Rev. Charles Maynard has lived several lives. District Superintendent, professional storyteller, best-selling author, and executive director of the Friends of the Smokies, among others.
He began developing his own storytelling skills while a young pastor helping out at the United Methodist Church’s Camp Lookout near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Today, as well as serving as Traditional pastor at Cokesbury UMC, Knoxville, Maynard is in demand as a storyteller and does dozens of programs a year in schools, churches, festivals and elsewhere.
He is a big believer in using stories to preach or teach, pointing out that Jesus told stories much more than he gave sermons.
“Narrative stories are such a much more effective way of communicating,” he said. “Another thing I like about stories is that they are multigenerational. Everybody gets something out of them.”
