Story Priority

The first apostles relied on different spiritual content than we practice. They were laser focused on the life and stories of Jesus.

We need a serious review of the church's spiritual content.

In years of ministry, author Verlon Fosner has discovered a surprising truth: the power of the stories of Jesus to capture the imagination of secular people.

Agnostic and atheistic people sit back to the usual Bible teaching, but they love talking about the life of Christ.

Tell them a story, and they lean forward.

The church? Meh.

Jesus? Let's talk.

As pastors and leaders in Christian faith, we have been taught to form our sermons and teachings based on modern principles of interpretation using such big words and concepts as hermeneutics, exegesis, contextualization, and etymology, all built on a foundation of systematic theology.

While these are helpful, what do we remember? And what do secular people like? Something much simpler: the stories of Jesus.

The first followers were consumed with the words and minutiae of what happened when Jesus walked the earth. It flowed into their conversations, preaching, evangelism, and discipleship. Jesus knew this would happen, too. When he told a story, even the sinners listened. That's why he told his first disciples to prioritize his words and stories. They are the only spiritual materials on this earth stalwart enough to withstand the storm.

If we the church are to regain the power of the gospel and the ability to garner the attention of a secular world, we would be wise to recapture the focus of the 468 Jesus Stories.

VERLON FOSNER has led an innovative congregation in Seattle, Washington since 1999. In the last decade the congregation transitioned from a traditional proclamation church into a multi-site Dinner Church called Community Dinners (www.CommunityDinners. com). In this decade when more US churches are declining than thriving, Verlon sensed that a different way of doing church was needed for their 97-year-old Seattle congregation. After a long season of trial and error (and mostly error), their hearts became stirred by the manner of church that was practiced during the Apostolic Era.Verlon holds a Doctorate of Ministry degree from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and has written several books, including Dinner Church, Dinner Church Handbook, and Welcome to Dinner, Church.