Here's a thought; if stand up comedians are the new preachers, then why don't we preachers be the new comedians.
It seems far fetched I know, but can you imagine if all the preachers in the land took the good news to where people are.
We could take slots on a Friday night down the local pub or social club. Or turn thought for the day into anecdote of the day. We could actively encourage feedback and be rated on our style.
I do not mean that we would make light of scripture or God; I mean we could go out and be different in our presentation style. We would have to think more clearly about our faith and our message, we would be expecting hecklers and I can only see that as s good thing, if terrifying.
OK, maybe I'd like to back out now, but I'll push on...
- We could present the good news as one liners about salvation.
- We could share hilarious anecdotes of our lives with Christ.
- We could improvise on scripture shouted out from the audience.
- We could even challenge assumptions without people realising.
Just imagine!
We could reach people by the hundreds and thousands. We could meet people where they are and in their own way. We would truly be a new expression in every way.
So who fancies it?
There's a comedy club I know in Reading, who thinks they could face that crowd? I think I've talked myself out if it!
1 comment:
I think you want to preach in a way that is funny and engaging, which is sounds amazing. But stand-up comedy may not be the route as that is really about writing and performing jokes. However I think that improvisation is massively relevant. Learning how to improvise would make anyone a far more confident, competent and engaging person in front of a crowd. At the simplest level it teaches you how to tell a story and gives you the self-confidence and skills to release your inner genius.
I've been doing it for a few months now and found it not only hugely fun, but even life changed. I just need to convince Emma to do it. Maybe I can get her to do the weekend course in October with you ;-)
Also as preaching involves story telling, it is very timely that today I registered for a two day story telling course. Details here: http://www.londonstorytellingfestival.co.uk/events.html
Only a couple of spaces left if you are interested.
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