[Blog] The Power of Stories

By Sam Chand

Sometimes, an unexpected opportunity is the cause of chaos. In these situations especially, when we cast a vision, we need to lead with a compelling narrative. People love stories, so give them one that touches their hearts and opens their eyes.

I consulted with a Pastor who called me one day and explained that he was holding a manila envelope containing an offer to buy his church building and property. The offer was for millions of dollars over what he thought it was worth, and the buyer offered generous terms: the church could continue at that location for two years while they found new property and built a new facility. He said, “Sam, I think this is an opportunity we can’t pass up, but our people love this place. How can I help them see the benefits of the move?”

I advised him, “Take plenty of time to research the history of the church over its seventy years, and find specific stories about how God has worked in and through people in the congregation. Talk about hardship and loss, compassion and miraculous provisions, and the impact on families and the community. Find pictures and, more recently, videos of the people who have meant so much to the church. Explain how unlikely the positive outcomes were, but they happened because God’s people trusted Him to do the impossible.”

I continued on, “Tell stories of bold faith, courageous obedience, and trust in God’s love and power. Tell these stories, tell them often, and tell them well. Connect the stories with passages of Scripture when God’s people were in big trouble, but leaders trusted Him to show up and pull them through."

Within a few minutes, he got it. He could visualize himself in the rooms with his Board and his team as he told stories about the church’s history of bold faith, and he was sure that these narratives would capture their hearts. And he could then imagine telling the same stories from the platform on Sunday mornings.

The importance of stories as a primary communication tool isn’t a new concept. Narratives create momentum which is velocity times mass. Velocity is speed in a given direction. The facts of the stories are the mass, and the emotion generated by the stories is the velocity— together, they create momentum toward a new reality.

This blog was extracted from How Leaders Create Chaos: And why they should! Don’t have the book yet? Get your hands on a copy and take your organization to the next level at SamChandBook.com.