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Evangelism workshop tells ‘The Story’
Chad Austin, BSC Communications
March 03, 2015
3 MIN READ TIME

Evangelism workshop tells ‘The Story’

Evangelism workshop tells ‘The Story’
Chad Austin, BSC Communications
March 03, 2015

Whether it’s a good book, movie or a friend’s latest adventure, everyone loves a good story. They have a way of connecting and engaging people.

On Feb. 10 more than 50 pastors, church staff, lay leaders and volunteers attended a training workshop to learn how to use not just any story to connect and engage people, but “The Story.”

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BSC photo by Chad Austin

Marty Dupree, center, leads “The Story” training Feb. 10 in Fayetteville. Dupree is adult evangelism and discipleship consultant with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Marty Dupree, adult evangelism and discipleship consultant with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, led the daylong training event for The Story at Temple Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

“The Story is an evangelism tool for sharing the gospel, and it’s a discipleship tool that helps people understand the Bible as a whole,” says Dupree. It connects God’s grand story of redemption in the Bible – creation, fall, rescue, restoration – to the life stories of individuals by showing how they can join God’s redemptive plan.

The tract offers a relational approach to witnessing that encourages Christ-followers to use everyday conversations with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and others to point them to the Bible for answers to life’s most pressing questions. During his presentation, Dupree shared several examples of how he has used The Story to share his faith with a passenger sitting beside him on an airplane, a server at a local restaurant and a fellow sports fan at a college football game.

“If you engage people conversationally with the gospel, they are often open and willing to talk with you about it,” Dupree said.

“Although many people we come in contact with will say they don’t have any particular spiritual beliefs, many are still interested in talking about the Bible, who God is and the big questions of life.”

Barry Lawrence, pastor of Fusion Church in Spring Lake, attended The Story workshop and said he found the training “invaluable.”

“The Story is a method that’s pertinent for our world today because many people don’t have a church background,” Lawrence said.

“So when we share the gospel, we can begin at the beginning of the story in Genesis.”

The Story can be used one-on-one or in group settings.

Lawrence said he plans to preach a sermon series based on the themes of The Story leading up to Easter.

Theron Hawkins, pastor of True Vine Community Baptist Church in Fayetteville, wants to use The Story in small groups as a way to equip his congregation to be more prepared to share their faith.

“The Story shows how stories can be used to reach people for the cause of Christ,” Hawkins said. “There is a need to tell people your story and tell people about His story.”

More regional training sessions are planned across the state throughout the year. For more information about The Story training events, visit ncbaptist.org/thestory.

To learn more, visit viewthestory.com.