A puppet team can communicate the Gospel by capturing the imaginations of young and old viewers alike.

Can you remember a time when you were moved to tears by a powerful movie? (Guys, it’s okay to say “yes”.) How about a time when you were amazed by a magician’s illusions? Ever laughed out loud at the antics of puppets like the Muppets? Have you had your soul stirred by a solo or your imagination captivated by a creative storyteller?

We all know how impacting all of these communications vehicles can be so why not use them and other creative arts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ? Jesus understood the power of the story. In fact, Matthew 13:34 tells us that Jesus “always” used parables when he spoke to the crowds during his earthly ministry. He knew that you have to grab the attention of a person in order to open up a connection to their soul.

We give great attention to the gift of preaching in our churches and we should. God uses sermons to speak into the hearts of his people. But we also need to remember to be creative in finding ways  to reach our communities for Christ even beyond the Sunday sermon.

Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. has taken this to heart big time with the formation of its own film ministry. Films like Flywheel (2003), Facing the Giants (2006), Fireproof (2008), and Courageous (2011) have all come from Sherwood Pictures. While you might have some complaints about the acting in some of those movies, you have to admit that Sherwood gets the point that we’ve got to reach the culture at one of the places where key cultural messages are delivered — the local movie theater.

The ministry is paying its dues right now in learning the craft of movie making but each movie that has been released has been better than the one that came before. Sherwood is on the right trajectory to one day create a truly great film that can compete on every level of film making quality.

Your church or mine may not ever be able to fund a major motion picture but almost all of us have the opportunity to think and be creative in sharing the Gospel. One place for ideas is the KBC’s upcoming Creative Ministries Festival set for March 2-3 in Bowling Green. With workshops on everything from drama and mime to interpretive movement, magic and puppetry, nearly every aspect of using the creative arts for missions and ministry is covered.

Maybe you or someone in your church has a talent that’s not being used in ministry because no one has thought to apply that talent to sharing the love of Jesus. Be open to ideas, let your mind wander a bit and see what new life can come from finding a creative way to tell someone about Jesus!