Drama ministries teach audiences by acting out Bible lessons, stories

If, as William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage,” then Christian actors have unlimited opportunities to give life-changing performances. And their willingness to use their talents in presenting the gospel has a double impact — it expands worship practices while touching lives.
   
The concept of worship has traditionally meant sermons and singing, but the past two decades have seen a rise in the use of dramatic techniques such as sketches, interpretive movement and puppetry to convey spiritual messages. 
   
Although initially met with skepticism, the use of the creative arts in worship is now more generally accepted, and the benefits are becoming more and more apparent.
   
“We’ve come to an understanding that people learn in different ways,” said Paul Johnson, administrator for Backstage Creative Industries in Helena and a member of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, in Birmingham Baptist Association. 
   
“Some people learn by seeing; others learn by experiencing,” Johnson said. “Drama hits on many of those educational levels, so when you learn something from it, you learn it deep. Drama gives us the potential for deeper connections.”
   
An actor, writer and communicator, Johnson has been ministering through stories and drama since 1988. He also serves as a creative consultant for conferences and events and directs and teaches workshops on using drama in worship.
   
In his position with Backstage Creative, Johnson helps connect speakers, storytellers and actors with churches and other organizations that want to share the love of Jesus through drama. And, like Johnson, many of Backstage Creative’s performers help aspiring performers learn their craft.
   
“Churches have their own teams and feel passionate about those teams, so we also help people fulfill workshop needs,” he said. “Churches are also becoming more event-driven and community-oriented and need more programs like this to help them reach out.”
   
One church that has developed a strong drama program is Eastdale Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association. The church’s Imagine Ministries Drama Team is a student group that has used skits, puppets and interpretive movement to share the gospel since its inception in January 2003.
“We wanted to start a team that would travel, and it’s fun for them to go to other churches,” Jennifer Jones, the team’s director, explained.
   
And travel they have. During the summer of 2005, the Imagine Ministries team embarked on a 10-day, 2,038-mile missions tour that took 17 young people and four adults on a northward trek to the mountains of eastern Tennessee and then southward to the beaches of Alabama. Along the way, the team performed at a children’s home, churches, block parties and Vacation Bible School sessions at the beach.
   
“It was neat to watch the kids using the talents God has given them to touch people who wouldn’t have been in regular church services,” Jones said.
   
On a more regular basis, the Imagine Ministries team travels to other churches one Sunday night each month, September through May. To be eligible to perform, team members must meet mandatory church-attendance requirements.
   
“I don’t want to force them to come to church, but if they’re going to be sharing the gospel, they need to be fed with it,” Jones said. “It’s hard to find teenagers to give that time for church and practice that we ask them to give.”
   
On a few occasions, the Imagine Ministries team has run into some opposition to what it’s doing but it’s been only temporary, she said. 
   
As a precautionary measure, Jones takes a moment before each program to warn audiences that they are about to experience something “different.” But, she said, negative reaction has been almost nonexistent.
   
“I had one lady who hadn’t wanted us to come to her church come up to me after the service and tell me how much she enjoyed it,” Jones noted. 
   
The advantage of using drama in a worship setting is that it gives people a new perspective on everyday issues, she said.
   
“It makes them think. I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘I’ve never thought about it that way,’” Jones said. “And it also makes them listen. If we’re doing interpretive movement to a song, people are going listen more to what the words say and to feel what the song is saying.”
   
But the benefits of using drama in worship extend beyond the members of the audience. Drama also touches the performers’ and directors’ life.
   
“(This team is) a way for our youth to lead in worship, and it makes them feel like they’re doing something. It also gives them self-esteem,” Jones said. “And I could watch them do the same thing a hundred times and get something new out of it every time. God just blows me away with these kids.”
   
For information on church-drama ministries, contact Keith Hibbs at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 217.
   
For more information about Backstage Creative Industries, visit www.backstagecreative.com. For more information about Imagine Ministries Drama Team, visit www.imagineministriesdramateam.com.