- An
Overview of Chronological Bible Storying
- The
Phases and Tracks of Storying
Chronological
Bible Storying is a means of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to oral
communicators--illiterates, functional illiterates, a large segment of semi-literates, and
numerous individuals who favor an oral communication learning format. Chronological Bible Storying has proven to be very
effective among people who are very resistant to the Gospel, and among people who are
persecuted once they become Christian. Basically,
Storying, as it is often called, allows one to communicate the Gospel to oral
communicators whether or not those individuals become literate at some point in their
life. In other words, hearing, understanding
and remembering the Gospel should not hinge on literacy.
Oral communicators, most of whom have great difficulty in understanding
literate, expositionally formatted Gospel presentations, and almost all of whom cannot
remember and recall expositionally formatted presentations, can, as a result of a
narrative presentation, understand, apply, remember and recall the entire scope of the
Biblical story.
Chronological
Bible Storying is designed to accomplish any objective and perform almost any task among
oral communicators that literate, expositional type preachers, disciplers and teachers
accomplish and perform among literates. By
means of Chronological Bible Storying one can evangelize, disciple, plant a church, train
leaders and develop a complete set of ministries for a local church among oral
communicators who have no literate skills.
Therefore, an
unsaved oral communicator (illiterate, functionally illiterate or semiliterate) can be
introduced to Christ, can become a believer, can be discipled, can be trained as a
minister, and can become an effective shepherd (pastor) of a church without ever becoming
literate. In the not so distant past,
individuals, in numerous countries and church settings, would not be allowed to be
baptized until he or she became literate. That
is ceasing to be true in many places. Chronological Bible Storying is not prejudiced
against oral communicators becoming literate, but it is not dependent upon hearers
becoming literate to hear the Gospel, or become an active church member and/or leader. In fact, in most places where Chronological Bible
Storying has been used, literacy training enrollment levels have tripled and quadrupled
after Chronological Bible Storying was used among a people.
Chronological
Bible Storying is approached through phases and tracks. These phases and tracks are designed for use by
literates to get the Gospel into the life and experience of unbelieving oral communicators
in such a way that they can duplicate what has been done with them, without their having
to become literate. There are two
phases in the process: the Church Planting Phase and the Church
Strengthening Phase. Within the
Church Planting Phase, there are four tracks: Evangelization,
Discipling, Characterization and End Times. Within
the Church Strengthening Phase there are an indefinite number of tracks. Among them is a thematic track, teaching tracks
for church leaders (lay and pastoral), a pulpit/preaching track for leaders, and other
specialty tracks.
Church Planting Phase:
 | The Evangelism Track is designed for the unbeliever,
and the primary objective is to expose the hearer, within the context of his or her
culture and religion, to the entire scope of the Gospel starting in Genesis and going
through at least the ascension. Many choose
to continue this track through Acts chapter 12. A
companion objective of the evangelism track is to give the hearer an oral Bible. At the end of this track an invitation is given to
become a believer.
|
| The Discipleship Track is designed to disciple those
believers who responded to the Gospel during the evangelization track. The storyer takes the believers back through the
same stories that were presented in the evangelization sessions, except the stories are
viewed from a discipleship perspective with much more dialog and personal application. At the end of the discipleship experience one
should adequately possess a basic oral Bible and be able to effectively story to
unbelievers in an evangelization track of their own.
Incidentally, other stories, not presented during evangelization can be
added.
|
| The Church Planting Track covers the book of Acts
and is designed to plant a church among the new believers..
|
| The Characterization
Track covers the books of Acts and the Epistles through a storying format. This follows the discipleship track and the
individuals who are usually involved are maturing believers. Frank J. Goodwin’s A Harmony of the Life
of St. Paul by Baker Book House is recommended as a resource for this track.
|
| The End
Times Track is a presentation of the book of Revelation through storying. With the completion of the End Times track, one
has covered the scope of the entire Bible. Obviously,
there are numerous events that were not covered. This
track is primarily for maturing believers. There are some interesting variations in the
use of this track.
|
The Church Strengthening Phase,
with its indefinite number of tracks, is designed to: 1 ) complete the Bible; 2) continue
the discipling process; 3) treat thematically the basic Bible truths and doctrinal
teachings from a biblical theology perspective; 4) train lay and pastoral leaders; and 5)
lead believers to evangelize and plant churches by means of storying. In this phase, the approach is the same as in the
Church Planting Phase. Each track begins in
Genesis and moves chronologically through the Bible, underlining and reinforcing through
the stories the foundational learning that occurred during the other tracks.
Through this
means, a chronological storying of the Bible, an oral communicator can be evangelized,
receive and retain an oral Bible, and can minister as effectively as a literate
communicator.
