What is a personal testimony?
A personal testimony is the simple story of how you became a Christian, how God became more real for you, or how you have seen God work in your life in a special way that is meaningful for you.
The purpose of a testimony isn’t to impress people or to argue people into following Jesus. It is meant to be a simple honest answer or explanation for people who might want to know why and how you became a Christian or why and how you have seen God to be special in your life.
Why prepare a personal testimony?
1Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect….”
How do you prepare a testimony?
Tips:
- Pray. Ask God for wisdom in writing your testimony.
- Don’t underestimate the power of your story. Some people have stories that may sound more dramatic, but God’s work in your life is no less significant or special.
- Be real. Don’t try to make things sound more dramatic than they are.
- If you have had a bad experience with a church or denomination, be careful of talking about that church or denomination by name. It can create unnecessary barriers to their listening to you.
- Keep it short and simple. It’s a good idea to have a testimony that you can share in 30 seconds or less. (Aim for 100 words or less. After you write your testimony in 100 words, you can always write another version that is longer with more detail. But writing a testimony of 100words or less can be good, because we get it done quickly instead of putting off the writing of a testimony to a time “when we have more time.”)
- Use everyday language. Avoid overly religious language that most non-Christians don’t understand or relate to.
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Below are two different approaches for writing a testimony. One is a conversion testimony and the other is a testing testimony. Choose the approach that works best for you.
Conversion Testimony:
Write your testimony of how you became a Christian by trying to answer each of the following three questions. Try to answer each in one to three sentences each.
- What was your life like before you became a Christian?
- When and how did you make your commitment to follow Christ?
- How is your life different because of Christ?
Testing Testimony:
Sometimes people who became a Christian when they were very young feel like they don’t have a testimony. Or they feel like it isn’t dramatic enough. Sometimes it can be good to write a testimony about a time when our faith was tested or when we feel like God became more real for us later in life. If that is you, maybe consider using the following questions to help you write a testimony. Try to answer each of the following questions in one, two, or at most three sentences.
- What was your life like before the test?
- When and how were you tested? Or when and how did God become more real for you?
- How did you respond to the test? And how did you see God work in response to your test?
- How is your life different because of your test and how God has worked in your life?