A testimony is an account of God’s work in your life. Everybody who has been born again and who is becoming like Christ has a unique, interesting, and powerful testimony, regardless of whether or not it appears spectacular.
If you’re preparing to share your testimony you want to convey how you came to trust Christ and follow him. Your testimony should answer three questions: (1) What is the gospel? (2) How did you come to believe it? (3) How has your life changed since you believed?
If you’re being baptized, you’ll also want to share why you are being baptized.
A typical testimony is about 5 minutes (typically written on one sheet of paper).
You may find the guidelines below helpful as you prepare your testimony:
- Keep it honest, personal, and interesting. This is not your life story but a snapshot into how you became a follower of Jesus.
- Keep pointing to Christ, not yourself (e.g., always include what it is that you believe, as well as how you came to believe it).
- Don’t get into specifics of past sin. Sharing too much detail about past sins can draw attention to your sin rather than the saving grace of Christ.
- Keep it focused (e.g., ask yourself what you want people to take away from your story).
- After writing it down, read it out loud to find any grammatical mistakes.
- Be careful of using too many Christian terms that could be unfamiliar to those listening (e.g., “pagan,” “washed in the blood,” “sovereignty,” “sanctification,” “justification,” and so on). Terms like these can be used, but you should explain what they mean.