Reconnecting God's Story to Ministry: Crosscultural Storytelling at Home and Abroad [Paperback]

Tom A. Steffen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

Oftentimes, we think stories are for children. But using the Bible as evidence, we see that God communicated His truth to men and women of all cultures, time, and places by way of many small stories forming one large story. While possessing a rich heritage of storytelling, too many evangelicals have forfeited this vital skill. Tom Steffen's aim is to help readers recapture the most natural, universal, and effective means of evangelism-discipleship that exists—storytelling.

This book is not just theory—it provides practical help by identifying the roles and tasks that are necessary to become an effective storyteller in another culture. Steffen offers creative tools and introduces practical ways to increase many of the storytelling skills for evangelism-discipleship. He moves us beyond linear gospel outlines, Western logic and organization, and individual responses to traditional evangelism rituals, to a mode of communication that respects the audience, making it easy for them to grasp what they have heard and to pass it on to others with minimal loss of content. By reconnecting storytelling to ministry, readers will be more comfortable in sharing the gospel, both at home and abroad.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom A. Steffen is professor of Intercultural Studies in the School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University in La Mirada, California where he directs the Doctor of Missiology program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Authentic (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932805060
• ISBN-13: 978-1932805062
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trust the power of "story", April 5, 2004

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B Strauss (CO USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Reconnecting God's Story to Ministry: Crosscultural Storytelling at Home and Abroad (Paperback)

Dr. Steffen revisits the message of the Bible through the framework of "story." His perspectives are missiological, anthropological, and andragogical. He integrates the concepts of storybook, storyline, and storyteller, drawing from key narrativists, including Boomershine, Bradt, Brueggemann, Fackre, Leighton Ford, Donald Miller, and Ryken. Storying is a universal form of communication. Ryken argues that "...the narrative mode is uniquely important in Christianity" (1984:33). Dr. Steffen's book, though brief, is a scholarly work describing how to use narrative as an educational methodology. The book contains key questions and helpful bibliographies. I highly recommend this book as well as Dr. Steffen's "Passing the Baton."