You Can't Show That Onstage!

There are a lot of things in the bible that wouldn’t make it even in an R Rated movie. From Samson slaughtering thousands of Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone to Tamar tricking her father-in-law into having sex with him to Saul consulting a witch to have a séance. And that’s just the Old Testament. In the New Testament Jesus is brutally crucified in all four gospels and the apostles are continuously beaten and flogged in Acts. All of these stories were put into the bible for a reason. But are they appropriate for all audiences?

            That’s a problem that faces Drama Ministries too. There are so many stories that you can tell, so many gripping plays or dramas. Even if you wrote all of your own plays directly from Bible stories the examples that I’ve shown you above prove that you are still going to run into some pretty gory or racy material. So when it comes to choosing scripts for a performance or stories for your repertoire what are things that every drama ministry needs to remember. What are your responsibilities to the congregation?

·         Be honest: Jesus tells us that we are supposed to be salt and light in this world. We are supposed to have a message relevant to our audience. There are some ministries out there that won’t perform skits with villains, broken homes, homeless people, etc.. We are afforded a rare opportunity to bring not only the truth of this world to the congregation but how God’s love and His plan fit into that world. To put something on stage that is completely fake is a form of lying.

·         But be age/audience appropriate: There is a reason that we have a Precious Moments Bible, and why children have their own programming on television. There’s a reason that teens are reading different books than their college age siblings. Each age group has its own issues and problems to deal with, And there are some topics and messages that younger audiences aren’t mature enough to deal with yet. So the next time your Drama Group is going to do a show you have to take into account whether you’re performing for a children’s group, youth group, or a congregation of all ages.

Think of ways that your Drama Group can be salt and light in this world. What new needs or issues does your congregation face? What new skits or shows can you do that will make you relevant to your youth group? Take some time to let the Lord guide you to new messages that he wants you to share.