How to Share a Two-Minute Testimony

Most evangelical Christians believe in the vital responsibility of sharing one’s faith, yet very few do it. Perhaps they fear rejection, but even more likely is that they do not know how. More than these believers need one more sermon convincing them they should do it; they need training on how to do it. 

I highly recommend implementing training on how to share one’s faith in multiple discipleship programs throughout your church community. And remember, people don’t do what you expect; they do what you inspect. So, make sure this training includes accountability for doing it – actually practicing sharing the gospel. 

Yes, we have countless tools to share the gospel. Some of my favorites are the Roman Roads, the bridge illustration (Romans 6:23), the color bracelet of salvation, and the EvangeCube; however, my number one go-to is my own testimony. When I use the term testimony, I do not mean my life story; I mean my brief story of how I decided to follow Jesus. My testimony also includes a clear presentation of the gospel. I find this approach the most effective, especially in the Bible Belt, where most nonbelievers have already heard about Jesus but don’t yet know Jesus. They are missing how Jesus can change a life, like mine and theirs. My story is true, and no one can argue my experience as I share The Truth with them.

When I served in collegiate mobilization, we required every single participant going overseas to pass our Testimony Test. We had each team leader share their two-minute testimony with one of our staff members to ensure they felt confident in modeling it to their team members. Then, we taught the lesson below to all 400 participants. Next, they had about one month to practice, practice, practice before we conducted our test. If students didn’t pass, they practiced more until they did pass. We discovered that our sojourners began sharing the gospel on our campus before they even ventured overseas. By passing our Testimony Test, they had confidence in their spiritual journey and their ability to share Jesus’ story. 

Here’s how I teach the two-minute testimony:

• My story in 4 parts, including
• His story in 3 points
• Shared in 2 minutes
• About 1 changed life!

My story in 4 parts: My testimony is comprised of four components: a) my life before Jesus, b) Jesus, c) my life after Jesus, and d) a reflective question. 

1. My life before Jesus describes a problem. In my case, I did not have peace, and I was very anxious about what would happen to me when I died. I had a real-life problem, and I was looking for a solution. This part does not need to be long; the focus of my testimony should be Jesus and not all the bad stuff I did. However, it must include the realization of being a sinner who rebels against God and is separated from God.
2. Jesus was and is that solution; this is where I naturally include Jesus’ story in three points, which I will outline below. (When sharing my testimony, I insert the three points about who Christ is and what He did for us here.) 
   1. Jesus is the Son of God.
   2. Jesus died on the cross.
   3. Jesus rose from the dead.
3. My life after Jesus explains how Jesus solved my problem and includes my resolution to follow Him. In my case, I now have perfect peace after choosing to follow the Prince of Peace, and I know I will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. I have 100% confidence in this truth. 
4. I always end my testimony with a question to invite conversation. In my case, I specifically ask, “Do you have peace like this?” I have a theme of peace, and the question is a natural fit. Others might ask, “Have you ever heard this good news?” Occasionally, I might ask, “What percentage chance do you think you have to spend eternity in heaven?” It is okay if a believer doesn’t have a highlighted theme; however, it can also be helpful if one emerges. My sister’s theme concentrates on the juxtaposition of being a liar who meets the Truth Teller. 

His story in 3 points: The gospel, or good news, about Jesus’ life can be summarized in three truths: 1) Jesus is the Son of God, 2) Jesus died on the cross, and 3) Jesus rose from the dead. The most significant portion of the two-minute testimony should focus on this second part about Jesus. The biggest challenge for most churchgoers is not using Christianese. I avoid terms and phrases such as sin, resurrection, asking Jesus into my heart, and being born into a Christian home. As trainees learn this process, I remind them that it is okay if they slip and accidentally use a Christian term, but they should immediately define it when they do. 

For example, “The reason I didn’t have peace is that I had done many bad things that dishonored God (sin); therefore, my relationship with God was broken. But my mom told me there was good news because there was a way for my relationship with God to be repaired. The Bible, which is God’s Word, tells us…” 

In only minutes, I have incorporated the three central tenets of Christianity: the person and work of Christ, humankind’s problem of sin, and the truth of the Bible as Scripture. I always utilize the term Bible and often use hand motions demonstrating my broken relationship with God, God’s Word, and my restored relationship with God. 

1. Jesus is the Son of God. He came to Earth and lived a perfect life. Including all of our theology about His humanity, deity, and virgin birth is unnecessary in this brief presentation. 
2. Jesus died on the cross. He shed His blood to pay for all the bad things you and I did that separated us from God. He paid the price for our eternal death.
3. Jesus rose from the dead! (Notice the exclamation mark. This is the best news ever!) Jesus conquered death. He is alive. This is the number one missed point of Christ’s saving work. Think about how often you have heard, “Jesus died for you.” He not only died; He rose! The resurrection is real!

Shared in 2 minutes: Yes, this is the elevator version; I really do mean 120 seconds. When I conduct this training, I spend a couple of minutes explaining the rationale of sharing one’s faith, as I did in these opening paragraphs. Then, I model my 2-minute testimony. Next, I teach the 4-3-2-1 series with a basic one-page handout before modeling my 2-minute testimony again. They will notice that the second time is not word-for-word the same. I have not memorized it; it’s a true story. It’s almost the same, but not exactly. I have freedom in my word choice. 

Finally, everyone in the room finds a partner. We spend the next half-hour practicing. I start the timer on my phone. I call out when one minute remains, 30 seconds remain, and time is up. The listening partner gives quick feedback on something they liked and something that could be improved. Then, flip and the listening partners share their testimonies. The first round can be a train-wreck, but only one person in the room knows. It is usually really enlightening for the trainees. I take questions, and we do it again with the same partners. After the second round, usually a lot of progress is made. Sometimes I keep the same partners, but I often switch partners because they will naturally learn from each other. After every couple of rounds, we debrief as a group. Often, after 30 minutes, meaning they have probably shared their testimonies at least four times, they are really proud of themselves. They have the confidence that might have been missing. 

I use two minutes because it fits nicely in my 4-3-2-1 memory device. I know some organizations require one’s testimony to be shared in under 90 seconds. The objective is not the time; the goal is knowing that you know how to succinctly share your faith. If you have five minutes to share, you can add more details to your testimony. If you have the 2-minute skill, then you can plug-and-play depending on your situation. 

If time allows, we will discuss how to lead conversations into gospel conversations and how to contextualize our story depending on who is listening. For example, I usually do not share that I gave my life to Christ at the age of 10 when I am talking to college students or adults. It doesn’t matter how old I was, but I don’t want anyone to dismiss reality because they think I made a childish decision. I know it was life-changing regardless of my age. I also do not go into all the next steps of walking down an aisle, baptism, etc. All of that is only important if one’s listener is ready to have a conversation about the first step. Besides, we not only need to be mindful about not speaking Christianese but also church-ese. We want to emphasize relationship with Jesus, not religious rituals. 

About 1 changed life: Finally, we remember that our story is true because it really happened to us. We are thankful for what God has done in our own lives, and we remember that God has invited us into the process of making His name known among our neighbors and the nations. Imagine what your Christian community would look like if nearly everyone in your pews were confident about sharing the good news of Jesus.

Author: Kristen K. White, PhD is the director of the Omega Program at The Timothy Project and the chair and associate professor of international and intercultural studies at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS.