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Go Tell It: How--and Why--to Report God's Stories in Words, Photos, and Videos
Will you tell the world what God is doing?
Whether we do ministry in a faraway country or a nearby neighborhood, we experience the work that God is doing in lives of people around the world. Yet when we try to communicate those stories to our friends at home, we often fall flat.
How can we share what God is doing in a way that evokes the excitement He deserves?
To experienced journalists-turned-missionaries Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner, the answer is We need to be reporters gathering information responsibly and crafting stories of God’s goodness.
The next time you are challenged to answer the “What happened on your mission trip?” or “What is happening in your ministry?” . . . be prepared to answer well. Go Tell It will equip you to tell a compelling story that allows others to see God’s work in the world.
Whether we do ministry in a faraway country or a nearby neighborhood, we experience the work that God is doing in lives of people around the world. Yet when we try to communicate those stories to our friends at home, we often fall flat.
How can we share what God is doing in a way that evokes the excitement He deserves?
To experienced journalists-turned-missionaries Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner, the answer is We need to be reporters gathering information responsibly and crafting stories of God’s goodness.
The next time you are challenged to answer the “What happened on your mission trip?” or “What is happening in your ministry?” . . . be prepared to answer well. Go Tell It will equip you to tell a compelling story that allows others to see God’s work in the world.
- GenresChristian
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 15, 2017
Great Read
A good summary and explanation of the photojournalist process for capturing and telling a story visually. A great start to tell your stories with imagery. All that is needed if for you to start shooting.
A good summary and explanation of the photojournalist process for capturing and telling a story visually. A great start to tell your stories with imagery. All that is needed if for you to start shooting.
May 31, 2026
Thoughts from this re-read:
1. The practical advice is sound and well worth reading.
2. The pop/cultural references didn’t age well - it’s less that they read as cringy or politically incorrect, and more that the authors were probably trying to evoke trust by being current, and instead it just makes them sound dated.
3. Some of the guilt-tripping was a little heavy-handed.
Because I’ve read this a number of times already and have pretty well absorbed the practical story-telling advice, I probably wouldn’t read it again.
1. The practical advice is sound and well worth reading.
2. The pop/cultural references didn’t age well - it’s less that they read as cringy or politically incorrect, and more that the authors were probably trying to evoke trust by being current, and instead it just makes them sound dated.
3. Some of the guilt-tripping was a little heavy-handed.
Because I’ve read this a number of times already and have pretty well absorbed the practical story-telling advice, I probably wouldn’t read it again.
April 16, 2025
More about the journalism behind mission work, great for tips on interviewing and sharing after you get back from a mission trip. Not super big on then when you’re there aspect.
May 2, 2023
I think this book is brilliant in terms of making you consider Christian ethics in journalism. I appreciate the look at biblical text, and what it meant to be a journalist at that time. I have a deeper respect for Luke as a result.
I can always appreciate a book that shares the faux pas someone faced in trying to live and work cross culturally.
I can always appreciate a book that shares the faux pas someone faced in trying to live and work cross culturally.
March 17, 2014
“God is working. So why aren’t these stories being told?” ask authors Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner in their new release, Go Tell It: How and Why to Report God’s Stories in Words, Photos and Videos, published by Moody Publishers.
“Missions stories should be energizing the church about the Great Commission,” they add, saying that they believe a “revival will happen again as a worldwide audience learns of what God is doing.”
And with that, Killam and Brunner set out to show missionaries, both long- and short-term, how to publicize what God is doing through words, pictures and videos. In Go Tell It, Killam and Brunner cover things like: conducting interviews, observing security guidelines, storytelling techniques, photography and video equipment, composition basics, and more.
Overall, the book is a great guide for missionaries from a non-journalism background, helping them navigate the basics of interviewing and writing stories, or telling stories through photos or video. The authors offer a wealth of valuable information that it could take novices years to learn, and yet it’s all compiled into one neat volume. Because Killam and Brunner took care not to use too much technical jargon, the book is easy for any beginning missionary story-teller to understand.
The authors end the book saying, “When we put ourselves out to report god’s work skillfully, we do more than tell nice stories—we spread the gospel by glorifying God and putting Him on center stage.” And that’s exactly what this book does. It helps readers learn to tell God’s story more effectively through the printed word as well as through photo and video.
I highly recommend Go Tell It to anyone wanting to tell God’s story, not just missionaries. If you want to spread the word about what God is doing, this book is a great tool.
* Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.
About The Authors
Jim Killam has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Over the years, that heading has included the titles of reporter, writer, editor, photographer, Killamvideographer and designer. He's worked for daily newspapers, magazines, websites and more. For 17 years he served as faculty adviser for the Northern Star, the daily student newspaper at Northern Illinois University, where he also taught journalism classes. Currently he's a freelance writer/editor and a part-time missionary journalist. Jim also is a passionate nature photographer. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Illinois and have three married children and a granddaughter. This is his third book. www.jimkillam.com
Lincoln Brunner is a missionary journalist and photographer for ReachGlobal. Previously, he served a similar role for First Love International. Before that, he worked for four years in daily newspapers and six years in the trade press. Academic degree: B.A., communication (journalism), 1994, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Lincoln and his wife, Ann, were married in 1995. They have three daughters and live in central Wisconsin.
“Missions stories should be energizing the church about the Great Commission,” they add, saying that they believe a “revival will happen again as a worldwide audience learns of what God is doing.”
And with that, Killam and Brunner set out to show missionaries, both long- and short-term, how to publicize what God is doing through words, pictures and videos. In Go Tell It, Killam and Brunner cover things like: conducting interviews, observing security guidelines, storytelling techniques, photography and video equipment, composition basics, and more.
Overall, the book is a great guide for missionaries from a non-journalism background, helping them navigate the basics of interviewing and writing stories, or telling stories through photos or video. The authors offer a wealth of valuable information that it could take novices years to learn, and yet it’s all compiled into one neat volume. Because Killam and Brunner took care not to use too much technical jargon, the book is easy for any beginning missionary story-teller to understand.
The authors end the book saying, “When we put ourselves out to report god’s work skillfully, we do more than tell nice stories—we spread the gospel by glorifying God and putting Him on center stage.” And that’s exactly what this book does. It helps readers learn to tell God’s story more effectively through the printed word as well as through photo and video.
I highly recommend Go Tell It to anyone wanting to tell God’s story, not just missionaries. If you want to spread the word about what God is doing, this book is a great tool.
* Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.
About The Authors
Jim Killam has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Over the years, that heading has included the titles of reporter, writer, editor, photographer, Killamvideographer and designer. He's worked for daily newspapers, magazines, websites and more. For 17 years he served as faculty adviser for the Northern Star, the daily student newspaper at Northern Illinois University, where he also taught journalism classes. Currently he's a freelance writer/editor and a part-time missionary journalist. Jim also is a passionate nature photographer. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Illinois and have three married children and a granddaughter. This is his third book. www.jimkillam.com
Lincoln Brunner is a missionary journalist and photographer for ReachGlobal. Previously, he served a similar role for First Love International. Before that, he worked for four years in daily newspapers and six years in the trade press. Academic degree: B.A., communication (journalism), 1994, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Lincoln and his wife, Ann, were married in 1995. They have three daughters and live in central Wisconsin.
October 19, 2020
A great primer on the topic of missionary storytelling. Covering the theology, ethics, and practice of journalism, this quick read is a great resource for those seeking to tell God's story through media.
July 31, 2014
I agree with the other reviewers that this book was written toward a pretty narrow audience. But since I happen to fit squarely into that narrow audience. I found it a fabulous read.
It's simple. Concise. Dense. I like how the authors make the distinction between true journalism (conveying accurate info through compelling stories) and marketing (persuasion) — it helps me consider how to do more of the former even when I'm employed doing the latter. The book is linear. It delivers what it promises. It's highly practical. And it's written by a couple guys who have great expertise in the field of journalism, and now employ it in a different setting.
They talked of the Gospel and how it told stories. "Look what we have, think about what the gospel writers must have left out, and it makes the Gospels that much more impressive." Because, they say, journalists "are not stenographers, reporting every detail of an event with equal weight. We choose the most significant as our focus."
They tackle issues like telling the stories of people in sensitive environments (experientially, I appreciate their handling of the subject matter). They have practical tips and stories of people who got the stories in a sensitive and appropriate way, without exploiting those whose stories they were telling. They discussed how to build trust on a short timeline. They discuss the need for the church to have great storytellers. And they give practical advise for using still images and videos to enhance the story.
The calling, then, was best summarized in the first pages: "We must remain on our toes to tell God's story accurately, eloquently, and as well as, or better than, any previous generation." Let's go.
It's simple. Concise. Dense. I like how the authors make the distinction between true journalism (conveying accurate info through compelling stories) and marketing (persuasion) — it helps me consider how to do more of the former even when I'm employed doing the latter. The book is linear. It delivers what it promises. It's highly practical. And it's written by a couple guys who have great expertise in the field of journalism, and now employ it in a different setting.
They talked of the Gospel and how it told stories. "Look what we have, think about what the gospel writers must have left out, and it makes the Gospels that much more impressive." Because, they say, journalists "are not stenographers, reporting every detail of an event with equal weight. We choose the most significant as our focus."
They tackle issues like telling the stories of people in sensitive environments (experientially, I appreciate their handling of the subject matter). They have practical tips and stories of people who got the stories in a sensitive and appropriate way, without exploiting those whose stories they were telling. They discussed how to build trust on a short timeline. They discuss the need for the church to have great storytellers. And they give practical advise for using still images and videos to enhance the story.
The calling, then, was best summarized in the first pages: "We must remain on our toes to tell God's story accurately, eloquently, and as well as, or better than, any previous generation." Let's go.
May 24, 2014
Written for a rather narrow audience, but I'm in it - and found the book an inspiring refresher course on all I learned in journalism school. Working on a review to publish in our ezine for mission mobilizers and will add that here.
April 29, 2017
Really interesting look at what journalism and photography are like when approached from a Christian view. I like the focus on excellence, and how that it a trait of Christianity. My only major issue is that the book seem to briefly cover a wide range of topics rather than really dig into a few topics in detail.
March 25, 2018
This is a very good book to anyone who has any interest in working as a journalist telling the stories of what God is doing in and through the Church very specifically in the field of missions.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews