Think of the “15-Second Testimony” as a skeleton that allows you to flesh out our testimony, depending on context.

Sometimes we will only have 15 seconds to share our testimony. People are in a hurry and are only giving us so much time. But at other times we are given more time: 30 seconds, 1 minute. Still yet the interest in people could be for more details, so 2,3,4,5 or more minutes are possibilities, depending on the right context. 

Getting our 15-sec testimony down gives you the structure that you can use to flesh out longer testimonies, as interest allows. 

The 15-sec testimony, above, is one type of testimony geared for people on the go, who may not have time to listen to you for longer. But you should also see this short testimony format as a 'skeleton' of your testimony. There will be times when people will have more interest, give you more attention, and when they want to hear more details, with greater time set aside for it. As a skeleton of your testimony (15-sec), you can now put more flesh on it, as the person you are sharing it with allows. Can you tell your testimony in 15 seconds? How about 30 seconds? 1 minute? 3 minutes? 5 minutes? How about 15 minutes or 30 minutes? These are all legitimate realities in ministry. You Therefore want to be ready for whatever scenario comes your way. Those who want you to go deeper will appreciate it. So take time again and again to reflect on your testimony and practice sharing it in various time length opportunities. Below are resources to help you reflect on your testimony in greater detail.     

• ARTICLE: Preparing Your Personal Testimony (CRU)

• ARTICLE: How to Share My Testimony (C.S. Lewis Institute)

• ARTICLE: 30 Minutes to Sharing Your Faith (InterVarsity)

• PDF: Spiritual Autobiography - This is a way longer personal reflection activity to help you see God's hand on your life, over the years. It is a reflection to help you come to a greater understanding of what God was doing in your life for so many years and to allow you to get a partial look into where He might take you in the coming years. A spiritual autobiography is done with Christian friends and/or in a small group, for the purposes of having others already involved in this person's life affirm, confirm, and pray.