Testimony

Are We There Yet?

Author: J.O.Terry
Date: 11.08.2010
Category: Orality

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We are living in an age when people are in a hurry to get where they are going. Even our children soon begin asking the question before we travel very far: Are We there yet? When I was first beginning to work with tribal and rural people in several of the southeast and south Asia countries I soon found myself on a journey into orality that I had no idea where it was heading or when I would arrive. The Lord was gracious to allow me to make many mistakes in those early days which helped me to learn from the people. It was frustrating at times as I was learning what worked and what did not. And I often thought that I was far in over my head in trying to each people that I did not understand how they learned. But little by little I began to see progress. I had to humble myself to become oral so I could teach as the people would themselves teach others.

Some of the early progress came from some tribal evangelists who said to me, "I can do this!" and, "This is what my people need." Then some of the interpreters I had to use repeated similar words saying they could do what I was doing. Then one day I returned to one of the countries and was met by a smiling local co-worker who began to tell me how he had returned home after our last teaching time together and taught his wife and children to tell the Bible stories and had planted a church. Then I had visited a mud and thatch church in a remote part of a south Asian country and witnessed a young man telling the story of Creation and Adam and Eve. I asked where he had learned to do this. It was from a pastor I had trained several years before. Then one afternoon as I was reaching the concluding stories of Jesus in another training session, several men arrived and joined the trainees. After I finished, the men told us that they had heard about the training for telling the stories of Jesus and they came to ask if someone would come to their village of some 600 families and tell the stories. One of the men in the training session said, "I’ll go!" Then I began to hear missionaries in other countries asking for information about telling the Bible stories. I was privileged to share with many who were from different mission agencies.

Two years ago I returned to Karnataka State in South India and found that the leader of our Baptist work had a vision for working with all the evangelical groups in that state with a goal to plant 50,000 new house churches by the year 2025. And at that time they were nearing the 5,000 mark. After visiting a number of these new house churches and sharing the Creation to Christ story at least a dozen times, I was witness firsthand at how they planned to reach their goal. The evangelical groups had covenanted to use Storying Training for Trainers as a methodology to train entire church congregations to take the stories to their neighborhoods and communities. In recent months I have received requests from a number of Africans and those in other south and southeast Asian countries for information and resources so they, too, might learn to be competent in telling their people the Bible stories.

Keywords: orality, Bible Storying

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: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down MzBoom (2)
United States

In this age of technalogy where everything is done in a split second is it so nice to hear that the process of storying is still going on. As I was reading this article, I could imagine the story of Adam and Eve told by a tribesman. It’s like God telling a story to a person who can imagine every single word, picture the action and feel the emotion all wrapped up together. I was so glad to hear that so many of the students are willing to travel to different villages to tell the story. I pray that is somethng that can be implements in America.

11.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down storyer (0)
United States
@ MzBoom:
We continue to face several challenges. One is that some in the literate world are not yet convinced that the task must be finished via oral methods such as Bible Storying. This approach is seen by many to be too slow, too nebulous or not deep enough, and possibly a matter of withholding the whole counsel of God in the process. Another challenge is getting people to take the time to learn about the methodology and what helps to make it work, and to learn the stories themselves. It is interesting to watch the faces of people when asked to learn and retell a Bible story. However, to the credit of many, more and more are beginning to learn the Bible stories and finding that they can, indeed, tell them well.

The next challenge is then to encourage people to be available when and where there are opportunities to share the Bible stories. In the beginning all of us who were pioneering in this methodology lived and/or worked among rural and tribal peoples. We used the Bible Storying approach primarily to evangelize and plant a church. We are still learning to use the method well in discipling and training of new church leaders. Since those early days we have begun using Bible Storying more and more in the cities among people who have traditionally avoided churches, or have simply not been reached by churches. Now we are finding that many young people and those labeled as postmodern are in fact open to Bible stories that allow them to experience the stories as they hear them and to find themselves in the stories.

Another area that is increasing is the use of Bible Storying in ministry. I had opportunity several years ago to share a “Hope Story” set to use in disaster response. Since then a Water Stories from the Bible has been added for use in clean water projects. And a Food Stories from the Bible finds similar use in famine relief. Ministry models take advantage or opportunities where there is interest or need and generally follow a chronological theme pattern with a subtle but increasingly focused evangelism theme. A second area that is growing is the use of Bible stories in conversational (nonformal) encounters. It is still a kind of ministry, but is tailored to the one-on-one presentation woven into a “your story-my story-God’s story” sharing.

Here in the U.S. we are learning that many groups like Native Americans are oral culture people who pass along stories from generation to generation. The task as an outsider is to learn their storytelling styles and then to contextualize the stories (oralize them) into formats that fit well into their oral culture.

There is also a renewal of interest in chronological Bible Storying to children for use in church Sunday Schools, camps and retreats, and children’s ministry programs.

What is interesting in all this is that the literates who are learning the Bible as stories are the first to benefit as the Bible speaks to their hearts first. I have learned that the stories have become living experiences for me as I tell them more than just “stories” that I am telling as part of a ministry or program. www.biblestorying.110mb

11.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Rapture7 (1)
United States
@ MzBoom:
Eveybody from time to time like to hear things orally. I am so glad that is one reason, why we have not gotten rid of preachers. However, ordinary people can still tell biblical stories to people orally, it makes it so relational when one does oral storytelling to someone.

16.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down lmorrison (0)
United States

Thank you for this posting. It is so eye opening to know that story telling of the Bible is being used to reach people. I think what comes to mind for me is the fellowship, the engagement, and the contact with the people. So many times in ministry we are distant from the people. This is an example of Christ. Keep up the good work and I will be praying and telling others of this issue.

16.07.2011

: Reply Flag 1 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down WendyTian (1)
China

For the past week, my eyes are opened by learning more about Chronological Bible Storying and Orality. When Jesus asked us to share the good news with all people is more than to hand out a bible or the four spiritual laws to them or have the Bible translated to their languages. The history of Missiology is full of good attempts and mistakes. But God is so faithful in using his people.

Now Orality should be brought be recognized not only by Missiology and Bible Storying Advocates but also by the Church where literate evangelism, missions, and discipleship should be reformed in order to reach the 60%-70% of the world’s oral learners.

Yes, we are not there yet! But we will eventually by the Grace of God.

15.08.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down storyer (0)
United States
@ WendyTian:
Wendy, thank you for your comments. When a colleague of mine who served in the Philippines learned about the chronological Bible teaching method he was attracted to its missiological prospect. Tom Steffen, one of the New Tribes missionaries involved in early use of chronological Bible teaching in the Philippines later wrote an excellent book titled Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers. I think that Tom was right on as he shared his personal journey into what was developing into chronological Bible storying as a means of empowering the people we work with to be competent to understand God’s Word and to in turn teach God’s Word in an oral format that many of the unreached people appreciate and learn best by its use. Tom wrote about empowering the people for an exit strategy for the missionary.

Currently I coteach with a professor of church planting and missions at a seminary here in Texas. We focus on the missiological soundness of the Bible Storying approach as it does indeed empower those who are taught. I had the privilege of working seventeen years, first in the Asia Pacific countries, and later in Central America to teach the Bible stories and on many occasions to conduct Bible Storying rallies where hundreds of people gathered for an all-day Creation to Christ story.

Since retirement I continue to receive requests for information and teaching resources from workers who are learning about this method. I personally like it because it first of all puts primary focus on knowing God’s Word. The oral approach makes the Bible accessible to those lacking Scriptures in their own language and for those who are oral learners through nonliteracy or simply by learning preference.

Also the Bible Storying method works well when it is worldview sensitive. I had to learn this by trial and error in my early days. But once I realized how important it was to take worldview into consideration, then things began to happen as I and others began to get a hearing among people who formerly had rejected “Christian teaching and preaching.” I had to learn to teach the people as they not only preferred to learn, but also as they would most likely teach others. If they were oral nonliterate people, then I needed to teach as an oral nonliterate person to model for them what they could do. So we are learning.

One of the exciting happenings in recent years is the concentrated effort to provide oral Scriptures for those lacking Bible translations in their spoken languages. Sometimes we refer to this as providing an “oral Bible.” It is not perfect but it is a beginning point to provide basic evangelism scripture leading to salvation, followed by church planting stories, and followed by discipling story lessons. My joy came from hearing those I trained say to me, “I can do this!” And even greater joy has come from reports among those I trained and from friends who are reporting what happens when the Bible stories are told and taught in this manner.

16.08.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down WendyTian (1)
China
@ storyer:
Thank you for your comments; it is very encouraging and exciting. And since I have learned Bible Storying, sermons do not seem to be as attractive as the simple stories. I think it is so good that there are people like yourself are advocating for this matter and training more people to be experts in storying. I would love to learn more about it. More specifically is how it can be used in church planting and discipleship as well.

“I needed to teach as an oral nonliterate person to model for them what they could do. So we are learning.” I think it is so hard not to be prideful when people are highly literate. I know the patience and humility can only be obtained from God. Jesus taught with stories though he had all the knowledge in the world. The audience is the key. And Bible translation is a wonderful thing but maybe it is less audience-friendly than Bible storying.

You mentioned about being sensitive to cultures. I think there is so much joy in discovering new cultures, adjusting teaching skills, and utilize creativity. There is so much to this and the methods, contents are always changing according to the audiences.

This is an exciting journey!

20.08.2010