How to Share the Gospel in 1 Minute

The term “elevator pitch” came from the idea that you needed to be prepared to deliver a clear, concise, and persuasive explanation of your idea in the time it takes to ride an elevator. In other words, if you were a screenwriter or movie producer and you ended up on an elevator with a studio executive, you would want to pitch your movie idea before the ride ended quickly. Alternatively, if you had a new idea for a product and ended up on an elevator with an investor or C-level executive, you would want to do the same.

The same principle can apply to sharing the gospel. If you ever encounter someone curious about your faith, you want to be able to speak to it in a clear, concise, and persuasive way. You won’t have time to prepare and preach a sermon, but if you can share the gospel in 1 minute, then you can grab their attention and hopefully start a deeper conversation about hope, purpose, and God’s grace.  

As Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV), “… 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 …” 

In this article, we will share a simple framework you can use to prepare and share your own personal experience of how you came to trust God. This exercise will help equip you to tell a brief, attractive story about how and why you became a follower of Jesus. 

Keep in mind, this exercise is about your own personal journey to faith and not a theological defense of the gospel. The goal is to kickstart an ongoing conversation with someone you are sharing the gospel with, and by making it personal and authentic, you will likely gain their interest much more quickly.

Steps to share the gospel in 1 minute

1. Review the example below to see what makes a testimony clear and effective.
2. Think + scribble on the blank page so you can begin to get your thoughts on paper. You can write, scribble, or draw as you prayerfully consider what Jesus has done for you and what knowing Him means to you. Some questions are listed as food for thought. Don’t worry about organizing all your thoughts just yet; just try to get them all on paper and use additional blank pages if necessary.
3. Review the tips section below to help you organize your thoughts and write your testimony in a clear and attractive way.
4. Draft + write your testimony paper. Keep it short! Focus on the main points so you will be able to tell your story in about a minute. If you can do this, you will have no problem sharing more details in conversation when you have the opportunity.
5. Practice telling it naturally so that it doesn’t sound like a formal presentation. If your testimony sounds weird to your ears, practice telling it until you can say it in a casual, conversational style.
6. Share it with your Discipleship or Journey Group to receive feedback and coaching that will help you tell your story more effectively.

Example: Personal testimony that shares the gospel in 1 minute

“I was born and raised in a family that assumed they were Christians. So as I grew up, I assumed that I was a Christian as well, though later I came to think differently. I met a group of students who were living a life that was different than mine. I went to church like they did, but they didn’t talk about church and religion as much as they talked about a relationship with God that could be found through the person of Jesus Christ. I began to investigate by attending church and other activities with them to learn more about what they were talking about. There I began to understand what is called the gospel, the good news that Christ did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. He died to pay the penalty that needed to be paid for my own sins so that by receiving Him, I could have new life and a new relationship with God. I came to the place where my heart was surrendered to Him and I began to follow Him. Right away, I noticed changes in my life, like peace that I hadn’t known before and a new hope about life. I knew I was a different person and gained an assurance that if I died, I would be okay with God. My life began growing and changing from that point on.”

Let’s break that testimony down into three key sections. Keep these sections in mind when you work on your own personal testimony:

The person begins his testimony by talking about his life before becoming a Christian:

I was born and raised in a family that assumed they were Christians. So as I grew up, I assumed that I was a Christian as well, though later I came to think differently. 

Next, he tells how he became a Christian. Note that he included a simple explanation of the gospel, which is highlighted here:

I met a group of students who were living a life that was different than mine. I went to church like they did, but they didn’t talk about church and religion as much as they talked about a relationship with God that could be found through the person of Jesus Christ. I began to investigate by attending church and other activities with them to learn more about what they were talking about. There I began to understand what is called the gospel, the good news that Christ did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. He died to pay the penalty that needed to be paid for my own sins, so that by receiving Him, I could have new life and a new relationship with God. I came to the place where my heart was surrendered to Him and I began to follow Him. 

Lastly, he describes how his life has changed since becoming a Christian:

Right away, I noticed changes in my life, like peace that I hadn’t known before, and a new hope about life. I knew I was a different person and gained an assurance that if I died, I would be okay with God. My life began growing and changing from that point on.”

10 Tips to share the gospel in less than 1 minute

Here are 10 ideas and suggestions to help you share the gospel more effectively:

1. Organize your testimony around this simple outline to make it easy to follow. You may choose to modify the outline if you want to emphasize or de-emphasize a certain point.
   1. 1. Before I became a Christian
      2. How I became a Christian
      3. Since I became a Christian
2. Write your testimony in the way you naturally speak. You aren’t presenting a report or preaching a sermon.
3. If you choose to quote Scripture, only use a verse or two that relates to the central point of your story and wouldn’t require explanation for it to be understood. You may want to paraphrase the verse by using common phrases rather than quoting.
4. Avoid Christian jargon (e.g. saved, lost, born again, converted, etc.). These words don’t always communicate what you intend, especially to non-believers.
5. Remember that most people you meet will say they believe in God, so you will want to talk about trusting or following Jesus, rather than having a general faith in God.
6. Emphasize why you believe Jesus is real and relevant in your life.
7. Avoid talking about any church, denomination, or Christian group in a derogatory way.
8. Avoid giving the false impression that the Christian life is trouble-free.
9. Practice telling your story out loud. If you can’t say it in the way you naturally speak in about a minute, it’s too long.
10. Ask yourself if your testimony would connect with someone on a personal level so that they could identify with your story.

Conclusion

Scripture calls us to be prepared to share the reason for the hope we have in Christ. Being ready and able to share the gospel via a personal testimony in less than 60 seconds is a great way to prepare yourself.

Remember, it’s good to take your time building this story. Spend time in prayer, reflecting on what He has done. It’s difficult to boil down your entire life and the things God has done for you into 1 minute, but by doing so you will make the story easier to remember and relate to.

Once you have written your story, keep practicing it until it becomes natural. Practice it out loud to yourself, and practice it with your discipleship group. Keep practicing it, and don’t be afraid to revisit it every few months as God continues to work in your life. 

*This framework and activity are sourced from the Mission elements of the Journey Curriculum.

For more resources on sharing the gospel, check out our article, Evangelism Training: 5 Effective Tools for Introducing the Gospel