I was first introduced via an email to Ben Arment and over the last several of months I have really come to appreciate his kindred spirit. A few months ago, Ben asked me to be apart of something really revolutionary. Something which at first mention resonated with me in a powerful way. He invited me to take part in STORY.

STORY is a first-of-its-kind experience for communicators of the Gospel – the greatest story ever told. Can you imagine the conversation? I can and believe it will be unbelievable. You will not want to miss this event Wednesday, October 28 at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, Illinois. Speakers include Donald Miller, Nancy Beach, Dave Gibbons, Ed Young, Stacy Spencer, Chris Seay and Mike Foster. A day of workshops will follow on October 29 at nearby Orchard Valley Community Church, featuring illustrators, designers, scholars, authors and communications experts.

I wanted to dig a little deeper, turn the pages, and ask four questions to Ben regarding the power of STORY.

Why STORY, Why NOW? What was the catalyst? ( sorry just gave into temptation )

Har, har. =) Well, first let me say that Catalyst changed my life. I attended the conference for 5 years before I worked there. It changed how I viewed ministry and how I went about my church plant. But by creating something new, I’m actually living out the vision of Catalyst. I’m challenging the process.

It’s time for a fresh brand of creativity in ministry. It’s gotten too predictable, too stale. And I’m yes, I’m promising a never-before-seen brand of creativity at STORY. We’re going to do some things that I believe will change the course of ministry for a whole new generation of communicators.

Do you believe storytelling is missing or dying in the church?

Yes. There’s a resurgence of academics in ministry, and that’s good to an extent. But whenever Jesus encountered people with an intellectual argument against his personal claims, he called them a brood of vipers. It was those who responded to his stories that got the keys to Heaven.

Arguments access the mind. Stories access the heart. Guess which one God wants. Now, I understand the church is limited to what they can pull off with a rigorous, Sunday-to-Sunday schedule. But we are in desperate need of CS Lewis who showed us how to combine great theology with great story.

Does the church need to be looking at infotainment and is storytelling the key?

Infomercials or infotainment? Because Billy Mays has got it going on. =) Seriously, no. The Gospel has all of the components of a great story. But we communicate it like a textbook, rather than a storybook. I think it takes a lot more energy to suck the excitement out of scripture than to keep it in. But for some reason, we feel pressured to prove our intellectual rigor and, in so doing, bore the crap out of people.

What is your favorite STORY?

Besides Harry Potter? =)
Just kidding. In scripture, it’s the story of Jonathan challenging the Philistine garrison by climbing out of his hiding place in a cave to play a game of righteous roulette. “Perhaps God will deliver us,” he said. I love that.

In my own life, it’s the time I traveled to London with my wife and surprised a bank robber at midnight who was hacking into an ATM. It made me feel like Bond. James Bond.