Contact with the original story was not lost, but the new listeners found relevance and renewal in the story retold because it involved them in a personal way. Now let us look at the role of the preacher as a storyteller. Likewise, the preacher is the medium through which the story or parable is filtered to the people. What I mean is, there is a big difference between telling a story in a sermon and becoming a storytelling preacher. A story cannot be read off a page as if it were merely words.
Stories demand involvement, entering into the story itself.
Two of the biggest factors, I think, in moving from simply telling a story to becoming a storyteller are risk and fear. Yes, it is a risk to get into a story so that it becomes real, or takes on life, with the nuances of voice inflections, posture, facial expressions that emerge from the story. This was a big hurdle for me when I first began preaching. I was so overly concerned about what the congregation thought of my preaching that I was not willing to take many risks and venture into untried waters. What changed my preaching style actually changed my future ministry as well.