Michael Novelli
Zondervan, 2011, DVD, $49.99

I’ve been a fan of Michael Novelli’s storying method of teaching the Bible for years. I’ve used it with our junior high students in the past, and I was very excited to see the new material in The Story to help supplement what he already has created. There are many positives to this curriculum: I love that this is a very different way of teaching the Bible than what most of us are used to seeing in a curriculum. It does a good job of getting students involved instead of sitting and listening to a talking head up front with all the answers. Moreover, it engages visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners every session, which is not an easy feat! The art clips are amazing and easy to get lost in; they move fast, but they are a welcome addition and helpful in this culture. They are so good we are using them in our Easter service this year!

That said, similar to his previously published work, this isn’t a plug-and-play-type curriculum. While the benefits of storing are many, this requires a lot of prep time (60 minutes are suggested per session) and a deep commitment on behalf of other leaders on your team. The leader of the youth group will need to continually cast vision for this 31-week curriculum and keep coaching the team if they are discouraged. You won’t see immediate fruit; it takes time for the students to see the bigger picture and experience those ah-ha moments. The biggest drawback I see is that I wish there was a deeper connection in the Old Testament stories pointing to the coming of Christ in the New. For students who do not stick through the entire curriculum or who are new to the Bible, it isn’t abundantly clear how Jesus is connected to some of the OT stories.

This curriculum would be wonderful to use in small groups or in a large group setting where students break into small groups afterward. Bottom line: If this curriculum helps students engage the Bible beyond the youth group meeting, it’s a HUGE win and well worth the price.
–Chad Holladay, Student Pastor, The Heights Community

The videos look professional and they help add a visual element to the story students hear. Each video is about 2:30 to 3:00 minutes long; and there is a video review option for each week, which is very helpful for kids who miss a week. It comes with a Story Bible, which is optional but would be useful for a youth who is looking at getting the biblical narrative in a novel form. Each lesson comes with a PDF version of a Teacher Guide, a Story Reader (skit/reading) and a Student Handout. The teacher guide follows the same format and is very repetitive, which could be a positive or a negative; it provides an outline, script, supplies list and a few additional options. The student handout is essentially the same every week with a question tweaked here or there–again a positive or negative. This resource would be good for groups of more than 10, as youth participation is required, and would be most useful for youth with little to no understanding of the biblical narrative.

What I Like: the visual element and how it gives the overarching biblical narrative; good resource for youth with little to no scriptural understanding. Does encourage kids to express themselves artistically and theatrically; helps kids understand the upper and lower stories.
What I Don’t Like: nearly identical lessons and handouts, which I would see as a negative considering it is 31 lessons; not recommended for kids with biblical knowledge as it never really goes in-depth with Scripture; Scripture isn’t read at any point, only heard through paraphrased readings and video; very little story background for adult leaders who want to study before they teach it.

Can youth workers use it? Yes if they are looking for an A/V presentation to boost a lesson or are looking for lesson ideas with artistic and theatrical elements. The curriculum that comes with it leaves much to be desired; it’s probably best for middle school youth.
–Chris St.Clair, Triumphant Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas

“The Bible” the title and words immediately bring ideas, opinions and reactions. The Story is an attempt to rewrite the storyline of the Bible in a 32-chapter book form. The teen version follows very closely to the adult version in many ways. The teen version includes a flip book feature on each page with four main icons. The flip book feature allows easy identification of the passage theme, as well as creates a quick flip book through the story of the Bible. Another helpful addition is the seven tabbed sections that once again connect the historical period to the storyline.

It is a difficult task that the authors and publishers have undertaken in writing this book. I must give them credit and respect for what I am sure were long hours of work. I see this as a helpful tool for teens, especially the young teens with whom I work, but I’m not completely sold on the whole concept. I can see they have tried very hard to preserve the story, but I am not sure the integrity of Scripture is fully intact in the end. Please do not get me wrong; I enjoyed reading it. I like the over-arching concept. I will be using this in my ministry in selected contexts, and I most definitely will use it as a gateway to getting young students into reading and understanding God’s Word. I feel the key word is gateway. I would suggest allowing this tool to be used as a lesson book, not as a standalone Bible. It is also a great tool to give to new or immature believers who are trying to get a grasp of the scriptural story.

Our church has chosen to use the accompanying curriculum. I am waiting for that to arrive for me to review. From what I have seen and reviewed in the samples, I am expecting to use The Story: Teen Edition similar to what I suggested above as a lesson/study book to go along with the 32 weeks of teaching.
–Dan Istvanik

The Story is not the first novel-like rendition of the Bible ever written, but the teen curriculum that goes with it is the best I’ve seen in a long time. The videos are very well done and will grab students’ attention. The lesson material is challenging and interactive. Whether the entire congregation is going through The Story together, youth workers would benefit greatly from going through the teen curriculum to help their students gain an overall picture of what the Bible is all about.
–Mike Kupferer

With The Story, Michael Novelli has taken the gospel and made it so simple that anyone can understand. I have been using it with our middle school students the past two weeks, and it has worked well. I am finding the combination of the Bible and video work very well. The videos didn’t seem to go over extremely well with my senior high group, but the handouts offered great info.

My one suggestion would be to offer this as pre-teen/early teen edition, tweek the videos a bit and release another edition that would serve the 16- to 18-year-old crowd. Overall, I really like this kit and will be recommending it to my friends. Thanks!
–Shamichael Hallman, Collierville Youth Pastor/Innovation Pastor, New Direction Christian Church, Twitter

I enjoyed the opportunity to share of The Story: Teen Curriculum with my youth. I wanted to pilot the curriculum with actual youth before responding with a review. At first view, the DVD, Bible and curriculum materials were easy to navigate and very helpful in preparing a session with youth. I previewed several sessions and settled on something related to Easter, given the time of year. Session planning went smoothly; there was plenty to choose from in terms of ways to structure the session; and lots of options for creatively engaging students in the story.

I love the idea of trying to increase student’s Bible literacy, as well as familiarize them with the overarching narrative of the Bible, but I was slightly uncomfortable with a harmonized view of the Bible, missing the diversity we gain from the four gospels and aware that someone else had made editing decisions about the Bible. However, this was carefully done and the scholarship behind the project seems sounds. The benefit is a cohesive overarching story, which which draws students to God’s story in which they experience, engage and interact with it in multiple ways, inviting them not only to learn the story but to find their place in God’s story.

The visuals are stunning and continue to surprise, incorporating humor, sorrow and wonderful story telling as they recap the story of the Bible up to the point of the present lesson. The individual lessons focus on a more specific section of the Bible. The storytelling, narration and images are clever, insightful and engaging, serving as a great jumping-off point for deeper response and discussion.

In doing the session with youth, feedback was very positive.  The video was well received and led to great discussion on who Jesus is.  The reader’s theatre and response sheets allowed other portals for student to engage and respond to God’s word.  The youth were enthusiastic and are looking forward to seeing more.
–Susanne M. Bendoraitis, Associate Pastor, John Knox Church, North Olmsted, Ohio

I loved how the series is woven together for an entire church to walk through together. The student sheets were good, practical and reflected an understanding of today’s teens. This product is high quality and a wonderful price point.
–Len Evans

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