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The Dramatic Sermon Ideas provided in the listing below create very memorable introductions, conclusions, or midway examples for the pastor as he presents the church sermon. Today’s “media-savvy” congregations enjoy visual presentations of the spoken Word of God; give them an “eye-full” as well as an “ear-full” of God’s truth. These dramatic art forms give your drama ministry a firsthand opportunity to be creative and link with the pastor to create a sermon illustration that will compliment any topical or expository sermon.

Browse both the InkSpirations products listings, and the six non-product ideas listed below, to find Christian drama scripts that will portray God’s love and God’s presence in the life of the believer, as well as build healthy relationships, encourage spiritual growth, and challenge your congregation to evangelism.

Non-product Dramatic Sermon Ideas

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If you have a video screen in your church, you are a candidate for shadow screen story telling. Simply place a screen on stage, place a VERY bright light behind it, place the actors as close to the screen as possible, and have them act out the parable or the story to their own pre-recorded voices, or a narrator’s voice, who tells the story.

Tell the story of Nehemiah re-building the wall with a setting as simple as a few 2x4s and stuffed paper bags to look like rocks. It’s amazing what you can do behind a screen. Bathrobes and trash can hats suddenly look like biblical costumes and imposing head-dresses.

The “parable story-telling” options are endless and countless Bible stories can be told without the hassle of building an ancient set and renting camels! CAUTION: Do not do this live during the church service. Video tape it earlier, then replay it during the service on your video screens; that way you can add sound effects, colored backgrounds, etc. in post-production. This is a marvelous way to take people “back in time” to Bible days because it doesn’t matter what your actors wear to accomplish the illusion of biblical clothing, and the sets can be cardboard and tapestry; the shadow-effect is easy to achieve.

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These “Skermons” (skit and sermon combined) contain still-life character freezes in which the characters never speak; they only represent specific types of people.

One option is to play a theme song from a TV show, then bring out a look-alike cast. Have the cast freeze after they enter to their theme song. The pastor then presents his sermon directly to the various characters on stage. They do not respond to him, nor do they move. Spotlighting these characters as the pastor approaches adds a dramatic effect. CAUTION: Consider copyright to play some of these theme songs. Make sure you are not infringing on the copyright as you stream, or make available, recordings of your program.

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The video interview is a crafty way to make the audience think the pastor is actually leaving the stage to go visit someone on the church campus or at a nearby location. The pastor walks off of the stage promising to go get someone who will be interviewed. As he leaves, play some up-beat song; in our case we played James Bond-type music because he was off on an investigative mission. As he steps out the door, show pre-recorded video footage of his going out the door, followed by the video visit to the site of his/her ministry. Play this on the video screens in your church. After the video visit is over, the pastor reenters with the same person whom the audience just saw on the screen. An actual interview follows, incorporated into the sermon. NOTE: These actual visits can be recorded any time, the key to making the audience believe this is happening live is to have the pastor and the interviewee wear the same clothes as they wore during the taping of the interview. It is a harmless deception, and the audience gets a real thrill out of the reality of the visit. Later on, you can truthfully explain that these were pre-recorded, and the pastor was really resting off stage while the congregation thought he was out and about.”

You can also use video interviews that are done off campus, with someone whose work or ministry is pertinent to the sermon and show the video as a set-up for the sermon.

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Dance and pantomime are stunning visual communications.  Dance stirs the emotions like few art forms can, so use it judiciously and tastefully.  Select songs that tell a story, then blend the skills of pantomime (storytelling) with the skills of dance. The list of “story-songs” is endless, just use your imagination, and look for the “life-picture” moments in the song.

Dance can be controversial in the church, so be careful. Use flowing, concealing outfits with dresses that reach the floor. Select some music that tells a story or contains a profound message, then organize a troupe of gifted dancers to interpret it. Ballet mixed with the storytelling techniques of mime is best. Use only conservative modern dance, and stay away from the “avant guard.”

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Pantomime is the age-old, classic recreation of life on stage without sound. This art form celebrates the human mimetic instinct, the desire to see our lives acted out so that we might understand. Mimes use the body, the face, but not the voice to communicate. They respond to objects which have size, shape, and weight, but they simply aren’t there! Dress you mimes in flowing black slacks, with white and black striped shirts. Do not use the white face because many people in the church respond badly to the clownish look. Mimes do a beautiful job interpreting songs that tell a story, as well as acting out story told by others.

For scripts using mime and pantomime, see three categories in the InkSpirations script library: Christian Mime Theater, Fractured Parables, and Story Time Theater. CAUTION: Do not infringe on copyrights. Credit the author and/or artist of the song in your service bulletin and purchase a copy of the song to be played only during your service. Do not reproduce them on your service stream or recording.  

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“Scripture Video” is seeing and hearing the drama in the Word of God. Producing it requires the talents of your church videographer; however, with video equipment as affordable as it is now, many people in your congregation may attempt this art form.

Take clips from movies, nature films, etc. and record a voice over reading of scripture over the images. This is extremely effective for communicating the truth of the Word of God to those who are visual learners. “Scripture Video” provides very memorable introductions, conclusions, or midway examples for the pastor as he presents the church sermon. This is an excellent way to present the “scripture reading” in your service.

This dramatic form gives your church technicians a firsthand opportunity to be creative and link with the pastor to create a sermon illustration that will compliment any topical or expository sermon. CAUTION:Do not infringe on copyrights. Gain permission through licensing agencies and pay the fee to show these clips in your church. Do not reproduce them when you stream or duplicate your service.

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After securing permission, show a movie clip that sets up the conflict for the sermon or illustrates the tension created from ignoring the commands of God. People relate instantly to a film they have seen; this also brings the Word of God into the “here and now.”  CAUTION: Do not infringe on copyrights. Gain permission through licensing agencies and pay the fee to show these clips in your church. Do not reproduce them when you stream your service, or record it.

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Scripted Dramatic Sermon Illustrations

Most of the scripts available on this website can be used as sermon illustrations.  To view the scripts that can be used to dramatically illustrate sermons, click here to review all of the categories of InkSpirations scripts.