With tears streaming down her face, Kendra stood in the baptismal tank telling her story. Soon after the tragic loss of her husband, she had recently given birth to their child. Amid her despair, Kendra had heard the gospel and surrendered her life to Jesus.

“Although I’m grieving the loss of my husband, I’m thrilled about my new journey in Christ,” she testified. “Jesus saved and comforted me.”

As Kendra spoke, her tears of mourning seemed to transform into tears of joy. When her small group leader baptized her, she came out of the water rejoicing. The congregation responded with cheers and applause.

Testimonies are powerful. Stories of life change have always played an important role in communicating the gospel — from the Early Church to the early days of the modern Pentecostal movement and beyond.

Every Christ follower has a story to tell, and these testimonies are part of the greatest story of all. When people encounter God and boldly declare to others what happened, they testify that His Word is true.

The man who received his sight in John 9 did not offer a detailed theological defense of miracles. He had his story, and that was enough. When the Pharisees questioned him about his healing, the man replied, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25).

There are people in your setting who can testify of the change God has made in their lives. Share their stories during your worship services. Make space each week for at least one testimony.

When to Testify

There are a number of points during the worship service at which you can incorporate testimonies.

Share stories during praise and worship. There is a natural connection between testimonies and worship songs. Both glorify God and point to His goodness.

When someone from the worship team testifies about who God is and what He has done, the next song relating to that testimony will have fresh relevance.

Incorporate testimonies into the sermon. Real-life stories from people in your congregation can become memorable sermon illustrations. (Just be sure to get permission before disclosing private details.)

Consider using a prerecorded video testimony that relates to the sermon’s big idea. A benefit of video testimonies is that you can also use them on the church website or post them to social media pages.

After the testimony, allow time for the Holy Spirit to minister. When sharing a salvation story, follow up with a bold invitation for people to surrender their lives to Jesus. If the testimony involves a physical or emotional issue, pray for people who are hurting.

Testify before a time of prayer. Have someone share about a recent answer to prayer. This will bolster the faith of congregants to bring their needs to God.

Share a healing testimony just before inviting people with physical needs to come forward for prayer. Arrange for a couple to testify of God’s restoration in their marriage before praying over families.

Emphasize giving through stories. People will grow in generosity when they understand tithes and offerings don’t stop at the bottom of a bucket or disappear in cyberspace. Use the offering time to share stories and let the congregation know how God is multiplying what they give.

Read an email from someone who experienced God’s blessing after giving.

Have the youth pastor interview a student about the impact of a recent church camp. Then thank the congregation for making a Kingdom investment in the next generation by helping fund the experience.

Have a live FaceTime conversation with a missionary in another country. He or she can share a recent story and talk about the difference the church’s offerings and prayers are making.

Each story is unique, but the plotline is always about God’s grace in the lives of
His people.

Use testimonies to promote fellowship and discipleship. Once a month during a Sunday service, feature the story of someone who is experiencing deeper community or growing spiritually through a small group. Show a photo of the group.

Such testimonies can encourage newcomers to get involved in the life of the church.

Tell stories about the benefits of volunteering. If you want to see more people serve on Sundays, regularly highlight the testimonies of volunteers.

When recruiting volunteers, have one or two faithful members share why they serve and how they are growing spiritually as a result. Thank the volunteers and give them a small gift.

Then highlight specific areas needing workers, and let people know how they can sign up. Close the time by praying for God to send volunteers.

How to Testify

As you incorporate testimonies into your weekly worship services, remember the following:

Keep it Christocentric. Be sure the stories point to Jesus. The apostle John wrote, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). An effective testimony gives God all the glory. More than any other detail, listeners should remember what Jesus did.

Keep it simple. Encourage those who testify simply to share what happened, just as the healed man did in John 9: “I was blind but now I see!”

Keep it focused. The goal is to share a specific move of God in a person’s life, not an entire life story. The recommended time for a testimony is under four minutes.

Keep it inspiring. Each story is unique, but the plotline is always about God’s grace in the lives of His people. Testimonies should stir the faith of listeners, inspiring them to trust God with their circumstances.

Keep it authentic. A testimony doesn’t have to involve a big production. People generally prefer raw authenticity over a presentation that seems too polished or rehearsed.

Keep it prophetic. Revelation 19:10 says, “It is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Through the Holy Spirit, God’s people can serve as prophets, declaring who Jesus is and what He is doing.

Acts 4 notes Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” when he proclaimed, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (verses 8,20).

Keep adding. Continually collect stories. Then determine the right one for a specific moment.

Keep it going. Encourage those who testify to continue telling others — including people who don’t attend church — about what God did. Ask permission to post and share video testimonies on social media.

When a culture of celebrating life stories takes root, get ready for the spiritual growth in your congregation. The faith of those who give and hear the testimonies will rise. People will begin to view trials as preludes to victory.

This principle is biblical. Consider the words of Revelation 12:10–11:

Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death (emphasis added).

God is for us (Romans 8:31). Jesus is building His Church, and nothing will overcome it (Matthew 16:18). In a world of hardship, people need reminders of these truths. They need to hear stories of life change.

Nothing inspires faith like the testimony of someone who has experienced the transforming power of Jesus.

This article appears in the Summer 2022 edition of Influence magazine.