY

1. The storyteller should read and reread of the story and playing it on the screen of his
the Bible story daily for several days mind.
before telling the story The storyteller should rethink the story,
using his imagination to make a connection
The storyteller should read the story in the between the biblical narrative and his own
Scriptures on a daily basis for at least a week experiences. Making a connection between
before telling the story. It is helpful to read the one's own experience and the biblical event
story in different Bible translations. helps one experience the proper emotions
Also, he should review on a daily basis when telling the narrative.
the structure of the story.
5. Make a story-map using visual
2. The storyteller should avoid symbols
memorizing the story
On a sheet of paper, represent each
The act of memorizing the story instills the event of the story with a stick line drawing or
fear of forgetting it. Also, the memorized story some other kind of simple drawings. Mapping
makes the listeners uneasy. out the Bible story using stick line drawings is
The storyteller needs to tell the story in one of the best tools to help a storyteller
his own words while being faithful to the facts visualize and remember it. A story-map is also
recorded in the Bible. known as a story-board.
If the storyteller needs notes to help him
3. The storyteller may find it helpful to recall events in their correct order, he may use
memorize a few key parts of the story the story-map while telling the story.

Do not memorize the entire story. 6. Pantomime the Bible Story

However, it is helpful to memorize:
# The beginning Pantomiming is an excellent tool for
# The ending learning a Bible story without memorizing it.
# Repeated phrases Many storytellers have found that pantomiming
# Lists contained within the story the story in private helps them to experience
the story with their entire body.
4. Think and rethink the story before I have been in countries where I did not
telling it speak the language. On several occasions I
was able to communicate to a salesperson by
The storyteller uses his imagination in pantomiming and was able to understand the
order to understand what happened and feel salesperson who pantomimed to me. To buy
the emotions of the story, but do not reinvent eggs, I put my fingers from my two hands
what happened! together to form an oval shape. Then I put my
The storyteller should rethink the story by hands by my side and flapped them as if they
using his imagination. He needs to use his were wings, and I clucked like a chicken.
imagination to experience the story with his all The pantomimic communicates through
his senses: the sights, the sounds, the smells, bodily movement instead of the spoken word.
the tastes, the feelings and the emotions. To express by pantomime is to communicate
The storyteller should picture the story a thought, action, object, or event by means of
taking place in his mind. He should work at bodily movements, gestures, facial
dreaming the story; similar to creating a movie expressions and attitudes. For example, one

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would pantomime the idea of a baby by the story without memorizing it. At this
cradling an imaginary infant. point, minimize the spoken word by
To pantomime a story, the storyteller saying few words while concentrating on
practices the story without using his voice. pantomiming each event and dialogue
However, he will use the full range of with gestures and bodily movement.
movement allowed by the human body to
express each thought, attitude, dialogue, 7. Rehearse the story
object, and event found in the story.
Rehearsing the story out loud helps the
I suggest that the storyteller pantomime storyteller know which parts come easily and
the Bible story in two stages: which need more work. Telling the story out
1st First stage: While reading the story, use loud helps fix the story in the storytellers mind
gestures and facial expressions to and gives him opportunity to work on his voice
express each sequence of events in the and gestures.
story.
nd
2 Second stage: Remember the details of

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 TIPS FOR TELLING A BIBLE STORY
1. Follow the structural order of the 3. Trust the story
biblical narrative
One can never predict the results of a well
The storyteller should begin by told story, but the storyteller should expect the
establishing the initial-situation of the story. results to surprise him with joy.
The initial-situation introduces the main Telling a Bible story can be compared to
character who lives in a clearly described time the seed Jesus mentioned in some of his
and place. The storyteller should narrate the parables: they grow when no one is watching,
event that identifies the initial-problem, and and no one can predict how much each seed
then continue telling the story by following the will reproduce itself before harvest time.
sequence of events in their chronological Storytelling should not be done in the
order. same manner as confrontation evangelization,
The storyteller who understands the which seeks an immediate, concrete response.
structure of the story, uses his imagination to Storytelling is not like planting grass on a lawn;
experience the story, and makes connections it is more like planting a fruit tree. When you
between personal experiences and the biblical plant grass, the result is immediate and
events, is prepared to tell the story in a predictable. The grass begins to appear above
manner in which his listeners will also ground within days, and you will need to mow
experience it. it within weeks. When you plant a fruit tree, it
takes years before it bears fruit. The planter
2. Making mistakes is a reality may or may not be the one who will harvest
the fruit.
The only places where perfect people Bible storytelling is a powerful tool. It will
exist are in books and films. The reason: produce results; Gods Word does not return in
mistakes are edited out. In the real world, the vain. A story may produce immediate results in
Bible storyteller will make mistakes. Those the listeners lives. Yet, a story may take days,
willing to make errors are the only ones who weeks, months or years of stewing in some
will improve. story-listeners minds before it produces fruit.
The best plan to improve one's ability to Sometimes the storyteller is privileged to be
tell Bible stories is: practice, practice and present when the story produces spiritual fruit.
practice; the mind will become sharper at Other times, someone else will be present to
remembering details. The one who constantly harvest the concrete results. The storyteller
tells Bible stories will never become perfect; can know that God will harvest the results of a
however, he will constantly improve. well-told Bible story.
Therefore, trust the Holy Spirit to reap the
fruit from the Bible story, but do not pressure
the story-listeners for an immediate concrete
response.

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