Below are the notes I took from Dan Scott's session at #OC16. This year we hope to develop our Storytelling team with many of these points in mind as we look to engage kids on a Sunday, so that our kids are more equipped to live in their Monday's.
“As children’s ministry leaders, we are telling the greatest story ever told. No only is it true, it is life changing—forever changing. And through that story, kids encounter the love of God who sent Jesus to rescue us.”
Stories are what captures imagination.
We have stories that shape our everyday and our everyday can become a great story.
Today those stories are published on a phone even before the consequences are thought out.
YouTube – 300 hrs of footage uploaded every minute.
Vine – 6 second videos that are played on average 1.5 billion times a day.
Snapchat – 500 million uploads a day.
Stories are available every day and are changing every minute.
Storyteller: A human created in the image of God.
Role of a Storyteller: Awaken imagination of the audience.
As storytellers of the Gospel we are not always doing all that we can to present that story as best we can.
What are some ways that you are missing the mark in your storytelling of the Gospel?
The question that we need to ask ourselves is: How are we using our skills as a storyteller to present the Gospel in ways that awaken the imagination and pull kids towards the life change that is found within the Truth of the Gospel?
We need to help kids become engaged in the big story of the Bible and make it memorable.
Two ways that we can engage kids are:
1) Passive – see, hear and read
2) Active – Hands-on learning
Percentage of learning intake for kids.
10% Reading
20% Hearing
30% Seeing
50% Seeing & Hearing
70% Speaking & Writing
90% Doing
If this is the case for how kids learn do we need to change up how we lead large groups?
Generally speaking, our Large Group times are set up for kids to learn passively, but if our small groups are set up in the correct ways kids will have the opportunity to learn actively and engage the same story in a new and exciting way.
Your Small Group time needs to be a direct extension of the story that is told from the stage. That time needs to be two things:
1) Fun
2) Engaging
Small Group time needs to be fun and engaging because how we communicate TRUTH matters and we need to know all aspects of the story being presented on Sunday. We need to treat the story with the utmost respect because of the life changing power of the story we are communicating to kids.
Too much is at stake for a kid if we present a bad story on a Sunday.
If we head into a Sunday with the mindset that too much is at stake for a kid if we present a bad story we need to KNOW the story inside and out. Read the story, live the story, and engage in the content that you will need to pull out for the kids to learn the Bottom Line. In the end it is the big concept of the story that matters and not the memorizing of the text that will stick with the kids. If they know the Bottom Line the kids can learn to live out the key concept of the story on a Monday.
Tools for Storytellers to keep in mind as the lead.
1) Vocal Dynamics.
This is a great tool as you establish different characters on stage and help kids differentiate between these characters as you present the whole story. It helps you develop the character traits found in the characters in the story and the easiest way to show kids which traits are important is to change how you speak.
Pace of story is also established through how you use your voice and can help kids lean into the story at the times that are really important (i.e. Bottom Line).
The key is that through your voice you can bring to life the story and the characters found within the Bible.
2) Planned Movement/Blocking.
This is something that I need to be more aware of because I walk as I talk and use my hands a lot. As you prep and read the story ahead of time begin to think about the specific spots on the stage that you want to use to LAND certain points of the story.
a. Start in the middle of the stage with the Big Idea.
b. Use stage right for point one (move across the stage in the way people read naturally).
c. Use the middle again for the central point.
d. End at stage left.
e. Come back to the middle as you lean into the Bottom Line and what concept you want the kids to leave with.
3) Connect it to life.
a. Bottom Line – What is the point the Bible story is trying to make?
b. What is it that we want kids to DO as a result of what they have learned?
Check out some great Storytelling tools from Dan by clicking the graphic below. I am super excited for what is coming from Dan because he is an unbelievable communicator and he will be able to help your ministry in numerous ways.
