The importance of sharing ‘good news’ stories
Imagine the stress of a last-minute attempt to combine two SRE classes. This is exactly the situation one SRE teacher found herself in on the last week of term 4, 2025. She shared,
“Our stage 2 SRE teacher had a family emergency. We didn't want the class to miss the final week of SRE for the year, as they would be receiving their Christmas gift and an invitation to our Christmas services.
I have 11 year 5 boys in my class in the library, so I asked the stage 2 class to come up and join us. I had planned for them to look up the verses we'd looked at across the semester and recap our learning. As I was attempting to put them all into groups for the activity, I thought 'this is not going to plan and I must be crazy to think this would work'. But, by the grace of God, we eventually we got there.
Throughout the year I had been encouraging the year 5 boys to look up the lesson’s verses each week, teaching them how to navigate the Bible. I placed each of the year 5 boys in a group with some stage 2 students and asked them to show them how to find the lesson’s verses. What a joy it was to see year 5 boys opening God's word with a group of younger students, telling them how to find a verse and then reading it with them. It was such an encouraging end to the year!”
What a wonderful testimony to God at work in the lives of young people! I am thankful for the many times I have heard and shared encouraging and powerful good news stories such as this one. They have spurred, encouraged, and grown me in my faith and I am struck by the value and effectiveness of a person’s story. (1)
Why share stories?
In his letters, the apostle Paul regularly wrote about the good news stories of early church members. Paul spoke of people such as Onesimus, Priscilla and Aquila, Epaphras and Timothy. Their stories of change and enduring faith were encouragements to the churches that Paul wrote to.
Stories help people to not only hear how God is at work but to also see God at work.
When we share the good news stories from our ministries, we:
• Encourage and strengthen our leaders. A story of a young person asking a thoughtful question or remembering a Bible verse can spur people on in their own ministry.
In a recent conversation I had with our awesome children’s minister, Lauren, she spoke about how sharing the little ‘wins’ as a team each week is like providing her leaders with a lily pad to jump to. Every lily pad forms a path across the ‘pond’ of children’s ministry, helping them stay on top of the water. And not just stay afloat but jump and sprint across the lily pads, building the skills and resilience needed to keep doing so as the ‘pond’ grows.
These ‘little wins’ remind us that it is not in our own strength that we serve but God’s. He is at work through us even when we find it hard to see. These stories remind us of the importance and value of serving in these ministries and are a significant factor in retaining leaders in your ministry.
• Promote ministry. Stories help people understand what SRE, youth, and kids’ ministries look like and why they matter. Good news stories bring these ministries into the everyday life of the church. They demonstrate that we are ALL part of God’s family.
• Cast vision and invite partnership. When people see what God is doing, they are more likely to pray and support ministries. It may even stir up a desire to serve in that ministry, aiding our recruitment efforts.
• Build unity. Sharing stories breaks down silos. It reminds us that we are one team—many parts, one body, serving the same purpose.
How to share stories
You do not need fancy equipment or a big stage to make an impact. I know it can be daunting, but people want to hear from you up the front just like they would in a one-on-one conversation.
Try these ideas:
• Write: Have a member of your team share a story or reflection in the church news or blog. You could also have a regular ‘good news stories’ section in these spaces or a termly letter to parents. (2)
• Speak: Interview a leader or SRE teacher during a service or other church events.
• Show: Record short videos of the ministries in action for your church’s social media pages, website, or services.
• Celebrate: Mark milestones—baptisms, confirmations, transitions into new ‘stages’ of the ministry, or young people’s involvement in church—as opportunities to tell the story of God’s faithfulness.
• Be personal: Encourage your team to naturally mention ministry stories in conversation—a simple, “That reminds me of something great that happened at Kids’ Church this week” can spark joy and glorify God.
As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
My number #1 encouragement
Share one of your good news stories whenever you are having a conversation with your senior minister!
You can never spend too much time reminding them about the value of the ministries to the younger members of their flock. Have a phrase that you regularly use when speaking to them— “That’s just like what happened at Kids’ Church this week… it was so great!”
Every time you share these stories, you are giving your church another glimpse of God’s goodness at work in real lives.
Stories that bring glory to God
Good news stories are not just nice moments—they are powerful reminders of God’s faithfulness. They glorify God and are strong tools in the building of God’s kingdom.
When we tell our stories, we lift our eyes to Jesus, encourage and strengthen our teams, build connections, and reinforce our shared mission.
So next time you see God at work in your ministry do not keep it to yourself. Tell the story!
[1] For some great examples of how effective stories can be in various aspects of church life and youth and kids’ ministry check out this helpful article. https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/impactful-ministry-stories
[2] These stories don’t have to be exclusively about the young people in the ministry! You could also have a leader share about the impact of seeing gospel growth on them, or their journey from resisting being an SRE helper to being a seasoned SRE teacher. Other options could include a firsthand story from a young person or those close to them.
