The Simplest Testimony-Gathering System You Can Build in a Day

Introduction

You know stories matter.

You believe Jesus is still transforming lives.

You want your ministry to reflect the movement of God—not just the mechanics of events, programs, or sermons.

But there’s a problem: you’re not hearing the stories. Or at least, not consistently. Not in a way that can be shared, celebrated, and multiplied.

The good news? You don’t need a six-month strategy document or a production team to fix this.

You can build a simple, effective testimony-gathering system in a single day.

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1 – Decide What Counts as a Testimony

First things first: broaden your definition.

If you’re only collecting “I got saved from addiction and now I’m a missionary” stories, you’ll get one or two a year.

But if you define a testimony as any moment where God’s presence, love, truth, or power showed up in someone’s life—and they noticed—then your people are full of stories.

Clarify this in your team language:

• “We’re collecting Jesus stories—big and small.”

• “It’s not about drama. It’s about presence.”

• “If it made you breathe deeper, cry unexpectedly, or trust God more, it counts.”

This shift unlocks a floodgate.

Step 2 – Choose One Testimony Prompt

Don’t overcomplicate the ask.

Pick one question and use it consistently for at least a month.

Here are some proven ones:

• “Where have you seen Jesus show up lately?”

• “What did God say or do during this experience?”

• “What moment made you feel loved by God this week?”

• “What happened that you want to thank Jesus for?”

Put that one question everywhere:

• On a sign at the welcome table

• At the end of your event slides

• In your follow-up email or text

• On your website (we’ll get to that)

Clarity beats creativity when building new rhythms.

Step 3 – Create a No-Friction Way to Respond

Make it ridiculously easy for people to respond.

For most ministries, this means a form + video tool combo:

1. Google Form, Formstack, or similar form

• Include the one prompt

• Add name, email, and consent checkbox

• Keep it under 60 seconds to complete

2. Video submission tool (like VideoPeel)

• Embed it on your website or link to it from the form confirmation

• Let people record a story on their phone in less than 2 minutes

• No login, no downloads—just press and talk

You don’t need every submission to be public-ready. You just need a starting place.

Step 4 – Assign a Steward

This is where most ministries drop the ball: nobody’s responsible for watching the inbox.

Choose one team member, staff or volunteer, to act as the Testimony Steward.

Their job is simple:

• Monitor incoming stories

• Respond with encouragement

• Tag promising stories for possible follow-up or sharing

• Keep the system warm by thanking every participant

You don’t need a story team yet. Just someone who says, “I’ll pay attention to this sacred ground.”

Step 5 – Share One Story Per Week

Momentum creates momentum.

Even if it’s a short quote, a two-line summary, or a 30-second clip, share something every single week:

• In your newsletter

• In your worship service

• On social

• In your staff meeting

You’re showing the whole ecosystem that:

1. God is working

2. People are noticing

3. We’re a community that talks about it

Once people realize stories are welcome, more will come.

And once they see that everyday stories are celebrated, more voices will speak.

Optional Bonus – Create a Dedicated Page on Your Website

This is not required to get started, but it’s a powerful next step.

Create a page like:

yourdomain.com/jesusstories or yourdomain.com/shareyourstory

Use this page to:

• Embed your video tool or form

• Explain what you’re looking for

• Post recent stories (with permission)

• Cast vision for why testimony matters

This page becomes a story hub—one that grows over time, builds authority, and reminds your community who the real storyteller is.

Final Word: Start Today, Refine Later

Don’t wait for perfect branding or custom backdrops.

You don’t need a video team.

You don’t need a polished campaign.

You don’t need twelve approvals.

You need a form. A question. A steward. And a faithful rhythm.

You can build that in one day.

And a year from now, you could be sitting on hundreds of Jesus stories—evidence of God’s faithfulness in your people, through your ministry, because you made it easy to tell the truth.

Call to Action:

Need help launching your story-gathering system? We’ll build it with you—from forms to video submission to story follow-up workflows. Schedule a call with Dancing King Marketing and let’s turn your people’s experiences into Kingdom fuel.