I just read a great article over on the Fuller Youth Institute blog called “The Science of Storytelling and Listening“.

In the article, Jon Huckins lays out a pretty compelling case for using Storytelling as one of many methods of teaching in youth ministry. He says,

“As youth workers who are passionate about inviting our students into the Story of God, it is important that we follow in the footsteps of our Rabbi, Jesus. Jesus was the master storyteller, and true to Rabbinic tradition, one-third of his teaching was done through the art of storytelling. Similar to Jesus’ parables, modern day storytelling is a method that might provoke more questions than answers. The story becomes a conversation starter, not a conversation finisher. This isn’t always true, of course. As youth listen and engage in the story, they can process some of the answers because the story meets every teenager in a different spot of their faith experience.”

This is a pretty important idea for those of us who are involved in teaching or preaching. It’s worth reading the article, and I might have to pick up his book, “Teaching Through the Art of Storytelling: Creating Fictional Stories that Illuminate the Message of Jesus” (affiliate link).

I had been reading the book along with the rest of the Youth Ministry International trainers all over the world, so it was pretty easy to write the review for him.

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