Real Stories

Really Matter
Stories as DNA
From the beginning, Senior Pastor Perry Noble has been our storyteller-in-chief. The Stories of lives transformed by
Jesus have served as the centerpiece of the message we preach and the way we celebrate.

Real stories of salvation and life-change in our church remind our people that Jesus is still in the business of chang-
ing lives today — and gives them hope that the next life to be changed could be their friend or family member.

Our open culture — where it’s OK to not be OK, but it’s not OK to stay that way — is modeled on Perry’s courage to “go
first” and share real stories from his own life and struggles with things like depression and pornography. Our people
see what it’s like to let the word of God change them from the inside out, and they are encouraged to share their own
stories just as boldly.

It’s simple: At NewSpring, Stories make the vision visible. You can either tell people what God will do, or you
can show people what God has done.

Your church’s culture will be different. Your church may value different parts of the Great Commission more highly.
But the power of telling Stories to move your people will never change.

Real Stories Really Matter

Our church believes, “Every number has a name. Every name has a story. And every story matters to God.” Our goal
is to have our people come face to face — literally — with the proof that the Gospel works every single week in every
single encounter. That’s why real stories of real people really matter!

An attender is saved. A couple’s marriage is restored. A member begins to serve. Any change in a person’s life be-
cause of Jesus, or anything that shows what it means to live for Jesus, is a story worth sharing.

We’re constantly celebrating a milestone or next step on a person’s journey with Christ or specific evidence of a min-
istry win. Storytelling has become a standard part of many of our church communications:
• in services, through an individual’s photo snapshot, or by reading a letter or email we’ve received.
• in services, through simple video and motion graphic “cardboard testimonies” or short films about life change.
• on social media, through a brief account or link to a deeper story and a photo.
• on the Web through long-form narrative and rich media.
• in public events, such as baptisms, through verbal telling of one person’s story.
• in teaching materials, such as groups video studies, pre-marital workbooks, and financial planning guides.
• in meetings through verbal sharing of stories.
• in routine printed communications with members, such as giving statements.

When we have shared life-change stories at NewSpring, especially in video, the results have been undeniable:
• People see the vision and celebrate! Our people are reminded that the spread of the gospel is the point.
• People take next steps! Our people are inspired by other people’s stories, and it creates faith to believe God’s prom-

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ises for them.
• People invite! Our people get excited about stories, and they know that it’s easier to bring people far from God to
church on those days we’re sharing a story in video. That’s why stories have been the centerpiece of our greatest
Easter and Christmas services.
• People get saved! People ask Jesus into their lives every time we share lifechange stories with a clear explanation of
the gospel. Personal stories have more credibility with some people than a preacher’s appeal ever could.

Sharing the news of what God is doing — and has done — day in and day out, and week in and week out, doesn’t re-
quire a team of talented filmmakers or a pastor willing to give up a chunk of his sermon time. You only need Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, and the like — the same tools people are already using to share the news of their lives.

Social Media has become the biggest momentum builder for Stories at NewSpring by far. Facebook, Twitter and Ins-
tagram have become a platform just as powerful as Sunday in communicating the story of Jesus and the story of our
church.

The truth is, we don’t just have a pastor-storyteller, and we don’t just have a storytelling team. We believe every one
of our staff, volunteers, and owners is a storyteller for the cause of Christ.

With literally thousands of people sharing The Story every week, it’s not difficult to see how the Gospel can advance
just as rapidly as it did when the leaders of the early church were saying, “we cannot help but speak of what we have
seen and heard.”

So let’s get to it!

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