Testimony

Preparing your Baptism Testimony

Your testimony is a vital part of the baptism experience. Clearly sharing the difference Christ has made in an individual life is a key factor in people coming to know Christ. Your story is something that can be shared over and over again when opportunities arise.

Three Necessary Ingredients for an Effective Testimony

1. My life before Christ
   1. Good?
   2. Bad?
2. How I came to know Christ
   1. How God got my attention
   2. People involved
   3. Significant scripture
3. My life after I received Christ
   1. Changes
   2. Benefits

General Guidelines in Preparing a Testimony

1. Make it sound conversational. Use informal vocabulary.
2. Be careful of religious words (e.g. saved, born-again, regenerated, etc.)
3. Generalize your story. Avoid being overly specific.
4. Simplify. Avoid unnecessary wordiness. Get directly to the point.
5. Share humorous situations (if they were part of your life).
6. Avoid strong, questionable, dogmatic statements.
7. Be positive don’t criticize other churches or people.
8. Be short. Testimonies should be one to three paragraphs in length.
9. Share how much you love Jesus.
10. You might share that life isn’t “problem-free,” but you have confidence, etc.