While preparing to serve in Senegal, I often heard it said that Africans loved stories. I was therefore to use them often in teaching. I have since come to believe that this is not unique to Africans. Nor to Latinos. Nor to children. Nor to non-literate people. Everyone loves a good story! As I have grown as a Bible teacher, I have come to believe that good illustrations make up an essential part of effective, faithful communication.
The Purpose of Illustrations
The purpose of illustrations is not to entertain or to vary the rhythm of our teaching. It is to further the main point of our message in two ways:
– By explaining, clarifying, and building understanding
– By stirring emotion.
This second one can sound shady, right? Sermons in general and women’s ministry in particular are often focused on appealing to our emotions and felt needs. We may therefore want to react by staying away from any appeal to our hearers’ emotions. Yet that’s not what the Bible does. It often stirs the passions of its recipients. But it does so not to manipulate but to inspire both virtue and affection for Christ.
Appealing to the Mind and the Heart
Think of your illustrations in two categories: Explanation that appeals to the mind, and emotion that appeals to the heart. Both are found in Scripture. God intends for us to wield them for the good of our hearers. The Psalms are full of both. The Psalter appeals to our emotions more than any other book of the Bible.
For example, Psalm 19 opens with the stirring image of the heavens preaching a sermon to God’s people about the glory of God (v. 1-6). Then, beginning in v. 7, David describes God’s law for the purpose of inspiring obedience.
Examples of Illustration
Here are some examples of Illustrations:
Stories – Personal or from world history or current events.
Quotes – Usually by an expert or someone with credibility on a subject.
Statistics – Boring to some, but persuasive to others.
Jokes – The Word of God is not a joke, and we shouldn’t trivialize it with our demeanour, but a good joke that makes a point from the text could help our hearers remember the point of our message.
Poems – A long poem might be distracting, but a line or two could make a meaningful connection for our hearers.
Similes and metaphors – Short and poignant, they paint a word picture. And, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
7 Tips for Using Illustration
1. Check your facts.
Have you ever heard someone use an illustration you knew was not factual? I have. It detracts from our credibility if we repeat urban legends as facts. If we’re going to recount a story that is not our own, we should make sure that it’s accurate. Let others do the fact-checking for you on sites such as Snopes.com.
2. Avoid complicated stories.
An illustration that requires extensive explanation defeats the purpose of telling it. One example would be using a quote full of archaic language and theological terms that are beyond the grasp of our hearers. Another could be employing a highly technical scientific or historical illustration that would take longer to set up and explain and could confuse more than clarify.
3. Be sensitive to your demographics.
If all your illustrations are about marriage and parenting, your single and childless hearers will feel excluded. If all your illustrations are about your professional life, you’ll overlook large portions of your audience.
Think of the ages and stages of those in you teach. Teenagers are often facing tremendous peer pressure at school. University students are approaching a crossroads. Parents of young children are investing time and energy into discipling their little ones. Parents of teens are helping their kids navigate challenges they themselves never experienced. Empty nesters are longing to hear from their kids more often. Retired people may be eager to invest in the lives of younger believers in the church. Widows and widowers may be struggling with loneliness and failing health while longing for connection. And the list goes on.
Also, keep in mind that we live in an increasingly diverse church era. We would do well to include stories that make believers of other cultures feel seen and heard. They may be English or French, Indigenous, Canadian-born people of colour, recent immigrants, or children of immigrants. These all form part of the stunning tapestry of the family of God. Let’s be sensitive to their realities when we teach.
4. Include vivid details.
When we mention the time of day, the city, the temperature, etc., we transport people. We take them with us on location to the scene of our story. Here’s an example of what not to do:
There was once a woman, I don’t remember her name, who was sick. I don’t remember with what, and she prayed. I don’t remember how long, and she got better. And I don’t remember how. God hears the cries of the afflicted (Ps 34).
This, of course, is ridiculous. But it’s easy to tell boring, insipid stories. Here’s a better example:
My college roommate Jaime was 21 when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It was our third year of university, final exams were approaching, and her radiation treatment couldn’t be delayed. She chose to pray, remain in school, and trust the Lord for her academic outcome and healing. Her treatment was successful, and she remains cancer-free 27 years later. God hears the cries of the afflicted (Ps 34).
5. Employ variety.
Personal stories are the easiest to come up with because they don’t require any fact-checking. And we can usually recount them from memory. Such illustrations help us build rapport with our hearers. But they can become predictable if they are all we ever use. That having been said, I would distinguish between a personal story and that of someone I met. I love telling stories about my years in Senegal and introducing my hearers to friends there. I find these accounts interesting, and I also believe that they help broaden my hearers’ worldview.
6. Avoid shining the spotlight on your loved ones.
In my final year of seminary, I took an MDiv-level preaching class. I was the only woman. One brother gave a message in which he depicted his wife negatively. During the feedback time, I gently appealed to him to avoid any illustration that would give ammunition to those who would criticize his partner. A pastor’s wife already has a target on her back. I graduated over twenty years ago, and I am still in touch with this brother. He recently told me that he thinks of my words every time he prepares a sermon, and his wife is all the more thankful for it.
Pastors’ kids also have a right to privacy. Even if you ask them for permission, children don’t have the agency or maturity to refuse their parents. Consider that they will be the subject of great scrutiny. Many will judge their parents based on the behaviour of their kids. I’m told that some pastors have caused the relationship with their children long-term harm by divulging private matters about them from the pulpit.
7. Avoid making yourself the hero.
Using personal illustrations is one thing. Always making ourselves look good when we do so is another. Instead, choose self-deprecating stories in which God teaches us through our mistakes. These are far more edifying than ones in which we come out on top by our own wit or strength.
