Do you ever stay up late at night thinking of creative ways to mobilize your people to get out into your community with the good news of the gospel of grace?
What if I could show you a unique way to embolden even the most timid in your church family to share their faith? Can you imagine the impact in your area if many of your people were joyfully sharing their own journey-of-faith stories?
I’m writing you today because I believe you know that those real-life, redemptive stories are hidden in the lives of those to whom you minister every day. But mobilizing them to faithfully share them is a challenge, isn’t it? So why is it that more believers are not excited to talk about their own conversion experiences? It’s no secret – some folks think their stories are too uninteresting, while others are simply too shy or fearful to start a conversation.
For more than two years, my wife and I have been engaging people with our own faith-based stories that have the gospel embedded in them. The method we use is simple, effective and non-threatening.
Take a look at the sample business cards enclosed. They are key to this method. When we give them out in the manner we teach, people respond positively—in fact our experience has been nearly 100 percent positive!
As a pastor, you know the power of personal testimonies. My Journey-of-Faith Writing Workshop challenges believers to think anew about their own testimonies, and then gives them the tools to write their stories well and get them published.
Now, back to the business card: how is this any different than using a good gospel tract? A well-written, journey-of-faith story allows the individual to own the gospel message because it’s his or her personal story, too! People get excited about their own stories, but for many, giving out a gospel tract can be intimidating. How much easier to hand someone your own attractive business card that directs them to your published, Christ-encountering story.
Imagine what could happen in your community when people start receiving business cards prompting them to read well-written, real-life stories of their friends and neighbors with the gospel of grace embedded in them?
In order to facilitate as many stories getting published as possible, I’ve developed the Journey-of-Faith Writing Workshop. This workshop draws from real stories I’ve written for major newspapers. It goes beyond mere theory as taught in typical academic classrooms. This is faith writing from the trenches!
In today’s media climate, a journalist actually on the lookout for good news may sound like an oxymoron, but even more rare is a journalist whose journey-of-faith feature stories have appeared in The Washington Post and other major newspapers.
Carey Kinsolving is my name, and I’m that journalist. For years I have reported on the most neglected stories in the media—of Christ making a difference in the lives of his people. You can read many of these stories at
FaithProfiles.org.
Because I had to find and write stories that were compelling enough to pass the scrutiny of skeptical newspaper editors, I’m confident that I can impart some of this know-how to believers in your congregation.
The history of my workshop dates back to the mid-1990’s. I taught it first at churches, and then through a grant to Christian students at major universities including Harvard, Yale and the University of North Carolina among others. In spite of these successful efforts, I sensed God’s calling to produce and direct a global documentary called
Mission Explorers for Thomas Nelson Publishers. It introduces children to the work of missionaries around the world. After that, I developed and am still writing a newspaper column called
Kids Talk About God. It has continued in syndication for more than 10 years through Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate. All these columns are now available in a Bible-lesson archive at
KidsTalkAboutGod.org along with online viewing of the entire Mission Explorers series.
Now, because my wife and I have enjoyed such positive responses to the enclosed business cards and the corresponding system that works so well, I feel compelled once again to help Christians write their own faith stories.
When I initially taught the workshop in the mid-90’s, the Internet was still in its infancy. The entire world of mobile Internet through smart phones didn’t exist. Today, opportunities to publish well-written, faith stories on the Internet abound. It’s no longer “if” a well-written story will be published, but “where” you would like it to appear. The workshop devotes an entire section to Internet publishing.
I hope what I’ve tried to convey has sparked some interest. I would love to help you ignite a grassfire for the gospel of grace in your church!
