The art of relating a story.

God loves a good story. Forty percent of the Old Testament and almost sixty percent of the New is narrative. For children, story remains a primary way of connecting since their worlds are switched on to imagination and there is nothing that grips them more than a story. Little wonder then, that much of our ministry to children revolves around 'telling the Bible story.'

Yet we need to do more than simply 'tell the story.' We need to rediscover the art of relating the story.

Relating goes beyond mere telling. Telling often mean simply conveying the facts. When we merely tell the story we increasingly find children piping up saying , "I know this one!" and then switch off because they think they've heard it all before.

Relating a story also means more than presuming we know how a story ought to apply to the child's life. While stories may have important punch lines, the same story can impact different children in a number of valid ways. We sell children short if we only seek to apply the story in the way that we think it applies and do not try to discover 'where they're at' in regard to the story and how it touches their life.

What does it mean to relate a story? The dictionary defines relate as,

relate |riˈlāt| verb [trans.]

1 give an account of (a sequence of events); narrate

2 ( be related) be connected ...

• ( relate something to) discuss something in such a way as to indicate its connections with (something else)....

• [ intrans. ] ( relate to) feel sympathy with; identify with...

Relating makes the telling personal. It's a way of sharing the story to connect with the child. Like any relating, the critical factor is two way communication. The art of relating a story is the ability to create a conduit between the child and the story for two-way interaction. As the 'story teller' our task is to facilitate that discussion and to enable and teach children to have a two way conversation with a story.

Relating a story is not just a cute technique. I believe God is ever speaking to children through his word. God also seeks a response, a dialogue, an interaction. He means for it to be personal. When we practice and teach relating as a way of hearing the story we are teaching children to hear and respond to God's Word. In the end, I believe this will be much more fruitful than merely telling, although for us 'story tellers' it may be less comfortable.

In a future blog I will share the content of a guide sheet called 'Relating the Story' that we used at our regular Sunday School leaders meeting as a short training segment (we're trying to do this each time we meet, for about half and hour.)

In the mean time ask yourself, which stories had the greatest impact on you has a child? Why? What connection did they have with you? How was that connection formed in your heart and mind? How might you better help children connect with the story? What obstacles do you face?