Testimony Guidelines
A step-by-step guide to crafting and sharing a clear, meaningful, and Christ-honouring personal testimony. This resource helps believers understand how to tell their story in a way that connects with listeners, highlights God’s grace, avoids common pitfalls, and communicates the gospel through authentic experience.
Psalm 107:1-2:
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this - those he redeemed from the hand of the foe . . . NIV
Psalm 107:31-32:
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. NIV
This Psalm makes wonderful reading, telling how the Lord has redeemed people from every kind of trouble. "Some wandered in desert wastes" it says, . . . and many know the desert wastes of the form of religion without real meaning or any assurance of sins forgiven or of a personal relationship with Jesus; yet there came a time when "they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress; He led them by a straight way, till they reached a city to dwell in."
"Some sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners in affliction and in irons . . ." and many have known the darkness and gloom of depression or some other kind of bondage, but He "brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder." (v. 14)
"Some were sick through their sinful ways . . ." (v. 17) . . . but "He sent forth His word and healed them and delivered them from destruction."
"Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters . . . " (v. 23). They were absorbed in the busyness of life, spending their energy in gathering wealth and material things. Then, when things went wrong, and they were at their wits' end, "they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress . . . then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven." (vv. 28, 30)
To all these, to all who have come to experience that peace and satisfaction which only Christ can give, He says "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." (v. 2) If you have experienced this (even if you came to Christ without any dramatic experience) then you have a story to tell, and there are people who need to hear it. There are millions of people out there who are weary in their religion, tired of hearing stories of long, long ago, which to them, seem to have no relevance to the problems they face today. They need to hear fresh testimonies of the Jesus who is alive today, and who still brings meaning to the lives of ordinary people like you. There are even more who may seldom darken the doors of a church, who don't want to listen to someone "preaching" to them, but who will be quite prepared to listen to a personal story. This is why one Presbyterian minister said, "Testimony is the wave of the future in evangelism."
What is a “Life Story”?
The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:3, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard . . ." He was quite obviously speaking of his own personal experience of Jesus. Sharing our "Life Story", or personal testimony, is simply that - telling of our own personal experience of Jesus. In a testimony of salvation, which is basically what we shall be considering here, we tell this story in three sections:
Life before I met Christ
How I met Him
How my life changed after I met Him.
Let's consider each of these three sections.
1) Before
Begin to write about at least one inward need you had. Such basic needs as acceptance, love and a cure for loneliness can drive us to outward sins that bind us. Without getting into gory details, describe the outward sin that grew from that need.
There are only two main reasons for telling this portion of your story:
So that people may identify with one or more of the situations or problems that you've been through, and in which Christ has helped you. When people identify with a problem or situation in your past life in this way, and inwardly say "That's me!" they'll be sitting on the edge of their chairs to hear the rest of the story. More than likely, they'll want to talk to you about it when you've finished. Conversely, if we only tell of victories, and do not admit to ever having had a problem in our lives, there's a danger we'll come across as "holier-than-thou."
To provide a backdrop that will highlight the wonder of Christ's deliverance when you tell how He turned your life around. Even if your story is not a very dramatic one, you need to draw this contrast between what life was before you met Jesus, and what it is now.
Picture yourself travelling eastward across the prairies one early summer's evening after a thunderstorm has passed overhead, and the sky in the east is black with thunderclouds. As you come over the crest of the hill, you see a village straight ahead bathed in a patch of brilliant sunlight, with a rainbow circling the sky and touching the ground right at the village. That village in the patch of sun stands out all the more brightly because of the backdrop of black cloud behind it. That's precisely the reason for the "before" section of our Life Story - to accentuate the grace of God.
From this it should be clear - and certainly it's most important - that the "before" section of our story should include no more than is necessary to achieve the above two purposes. If it is longer than that it is simply emphasizing the negative and thereby detracting from the grace of God. Brevity is essential.
2) How
This part of your story tells how, where and when you came to know the Lord. Some who have become Christians early in life cannot point to a specific time and place - this does not discount the legitimacy of their testimony. Even without such details this gives you the marvellous opportunity of presenting the way of salvation without preaching! As people have listened to the earlier part of your story they've come to realize that you're an ordinary mortal such as they, and they're not on the defensive. You've gained their attention, and now you have the opportunity to present the Gospel in a non-threatening way.
Remember that there are two essential elements, from a human's point of view, in coming to salvation: repentance and faith. You may not immediately be able to identify both of these as being a part of your own decision at the time you came to Christ. That doesn't particularly matter, since many of us came to Jesus in fits and starts. Peter did. Others came in a dramatic experience, while yet others came in a more gradual process. However, it's good to be aware that these two elements - repentance and faith - are involved so that if you do recognize them as having been a part of your experience, then you can include them.
This section of our story should also be told as succinctly as possible. It's good to include a Scripture verse or phrase that describes what we experienced, as this lends authority to what we say.
3) After
This is the section in which you will most clearly be able to give glory to Christ as you point out how He has changed your life, your attitudes, goals, habits, etc. Describe how He has met your inward needs and why you are glad that you have a relationship with Him. Make sure to include specific examples while trying to identify with the listener. Be careful to show how He has dealt with every negative aspect which you mentioned in the "before" section of your story. Draw the contrast clearly. You're like an artist painting in the bright village in the sunlight in front of the dark clouds, and this is to be the highlight of your story. This is to be the part that they remember. The lasting impression must be positive. People who have listened to your story should go away feeling "That's what I want."
Describe how you know you have obtained forgiveness and how you are presently assured that you are going to heaven (please use Scriptures). 1 Peter 3:15 commands us, ". . . always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."
The Process of Building Your Story
1) Pray
This is vital! Satan will do all he can to hinder, as you are about to create a powerful weapon for rescuing people out of the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light. Furthermore, you need the help of the Holy Spirit in bringing to remembrance all that God has done in your life. You may be feeling you could not possibly have much that is worthwhile to tell. Rest assured, many have felt that way when they started, and you will be surprised at the things He brings to mind as you write. And yes, writing it all out is really the best way to go. It gives time for the Holy Spirit to bring things to mind which we had forgotten long ago, or which we had never even recognized as being the hand of God on our lives.
2) Catalogue
Think about the kind of person you used to be, the events and problems in your life before you met Christ. Include your attitudes, priorities, dreams, ambitions, insecurities, fears and failures. It's quite in order to mention some of the good things which may have got in the way of the best.
Be transparent in the things you tell. Your Life Story can provide great encouragement for the listeners to open up with each other and share what is happening in their lives. The extent to which they will be prepared to do this will depend to a large extent on how transparent the Life Stories were that they heard. A problem in many churches is that people believe that because they are Christians they are not supposed to have any problems in their lives, so they wear masks when they meet with the church. This stifles meaningful sharing and thereby restricts ministry within the Body of Christ. People need to know that it is okay to share about our struggles and problems. Much will depend on your openness in sharing your story.
Continue writing the "How" and "After" sections of your story. By writing in this way you're probably going to end up with much more material than you will include in the final draft of your Life Story, but the effort will not be wasted. You will have a better perspective of what God has done in your life, and the Holy Spirit will show you things you had never realized. You'll not only have a better story to tell, but you'll be richer for having recognized all that God has done for you. You'll also be better able to recall incidents that you can share in small group discussions and elsewhere. You'll be a better-equipped servant of God.
3) Decide on a Theme
Now that you've reviewed your life in this way, decide on a main theme for your Life Story. You're going to have to pare your Life Story down to about five minutes in length, and you won't have time to tell your whole story. There will be other means of touching those in attendance in our meeting, so you need not feel that your story has to relate to each person in the audience. Instead, be content to zero in on one or two aspects, and deal with them more adequately. Picture your Life Story as firing nuggets of truth through a rifle rather than a shotgun.
4) Be Time-Conscious
In order to make Life Stories an effective part of our meetings, we want the account to be fast-moving and brief. This means that each Life Story needs to be no more than eight minutes in length. Clearly, you'll have to cut down the original draft of your Life Story, keeping only those portions which are essential to your theme.
Very few testimonies can hold the audience's attention for long. There have been some powerful three-minute testimonies given in Christian gatherings; unfortunately there have also been many that rambled on for too long and lost the attention of the audience. We owe it to the rest of the ministry team, to the church and to all newcomers to be time-conscious.
Be aware of the fact that a Life Story that takes eight minutes to read through - or even to tell to your mirror - will take ten or twelve minutes when you're at the podium in front of a live audience. Aim at three to five minutes, and you will end up with a story that will take the maximum (eight minutes). If your story only takes three minutes, that's quite in order as well.
Reducing your story to a maximum of five to eight minutes is not always easy. It will mean that you will have to go through your written draft and make alterations in order to economize on words. One busy farmer's wife tells that "those middle years were a blur of blue jeans and diapers." That's good - it tells a great deal in a few vivid words.
Fine-Tuning the Story
Having written a first draft of your Life Story, you'll need to refine it.
1) Paint Word Pictures
To add interest to your story, you may paint one or two word-pictures. The above example of blue jeans and diapers does just that. Another might describe in a few words the small country town where they grew up.
2) Begin with Impact
First impressions are important, and nowhere is this more true than in the case of a Life Story. If you can begin your story with a striking or unusual statement, you'll grab the attention of the audience straight away, and you're off to a flying start. This helps to answer the question in the mind of the listener, "Why should I listen to you?"
3) Use Humour Strategically
You don't have to use humour in your story, and you should be careful if you do. However, it can be very useful if used strategically. Humour tends to set people in a good relaxed mood, and in that frame of mind they are likely to be receptive. Therefore, humour can be used most effectively if it immediately precedes something very important that we have to say. Let the laughter die down first, then pause.
4) Eliminate Jargon
Unfortunately, there are many words and phrases - even good Biblical ones - that are not well-accepted in some circles today. Examples include "saved", "under condemnation", "blessing", "amen", "praise the Lord", "Hallelujah", etc., and we should avoid these in our Life Story. Apart from the fact that they may not be well-accepted, they may also not be well understood. If in our presentation such words are necessary we ought to clarify them in order that they would be understood by an unbeliever. Furthermore, if we can describe what we wish to convey in our own everyday words it will come across as fresh and interesting. Try also not to over-use certain words such as "fantastic", "great", "purpose", "meaning", etc.
It's better not to mention specific dates or ages. These only tend to narrow down the range of people that will identify with your story. For this reason and others, do not mention denominations either.
5) End with Impact
The story is told of how Sir Thomas Beecham, the famous orchestra conductor, when asked the secret of success, replied with tongue-in-cheek: "The most important thing is to have the orchestra all begin together and end together!" And so with Life Story, not only the beginning, but also the ending, is important. The last words you say in your Life Story will be the ones that they remember, and will be the ones that bring them to come and talk to you afterwards.
Remember that the Life Story that people most need to hear, is that which tells of victory. That doesn't mean to say that we must pretend that we never have any more struggles or never stumble, but the overall message must be that through Christ we overcome. Peter wrote in his first letter to Christians (1 Peter 1:8) who had been through persecution and were facing further "fiery ordeals":
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy … NIV
That's the kind of victory and rejoicing that needs to come through in our testimonies! That's the kind of Life Story that will draw people into the Kingdom, and inspire those who are already in the Kingdom!
6) Consider the Other Person’s Shoes
When you have done all these things, read your Life Story over again, or get a friend to listen to it in order to try and hear it as unchurched people might hear it. Imagine the cross-section of people in that audience. Is there something in your story, for example, that is told with a touch of cynicism or disdain when describing your past immature understanding? If you were once in the position, for example, of trying to earn your salvation by good works, do you now speak of such ignorance with disdain? How might someone in the audience feel, who is earnestly trying his or her best to do just that if you, from your more mature hindsight, make light of such foolishness?
We walk a fine line in telling our own personal story in such a way that Jesus
Christ is exalted. But it can be done. Our goal through sharing our Life Stories is to leave the hearers impressed with Jesus, not with our narratives or our speaking abilities.
7) Preaching is Out
When we share our Life Stories we speak as an expert in one thing: what God has done in our own lives. Anything that hints of preaching is likely to set up barriers. Therefore we have to be very careful with our words. We do not even say "Let me commend my Saviour to you", or anything like that. Watch out for words like "you" and "we". For example, "We ought to realize that we are all sinners." We will often be construed simply as telling people what they ought to do, and that is a no-no. Most people are quite capable of drawing simple conclusions, and when they come to those conclusions on their own, they are much more likely to act on them than if we, as ordinary people, start telling them what they ought to do. We are not there to even give opinions in our Life Stories, but simply to tell what God has done in our own lives.
Be very careful, too, about telling of "way-out" experiences you may have had, because ordinary people might have trouble relating to this. There is a time and a place for these, but we need to be careful.
Telling the Story
1) Memorize
It is most effective not to use notes when sharing your Life Story. You may feel that you need notes so that you are able to get it all in order and not forget anything you intend to say, but the fact is that notes kill the freshness that is so important, and make it seem contrived. Notes might be alright for a sermon, but not for a Life Story.
On the other hand, most of us don't want to memorize the story word-for-word. The happy medium that works well is to remember subject headings and some key phrases, and tell the story in a natural, relaxed manner. Once you have your story all written out in final draft form, make notes under a number of sub-headings on a mobile device or 3 X 5 cards. Practice telling your Life Story from these cards, referring to the cards as little as possible. Then work towards reducing the number of sub-headings, and begin to memorize the sub-headings. Once you have done this, you won't need the cards at all.
Remember two things:
If you do omit something in telling your story, it is quite likely the Holy Spirit wanted you to leave it out. He is the Guide and Enabler.
If you should lose your train of thought in the middle of telling your story, be natural, and don't be afraid to say so. It could be that the Holy Spirit had planned that too, in order to show people in the audience that we are just ordinary, fallible people after all!
2) Be Flexible
Having spent some time allowing the Holy Spirit to bring to your remembrance all the things the Lord has done in your life, and then having cut much of that out of your Life Story in order to fit it into the five to eight minute time-frame, you now have additional incidents that you can exchange for others in your Life Story on certain occasions, as the Spirit leads. Remember to exchange, not add, so that you keep within the required time-frame.
3) Relax
People in the church ministry team have been and are praying for you. You have their support, so relax! Above all, remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who gives power for us to testify.
Jesus promised in Acts 1:8:
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. NIV
Jesus also said in John 7:38:
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." NIV
So, let it flow!
Sharing our Life Story is a powerful tool for the Lord to use. Revelation 12:11 declares, ". . . they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony . . ." Never underestimate the importance of your testimony!
Our goal in sharing our Life Story is threefold:
To relate the Gospel to unbelievers amongst us.
To encourage believers within our church.
To prepare for other opportunities to communicate the Gospel.
People need to hear that we have experienced the same basic needs they have and that Jesus Christ is now meeting these needs in our lives.