Orality Training Workshop

Discover why leaders today are saying that the Orality Movement is transformational in church history and one of the most significant developments in Kingdom advance in the past 500 years.

(See workshop places and dates below).

Orality is the fastest growing movement in evangelism today, and it is changing the face of missions around the world. The rapidly reproducing disciple-making and church planting movements are among oral cultures in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Increasing numbers of churches and ministries in North America are also realizing the importance and impact of orality-based methods in sharing our faith and making disciples among oral preference learners.

Orality methods and strategies are amazingly effective ways of communicating the Gospel and making disciples. However, they also enhance efforts in relationship building and community development. Simplicity and reproducibility are key factors that make these methods universal and transferable into any culture around the world.

According to the International Orality Network, more than 70% of the world's population (5.7 billion people) are oral learners, by necessity or by preference — people who can't, don't or won't read, or prefer to learn and communicate by means other than print-based media or written instruction. Oral learners communicate through methods such as storytelling, drama, songs, poetry, parables, proverbs and other oral arts. Ironically, an estimated 90% of the world's Christian workers present the gospel using literate—not oral—communication styles. In order to reach and disciple oral learners, we must learn to use the strategies that are familiar and relevant to them.

There are still 2,700 language groups that have no written script. According to recent statistics, more than 2,000 language groups still have no Scripture translated into their mother tongue or heart language.

When considering what we call our Lord's Great Commission, to communicate the Good Story (News) to everyone, to the ends of the earth and make disciples of all people groups, it would be important to determine what message and methods are totally reproducible and transferable to the various regions and people groups. After having trained more than 17,000 people in 21 countries since 2009, Living Water International continues to receive very encouraging feedback. Many say that orality is a revolutionary development in mission strategy; it is historic and transformational. Based on feedback from the regions where the orality training workshops have taken place, it's estimated that an addtional 50,000 have received some kind of orality training from those who have been trained.

At Living Water International, our mission is about much more than water. When we provide a cup of clean water in Jesus' name, our hope is that those who receive it would know the grace and power of the true Living Water that alone satisfies the deepest thirst. This is why the Oral methods and Contextual Bible Storying are so important. In our Orality Training Workshop, we will invite you to interact with the stories of the Bible as an oral learner. You won't just learn statistics and theories about oral cultures—you'll experience Contextual Bible Storying both as a listener and a storyteller. During the workshop, you will participate in the same orality training that Living Water conducts around the world.

Anyone interested in becoming more effective in sharing your faith, disciple making, church planting or mission outreach anywhere in the world will greatly benefit from gaining a working knowledge of relational narrative communication skills and orality strategies.

The terms orality, oral cultures and oral preference learners all refer to the people of the world who can't, don't or won't read, or those who learn and communicate best through means other than print-based media or written instruction. Orality strategies are not intended to take the place of any other methods that are effective, but to provide additional resources for one's ministry/missions tool box. Great attention is given to insure that the message and methods are biblical, understandable and reproducible.

Find out more about Orality

Orality: Changing the Face of Missions Around the World

www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12050113.htm

www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12060076.htm

www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12080105.htm

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13020018.htm

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13030032.htm

Workshop Content

This one-day workshop offers practical and proven principles in making disciples of oral preference learners. Topics include:

the scope of the problem
the nature of oral cultures
the need to understand oral learners
why and how oral strategies work
the power of simplicity
the power of reproducibility
the importance of multiplcation
oral methods of personal evangelism
keys to effective disciple making
the value of using stories and questions
an overview of the Orality movement

Participants are telling how this training is bringing transformation to their lives and increasing their effectiveness in sharing their faith and disciple making efforts.

Interested in seeing an Orality Training Workshop come to your area? Contact Georgann at ggullikson@water.cc or 281.207.7828.