“Bible storying” is a narrative-based method of communicating Scripture. As part of the larger orality movement, oral art forms like Bible storying are being used to reach
Most of the people groups that are unreached and unengaged by the gospel live in oral cultures. However, there are many literate and well-educated people who are still oral-preference learners and communicators.
It has been, and continues to be, an amazing journey as we have incorporated Bible storying into the work of Living Water International. We started using Bible storying in staff devotions beginning in 2006.
Then, after getting connected with the International Orality Network (ION) in 2007, we launched our Orality Training Workshops in 2009—where participants could learn how to share their faith through telling stories from Scripture.
In 2013, the Lord led us in initiating another phase we call Orality Training for Trainers (OT4T), which was instrumental for accelerating our efforts in sharing the gospel, making disciples, and church-planting growth and multiplication.
A hallmark of every level of our Bible storying training programs and strategies is to ensure that they are biblical, understandable, and reproducible. The reports, feedback, and stories of impact have been affirming and encouraging that the Lord is greatly using the concepts, principles, and practices of orality within Living Water and beyond. Simplicity and reproducibility are vital to these efforts.
Orality methods and strategies are having a multiplying impact around the world, especially in African countries. One pastor reported that, since he participated in an Orality Training for Trainers (OT4T) event in 2013, he had personally trained 4,000 pastors. According to their records, those 4,000 pastors had trained more than 400,000.
Increasing numbers of alliances, networks, and associations of churches and mission organizations are embracing and applying the principles of Bible storying. We’ve enjoyed collaboration with the growing community of learning and practice in the worldwide orality movement. In many ways, Living Water has become a catalyst in the area of a simple introductory training to get others on the journey.
If you are interested in attending an Introduction to Contextual Bible Storying/Orality Training Workshops, please visit water.cc/orality to learn more. We’ll be hosting the next training at our headquarters in Stafford, Texas, August 28.
