Share Your Faith: The Power of Story
Your Story Matters. Share It With Purpose.
Discover & Share Your Faith Story | Catholic Evangelization Tools
Jesus used stories to reveal truth and stir hearts. Today, your lived experience is one of the most powerful ways to help others encounter Him. Whether you’re preparing to witness in OCIA, lead a small group, or simply respond to a friend’s curiosity, this hub will help you discover, shape, and share your story with clarity and confidence.
Below, find practical ways to name God’s movement in your life and share it with purpose. Whether you're a parish leader, catechist, or everyday Catholic, these tools will help you witness with authenticity and hope.
Why Your Story Matters | Discovering & Unpacking Your Story | Sharing with Confidence | Practical Story Tools
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi).
Why Your Story Matters
Witness makes the Gospel tangible.
When it comes to faith, arguments rarely change hearts, but stories do. In today’s culture, people are less persuaded by doctrine alone and more moved by authentic witness. That’s why your story matters.
Jesus Himself used stories (parables) to open hearts and reveal truth. From the woman at the well to St. Paul on the road to Damascus, the Bible shows us that testimony is at the core of evangelization. The Church has always recognized this:
“How can we speak to the hearts of men and women if we ignore, set aside or fail to appreciate the “stories” by which they sought to express and lay bare the drama of their lived experience...?” (Pope Francis, On the Role of Literature in Formation).
Your story makes the Gospel tangible. It shows that Jesus is not just an idea or a set of teachings, but a living person who continues to transform lives today.
This is the heart of the kerygma — the simple, powerful proclamation that:
- God created you for relationship and communion.
- Sin breaks that communion.
- Jesus restores that communion through His life, death, and resurrection.
- The Holy Spirit is poured into your heart to bring new life in His Church.
Too often, we start with what we do in ministry: the programs, the classes, the events. The deeper question is why. Our Catholic “why” is clear: we exist to evangelize. Stories make that mission personal by showing how Jesus has changed a real life. When you share with others how you’ve encountered that truth in your own life — how Jesus has met you in moments of joy, brokenness, or healing — you offer others something more compelling than information or doctrine: you offer them hope.
Read more on our blog. Unleashing the Power of Story: Using Stories to Evangelize →
Prefer to learn by listening? Watch a clip from a parish mission on The Power of Story where we explore why storytelling is so central to evangelization. →
Discovering Your Story
Begin with reflection. Your story doesn't have to be dramatic, just authentic. God has already been moving in your life through moments of joy, pain, doubt, and renewal. Take some time to identify those movements and name the places He has been present in your story.
Sharing Your Story with Confidence
Let authenticity lead. Keep relationships central.
Storytelling isn't about performance or giving a polished speech. It's about authenticity, relevance, and hope. When you speak from the heart, people aren’t listening for perfect words; they’re listening for authenticity.
The most powerful stories are rooted in relationship. Evangelization happens when trust is present — when the person listening knows you care about them more than about “getting your story out.” That’s why accompaniment matters: walking with others, listening first, and sharing only what helps them take their next step toward Christ.
"You don’t need to be an expert or have a theological degree to introduce someone to Jesus. You just need a story." (Kristin Bird)
Whether you’re talking with a friend, giving a brief witness in RCIA, or sharing in a small group, the goal is the same: to help others see that Jesus is alive and still transforming lives today.
Want a real-life example? Watch this conversation between Sr. Cecilia Joy and our Executive Director, Kristin Bird, on how to evangelize by sharing your faith story — including simple tips for weaving evangelization into your everyday home life.
Watch the Interview: Sharing Your Faith by Sharing Your Story →
Explore Practical Tools for Building Accompaniment Relationships →
Practical Story Tools
Simple, ready-to use resources.
You don’t have to start from scratch. These tools are designed to help you reflect, shape, and share your story at your own pace. Use them personally for prayer, with a small group for practice, or in a parish setting to train others. Each resource builds on the others to guide you from reflection to confident witness. Not sure where to begin? Start with one of the story reflection guides. Just pick one and try it!
Reflect On Your Story
Additional Story-Based Resources
Book • Audio • Video/DVD
- Sharing Your Testimony (Missionary Disciple Podcast)
Hosts: Catholic Christian Outreach
This episode of the Missionary Disciple Podcast (S2 E24) unpacks what CCO means by a “personal testimony” and how to share it clearly. The team walks through a simple structure (before → encounter/decision → after), emphasizes naming the concrete moment of decision to follow Jesus, and shows how to keep the kerygma at the center. They model right-sized versions (three sentences, three minutes, thirty minutes), offer do’s and don’ts (be vulnerable but concise, avoid unnecessary detail, end with an invitation), and explain why authentic witness breaks through debate and builds trust in accompaniment.
- From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age
By University of mary press
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission offers a clear diagnosis of the cultural moment we live in and why the Church can no longer rely on the assumptions of a Christendom culture. Instead, it calls us to embrace the mindset and strategies of an apostolic age — one in which faith must be shared person-to-person, heart-to-heart, through authentic witness and intentional evangelization.
- The Power of Storytelling (Every Knee Shall Bow Podcast Episode)
Hosts: Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle
Every Knee Shall Bow is a podcast hosted by lay Catholic evangelists Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle, equipping Catholics to confidently share their faith at home, at work, and beyond. In the episode The Power of Storytelling, they explore why narrative is essential in evangelization. From contextualizing doctrine with stories to inviting others to share their own experiences, they highlight how stories make the Gospel come alive. The Gospel itself is an adventure story meant not only to be lived, but also to be passed on from generation to generation.
- The Storydram Podcast
Hosts: Chris Kostelc and Kory LaCroix
The Storydram Podcast is all about the power of small stories with big impact. Hosts Chris Kostelc and Kory LaCroix share short, real-life stories as a way of practicing evangelization and encouraging others to do the same. Instead of quick soundbites or arguments, they model how a simple story can open hearts and make conversations more authentic.
- God's Great Story and You
By William A Barry, SJ
In God’s Great Story and You, Jesuit spiritual director William Barry invites readers to see their lives as part of God’s larger story of love and salvation. Drawing on Scripture, Ignatian spirituality, and everyday experience, he shows how God’s story is not abstract history but an ongoing relationship that includes each one of us. Barry helps readers reflect on their personal experiences of grace and connect them to the broader narrative of God’s work in the world.
- Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture
By Bishop Robert Barron
In Seeds of the Word, Bishop Robert Barron explores how God’s truth, goodness, and beauty are reflected in the culture around us — in films, books, music, and everyday life. Drawing on the early Church Fathers’ idea of “seeds of the Word” scattered throughout creation, Barron demonstrates how popular stories can serve as entry points to deeper conversations about the Gospel.
- The Power of Story Parish Mission Excerpt
Speaker: Kristin Bird
This video is a clip from a parish mission where Kristin Bird explores why storytelling is essential for evangelization. Drawing on Scripture, developmental psychology, and real-life examples, she shows how story bypasses debate, captures attention, and opens hearts to the Gospel. From Jesus’ parables to modern movies and family life, the talk illustrates how stories communicate truth in ways argument alone cannot.
Stories shape communities. Make space for your people to name grace and share it.
Book a Story-Based Evangelization Mission, Retreat, or Workshop →
Practicing the Art of Story
Storytelling is not just reflection. It’s a way of evangelizing.
These articles explore the “how” of sharing your faith story — real examples and practical strategies for witnessing in your parish, school, family, or workplace. You’ll find stories of everyday Catholics learning to articulate their encounters with Jesus, tips for weaving testimony into conversations, and guidance on using story as a bridge to relationship.
As you read, remember: the goal isn’t perfection, it’s authenticity. This section is your field guide for bringing the power of story to life right where you are.
