A free Christmas Nativity Script for churches?
Yes, really!
My daughter and I recently wrote a Nativity play/Christmas production for our UK church. The Nativity is called The Christmas Pedant.
We hope that you'll think it is a) funny and b) a little evangelical without freaking out any first-time visitors.
You may not agree with either of those claims, but we are offering it for free to any churches who want to put on a Christmas production or a Nativity. It went down well at our church and it is written in a way that you can perform it without many rehearsals. The music is based on widely-known Christmas carols.
Our only request is that you let us know if you decide to use it, as we would love to know (and we might even come along and watch if it's not too far away!).
You can download a free word document of our church nativity here.
My daughter and I recently wrote a Nativity play/Christmas production for our UK church. The Nativity is called The Christmas Pedant.
We hope that you'll think it is a) funny and b) a little evangelical without freaking out any first-time visitors.
You may not agree with either of those claims, but we are offering it for free to any churches who want to put on a Christmas production or a Nativity. It went down well at our church and it is written in a way that you can perform it without many rehearsals. The music is based on widely-known Christmas carols.
Our only request is that you let us know if you decide to use it, as we would love to know (and we might even come along and watch if it's not too far away!).
You can download a free word document of our church nativity here.
The plot of our Nativity/ Christmas Production for Churches
Our free nativity script/Christmas production for churches is called The Christmas Pedant.
It tells the story of a church youth worker, who is holding a final rehearsal for their nativity. The vicar arrives and announces that they have just bought a new book called "The Pedant's Guide To The Nativity".
The vicar explains that Jesus probably wasn't born in the depths of winter, the angels were men rather than girls and that the 'three kings' were actually Magi. They 'helpfully' correct the nativity, so that it is more accurate - even if it sucks all the fun out of it.
At the end, they agree that the most important thing about the Nativity is that Jesus turned up at all - and that He died for our sins.
It tells the story of a church youth worker, who is holding a final rehearsal for their nativity. The vicar arrives and announces that they have just bought a new book called "The Pedant's Guide To The Nativity".
The vicar explains that Jesus probably wasn't born in the depths of winter, the angels were men rather than girls and that the 'three kings' were actually Magi. They 'helpfully' correct the nativity, so that it is more accurate - even if it sucks all the fun out of it.
At the end, they agree that the most important thing about the Nativity is that Jesus turned up at all - and that He died for our sins.
What sort of church would this free nativity be suitable for?
Your church needs to have a) a sense of humour and b) quite a few young people.
It was performed at our church by a group of about 40 children and young people but you could simplify it and perform it with 20 or fewer children and young people.
It lasted for about 25-30 minutes, plus another hour for standing ovations (that last bit is a joke).
One of the best things about this free nativity script is that it takes place during a 'rehearsal', so the two or three main characters hold clipboards, which acted as props but also meant they could sneak a look at their lines if they needed to. It also means that you can brush aside mistakes as part of the script!
The two or three main roles that required learning of lines were played by teenagers. Toddlers and pre-schoolers played Mary and Joseph and shepherds. Older children were members of the choir, the kings and narrators.
We also wrote it so that you don't need dozens of microphones, as inaudible Nativities are a pet-hate of mine. We gave microphones to the three main characters and the narrators shared one microphone between them.
It was performed at our church by a group of about 40 children and young people but you could simplify it and perform it with 20 or fewer children and young people.
It lasted for about 25-30 minutes, plus another hour for standing ovations (that last bit is a joke).
One of the best things about this free nativity script is that it takes place during a 'rehearsal', so the two or three main characters hold clipboards, which acted as props but also meant they could sneak a look at their lines if they needed to. It also means that you can brush aside mistakes as part of the script!
The two or three main roles that required learning of lines were played by teenagers. Toddlers and pre-schoolers played Mary and Joseph and shepherds. Older children were members of the choir, the kings and narrators.
We also wrote it so that you don't need dozens of microphones, as inaudible Nativities are a pet-hate of mine. We gave microphones to the three main characters and the narrators shared one microphone between them.
Who are the characters in this free nativity script/church Christmas production?
You can tinker with this to suit your size of church, but here is what we suggest.
Main characters:
Other roles, mostly non-speaking
In case you are wondering, Jesus was played by a doll in our Nativity.
Main characters:
- Youth Worker(s) - dressed in casual clothes, using a wireless microphone. For our production, we split this role into two characters so they would have fewer lines to learn. Each can hold a clipboard as a prop to help remember lines.
- Vicar – dressed in a football shirt, using a wireless microphone. Lots of lines to learn, but they can get away with holding a book to help remember. Getting someone to dress up as your vicar will guarantee a big laugh.
- Narrators/choir - dressed in black, using a shared microphone. These tell most of the story and sing the songs. We also made the choir into the kings.
Other roles, mostly non-speaking
- Snowflake
- Autumn leaf
- Angels
- Dad dressed as an angel
- Mary
- Joseph
- Shepherds
- Animals
- Kings
- Person holding up signs for audience
- Bananaman (optional extra, but it got a good laugh in our church!)
In case you are wondering, Jesus was played by a doll in our Nativity.