How to Get The Best out of Testimony in a Worship Service

As I've written about before, incorporating story into a time of worship can help build the dialectic nature of worship and help your congregation respond to something tangible in their worship time. But if you're not careful, bringing testimony into a worship service can do more harm than good. I've definitely made the mistake of bringing somebody up to share the three minute testimony that turned into a thirty minute one. I've also attempted to transition to a video that either didn't fit in the service or was so poorly done it never should've fit in the service.There is an art to storytelling. That is what worship pastors are doing. We are telling stories about a great God with the hope that people will respond with worship. So, as storytellers, using different people within the congregation to add layers to that story is a very powerful tool in the worship leaders tool belt. Here are a few tips that I have found helpful in using testimony in a worship service.

1. If you can, film it. If you have the video capability and editing software, it is usually preferable to show video testimony. You can control time, content, and delivery. You can incorporate music behind it tastefully and help it flow together better aesthetically. Of course if you don't have at least an HD camera, decent audio projection, video editing software (I use Final Cut), and some knowledge of how to use all these tools, this is not a good choice. However, I definitely prefer the video to live testimony. Most people do not do well in front of a large group, so filming it can be a great way to get people more comfortable in telling the story.
2. Pick your timing. Whether it's video or live, think through the timing of it. If you have announcements, communion, offering, along with four or five songs, the timing could get cluttered very easily. If it's live, pick a time when other people are already up there, like announcement time. Or maybe try to set up the testimony with the sermon and have it at the end. Every time you bring somebody up and down, you lose about a minute in transition and about three minutes in people's ability to pay attention.
3. Prepare, prepare, prepare. If you are going to have a live testimony, make sure to give them clear guidelines on what to say and how much time they have to say it. Give them a few weeks to prepare so they are able to fine tune their presentation. Also, make sure you give them a chance before the service to walk out on the platform or stage, use the microphone and get acquainted with the process of getting up and down. Doing this every week makes us forget how scary microphones and stages really can be for someone unfamiliar with them.
4. Interview. A great trick for keeping live testimony in time and on point is to have one of the pastors interview the person as opposed to just having them come up to share. Making the story a dialogue keeps it interesting and helps the person giving their testimony from straying onto rabbit trails.
5. Stick with a theme. If the sermon that day is about forgiveness, the testimony about someone's summer in Africa, the Scripture a praise Psalm, and the songs about the Father, it is unlikely the congregation will walk away with anything memorable from the service. As a worship leader, we need to direct the service to communicate a single point as much as we can. If every element of the service is about forgiveness, it is well done and well timed, then people will walk away knowing exactly what church was about and how it affects their life.

What are some useful things you have done to better incorporate story into your services?