Storying the Bible in North America

Chronological Bible Storying is changing Christian communication and training dramatically. Church planters that learn how to address oral learning preferences will ride what has been called by some “the next wave of missions advance.”

Mike Mohler, pastor of Trinity Point, a new church plant in an affluent part of Easley, SC, turned to Bible storying for their family small groups. They grew from one small adult Bible study to nine small groups with 90 participating that met in homes in a span of six months.

Cathy Palmer found that her work among refugees in Clarkston, Ga., was accelerated when she gathered women to sew quilts and casually introduced them to one Bible story at a time.

A Nehemiah Church planter in Louisville, Ky., found Bible Storying extremely effective in evangelizing and then discipling several Muslim-background and Catholic Iraqis.

It can be said that about half of North America’s peoples prefer an “oral” approach to communicating and learning. The U.S. Department of Education now divides literacy into four groupings: below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient. This replaces the past designations of illiterate, functionally illiterate, etc. Canada uses a four-level scale, not using titles at all.

A 2003 literacy assessment survey of 18,500 people in the U.S. and 23,000 people in Canada revealed that one in seven adults were Below Basic readers (U.S.) and one in five fell in the Level 1 category (Canada) for handling basic prose in English, like in the Bible. This means some—but not all—could sign their name or find dosage levels on a medicine bottle. Right at half (50%) of all U.S. adults and a little less than half (48%) in Canada fell into the Below Basic and Basic reading categories (level 1 and 2 of 4 in Canada). Only one in three of those earning college degrees were rated as “proficient readers.”

Making Disciples of All Peoples or Just the Elite Literates?

As church planters who are comfortable reading and operating in literate networks, we must give thought to those we hope to make disciples (Mt. 28:18-20). If Christians are serious about actually communicating with the lost and discipling spiritually-reproducing believers, then issues of “orality” will rise in importance. Literate approaches will certainly have their place, but will intentionally need to diminish in our planning priorities as fewer and fewer Bible readers attain acceptable text-handling proficiency. The good news is that the Bible is 75% continuous prose. The bad news is that we so often focus on only the 25% of the highest forms of literature and we deliver it in an analytical style common to proficient readers, but not the other vast majority of the people we encounter both outside and inside our own church walls.

Church planting efforts can be minimized or caused to struggle if attention is not given to methods that convey biblical content in the most effective manner possible. For instance, the beloved “three points and a poem” and textual exposition have their place, but inhibit a believer’s efforts to pass along what they’ve heard. Rapid-fire exegetical sword drills from the pulpit become cul-de-sacs in the mind just when preachers want their church members to become the gospel-telling superhighway.

Church planters that use audio recordings are not automatically off the hook just because they don’t use print in their outreach and discipleship plans. Recording things that started off in print is not enough. An audio recording of something that was written for literates is heard differently from an audio recording developed for an oral learner. Church planters in tune with issues in orality are beginning to distinguish between “oral” and “audio.”

Oral approaches are geared toward those who can’t, won’t, or don’t read. We can understand and even test for the “can’t” category. However, it is an amazing thing to discover those who “won’t” or “don’t” read walking the hallowed halls of our seminaries, universities, and church buildings. Others read vigorously at work, but in their spare time seldom continue reading. A distinction for this group, titled Secondary Orality, is being made between those that can read, but stop reading unless they are required to do so.

Why Storying is Working

People who do not read regularly, have a tenth grade education or less, have been taught by rote memorization, are overwhelmed with too much reading, or only read on the job are attracted to Bible Storying. There are significant advantages for most church planters:

Memorization of Scripture.

Retention with the ability to understand meaning at a deeper level.

Reproducibility as the narrative is passed along with relative ease.

Stories do a great job of addressing bridges and barriers in a people group’s worldview. A bridge is anything that may provide a positive connection while a barrier inhibits someone from embracing the truths of the Bible.

Instead of a non-linear frog-hop through Scripture, it is possible for those who fall into even the most basic literacy categories to serve as evangelists, teachers, pastors, and godly believers who start new churches. Yes, even those who fall into the Below Basic or Level 1 category can – and do – have a place in church planting using storying methods.

Memorizing Bible stories is not enough. Oral learners must be led to harvest the Bible truth from the storying presentations. This usually comes through dialog rather than preaching. Applications to real life are drawn from participants in the storying session who are alert and engaging God’s Word. And they do it from within their own unique context.

Often church planters express concern about a “disconnect” between what they preach and their church members’ lifestyles. Bible Storying is based on Bible principles that address theology, and practical, real-life issues, many of which are barriers to faith and righteous living. Storying can also reinforce positive bridges to the gospel’s acceptance and application. Dialogue, discussion, repetition, and even drama or singing the stories aid in retention and re-telling. Bible Storying is an effective tool for church planters in gospel sowing, making disciples, and equipping leaders.

Where to Start for Further Study

For further information on Chronological Bible Storying and how it can be used in church planting, please contact or check out the following websites:

Donny Coulter, Canadian Baptists’ First Nations advocate – dcoulter@cnbc.org

John Gaskin, National Missionary to Native Americans, NAMB – jgaskin@namb.net

“Storying in a Day” – Free training includes manual from NAMB – msnowden@namb.net

“Life Journey” – Free 16-week collection of Bible stories from NAMB – msnowden@namb.net

Bible Storying newsletter – Free from J.O. Terry – biblestorying@sbcglobal.net

Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies, SEBTS – http://college.sebts.edu

Four-day CBS course and semester-long course, SWBTS – www.swbts.edu/catalog

International Orality Network -- www.internationaloralitynetwork.org

Written by Mark Snowden. Mark is a member of the Church Planting staff at NAMB.