The Stories You’re Sitting On - 5 Steps to Stop Ministry From Leaking Its Best Stories
Previously posted on: This article originally appeared on Substack in Chris’s The Strategic Outsider on November 18, 2025. 📖 You can read, subscribe, and explore more like it here: https://associationmissionstrategist.substack.com/
I’ve walked into dozens of churches across Northeast Florida where Jesus was clearly moving and almost nobody was tracking the evidence. It’s like walking through a field right after rain. Everything is glistening, everything is alive, but nobody’s stopping long enough to gather what’s growing.
Pastors will tell me, “The Lord is doing something here. You can feel it.”
And I believe them.
But when I ask, “What stories are you celebrating right now?” the room goes quiet. Eyes shift. Somebody whispers something about a baptism last month. Someone else remembers a family joining the church. Beautiful things. Real things. But it always feels like there should be more.
And there always is.
Churches aren’t lacking stories. They’re leaking them.
People forget. Pastors get busy. Ministry keeps moving. Before long, the grace in your congregation is happening faster than you’re capturing it. Nobody intends for that to happen. It just does.
So, as someone who loves your church enough to stand at the edge of the field and shout back toward the barn, let me say this clearly:
A church that forgets its stories eventually forgets its expectancy.
And expectancy is the oxygen of discipleship.
Let’s fix that.
Where the Stories Hide
Stories almost never show up in formal settings. They live in the cracks of the week. You’ll find them:
In the glow on someone’s face during baptism counseling.
In the offhand comment from a nursery worker who saw something God-shaped in a parent’s eyes.
In the prayer whispered over a hospital bed that somehow made everyone breathe again.
In the youth room at 8:47 PM when a student finally admits she wants to follow Jesus.
In the Sunday School circle where a widow says today was the first time she laughed in months.
These moments are not small. They’re sacred.
And if you do not gather them intentionally, they evaporate.
Pick a Simple Bucket
You don’t need a media department to capture stories. You need one bucket and a little consistency.
Use:
A note on your phone.
A Google Doc.
A running Slack thread.
A “Jesus Stories” clipboard hanging by the office door.
A simple notebook you carry in your backpack.
Don’t allow complexity to steal what’s holy.
Just pick the bucket and start dropping manna in it.
Let Your People Share the Work
If the pastor is the only one gathering stories, you’ll always be understaffed.
Invite three trusted members to be your “story team.”
Give them eyes to notice grace.
Tell them, “If you hear something worth praising God for, write it down and send it to me.”
You’ll be shocked at what they surface. Sometimes the best stories come from people who haven’t been in a committee meeting in twenty years.
Honor the Stories With Care
Not every story needs to be told publicly. Some need initials. Some need privacy. Some only need to be shared in prayer.
Handle testimonies gently.
Ask permission.
Make sure the person knows you see them, not just their content.
People are not props. Their stories are holy ground.
Let These Stories Shape Your Leadership
When you gather stories:
You preach differently.
You plan differently.
You cast vision with more clarity because you’re tracking the ripples of God’s work with your own eyes.
A church that celebrates small obedience becomes a church prepared for big obedience.
A Simple “How-To” for Testimony Videos That Actually Work
You want a practical guide? Here’s the one I give churches who want to tell their stories beautifully without adding stress or turning Sunday morning into a documentary film festival.
Step 1: Capture Their Story in Writing
Send them a JotForm with three coaching questions:
What was happening in your life before this moment of change or obedience?
What did Jesus do that shifted your direction? Be specific, not dramatic.
How is your life, faith, or relationships different now because of His work?
These three questions pull out clarity, not fluff.
Step 2: Turn Their Response Into a 500-Word Testimonial Using AI
Paste their answers into your tool.
Ask it to write a clear, compassionate 500-word testimony in first person.
This doesn’t replace their voice.
It simply organizes the story they already told.
Step 3: Have Them Read It Out Loud 3–5 Times
Ask them to practice until the pacing feels natural.
Not polished.
Not performative.
Just honest.
The goal is comfort, not perfection.
Then record their voice.
Step 4: Film Them Doing Something Ordinary
Don’t sit them in front of a black backdrop with a church logo. That looks like an IRS audit.
Record them:
Walking down a sidewalk
Talking with a friend
Pushing their kid on a swing
Kneeling in their garden
Sitting on their back porch
Shoot it in slow motion.
Let the simplicity breathe.
Step 5: Overlay the Story
Use the audio from their practiced reading.
Line it up with the slow-motion footage.
Keep the final video around two minutes or less.
This creates something beautiful, honest, and shareable.
It’s cinematic without being pretentious.
It gives your congregation a window into a real person’s encounter with the living Christ.
Why This Matters
Testimonies aren’t content. They’re consecration. They teach your people to expect Jesus to actually move, not merely to be preached about.
When stories rise to the surface, faith rises with them.
When faith rises, mission rises.
And when mission rises, a watching world begins to notice.
You’re not manufacturing anything.
You’re remembering.
You’re gathering.
You’re naming the fingerprints of God in the lives of His people.
And in doing that, you are quietly discipling your church into a posture of expectancy.
You’re showing them, week after week, that the same Jesus who moved in Scripture is still moving in their pews.
Go gather the stories.
Your future self will thank you.
Your congregation will be strengthened by them.
And the name of Jesus will be lifted higher because His works among you will not go unnoticed.