Telling a Bible story seems to have gone out of fashion in youth work. While hearing stories of the Bible play a large part in children’s work, in youth work the focus seems to be on themes and topics. Bible stories, if they get a look in, play a supporting role to life topics and snippets of Bible passages.
However, stories play a part in the everyday lives of young people. Through an obsession with Xbox or a love of Hollyoaks, young people engage with stories on different levels. Moreover, stories saturate our lives – anything from X Factor to the Olympics can provide a compelling narrative with which to make sense of our world.
Exposing young people to Bible stories without putting them through the lens of whatever topic we’re covering that particular day, means that we help young people to meet with God themselves, without standing in the way of the young people and God as some kind of interpreter. I believe that God can speak all the more loudly through simply-told Bible stories as we let him through our carefully crafted sessions on drugs or perseverance. But what are effective ways of open-ended storytelling? Here are five suggestions:
1 Read the Bible
It might sound the most obvious thing in the world, but how often do we encourage young people to listen to a Bible story being read out, or to read it all together. This can be very powerful, particularly if the young people know that they are free to interrogate the text and meet God through their own enquiry. Make sure you have an accessible translation of the Bible, such as the Contemporary English Version or the Good News Bible.
2 Retell the story simply
Just you telling a story. It can be most effective and yet is counter-cultural. You’ll need to know the story well, so make sure you have any details correct and plan how you’re going to retell the story. You might want to write it out, or create bullet points that you can follow. Practise beforehand and then just go for it.
3 Use drama and role play
Getting young people to act out a story can help them to think inside the heads of the characters and think through their motivations. You can encourage them to do this as you read out a story from the Bible or retell one. Drama is a great way to help young people dwell in Bible stories and listen to what God is saying. For more tips, see this post on using drama in groups.
4 Use the senses
Be creative in what you use to tell stories. Include things to hold (at Easter you might pass around matzo, nails and bandages), smells (some stories might include incense, sea water or baking bread) and taste (Passover, last supper or Abraham welcoming guests at Mamre). Go outside and think about travelling stories or experience the creation story.
5 Ask open questions
Provide a framework by asking questions which encourage young people to think about, around and into a story, rather than just regurgitate the facts. Try questions about emotions (What were the characters feeling?), speech (What do you think they said to each other after Jesus had gone?) or motivation (Why didn’t the priest help the man?). Borrow the ‘I wonder’ questions from Godly Play, for example, ‘I wonder what your favourite part of the story was?’.
Exploring Bible stories without an agenda of a predetermined application point or moral thought can be a liberating experience for young people and be key in their faith development. It can be scary for us, but God can speak to us as much as he speaks to the young people. What adventure might you take with your group?
Alex Taylor is Children’s and Youth Ministry Trainer for the Diocese of London and a keen storyteller.