USA (MNN) — According to Mission Aviation Fellowship, 80% of the world cannot or does not learn from reading. They prefer to learn by listening to stories. Even in the United States, this is quickly becoming the preferred way to learn. Because of that, MAF is holding an Oral Strategies Workshop August 16-20, 2011 in Boise, Idaho to help Christians learn how to use stories to share the Gospel.
MAF's Oral Communications Specialist Regina Manley says, "We're having a five-day workshop where people can learn how to tell dynamic Bible stories accurately, and then follow that with oral style inductive Bible study questions so that people discover the lessons in the story for themselves."
The workshop is actually two parts, says Manley. "It's a five-day workshop for those who have the time and are interested in not only learning the method, but learning to become teachers in the method."
The second part of the workshop is for the average person who wants to learn how to use stories to tell Bible events and biblical truths, which is a three-day program.
According to Manley, this program is for all kinds of people — pastors, missionaries, teachers, and others who want to be better communicators of the Gospel. She says this could help "three-point sermon" pastors. "How many of us walk out remembering the three points in a sermon? But when we teach them to use their own natural story-telling ability, everyone can walk out, repeat a story and remember the truths that they found themselves."
While it's important to get everyone involved in story-telling, Manley says MAF has a special interest. "Because we work with isolated leaders around the world, our heartbeat is to impact those who are also going to be training and working with nationals overseas."
MAF is seeing this method of outreach succeed. "There are actual church-planting movements where hundreds of churches are being started — many of them are house churches — that are using just stories and discussion for evangelizing, discipling, and planting churches."
Workshop participants will learn to:
• Lead interactive, inductive Bible studies
• Tell fascinating, accurate Bible stories without using written materials
• Teach using interactive discussion
• Design questions that help listeners discover spiritual truths and personal applications
Manley has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of oral learning. She has presented oral strategies workshops in Brazil, India, Colombia, Lesotho, Thailand, Guatemala, and northern Africa. Manley also served 17 years as an MAF missionary in Ecuador.
The five-day leadership workshop is $80, and the three-day practitioner session is $30. You can register by going to http://www.MAFlt.org.
