storytelling – OralityTalks

Reaching Indigenous Communities Through Orality

Cleonice Barbosa Larsson — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:16:50 +0000

During our May 2026 webinar, Cleo showcased how orality, specifically oral Bible translations, has a deep impact among indigenous people in northern Brazil. She pointed out that relationships are not optional but central to discipleship.

Translator: Hitielly Correia

Engaging Muslims in Oman Through Orality-Based Teaching

Clay Burrows — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:15:33 +0000

This article examines the use of orality-based teaching as an approach for engaging Muslims in Oman with the gospel. Drawing on over seven years of ministry experience, it explores multiple oral strategies, including textual reading with discussion, spontaneous storytelling, group storytelling communities, and arts-based practices such as drama. Each model is evaluated for its effectiveness within a Muslim-majority context shaped by social and legal sensitivities around religious conversation.

The article identifies five key characteristics that contribute to the effectiveness of orality-based teaching: generating feedback loops, overcoming barriers to spiritual dialogue, enabling reproducibility through relational networks, creating safe environments for exploration, and fostering holistic learning through embodied experience. These findings suggest that orality-based approaches provide a flexible and contextually appropriate framework for both evangelism and discipleship. While not a universal solution, they offer valuable tools for mission engagement in Islamic contexts.

Bible Storying as a Bridge to Buddhist Communities: Insights from the Field

Tony — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:06:50 +0000

Giving a clear presentation of the Gospel to Buddhists has proven to be challenging for many missionaries. In this case study, Tony shares common struggles of sharing with Buddhists and Tibetans who have a very different worldview, resulting in misunderstandings and confusion. Tony’s team viewed illiteracy as a major problem in reaching Tibetans, so they began using Bible Stories to tell people about Jesus. In doing so, they discovered that the root of many of their other problems was Tibetans’ preference for oral learning. When they started using simple oral Bible Stories, understanding skyrocketed among listeners as the concrete and relatable nature of stories opened hearts and minds to Jesus, and a set of stories built the framework to understand the gospel.

Watch the related webinar presentation.

The Power of Storytelling among Buddhists

Tony and Larry Dinkins — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:24:54 +0000

During our March 2026 webinar, two experienced presenters discussed how storytelling presents unique opportunities to share the good news among Buddhists.

Tony told us how storytelling opened doors among the Tibetans during the 14 years he lived among them. You can also read his article.

Larry Dinkins took us deeper into the subject, showing that storytelling is not optional to engage these people with God’s Word.

The Power of Orality among Hindus

Greeto Racharia and Bala and Caleb — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:17:03 +0000

During our January 2026 webinar, three presenters shared unique perspectives on church planting movements.

Greeto Racharia took us from the beginning of Hinduism to the modern time, highlighting the oral origins that are still practiced today.

Bala and Caleb, after hearing the story of a Hindu who began following Jesus and the struggles she faced because of it, we heard how personal stories can bridge the gap with these people.

Narrative Preaching

Ezekiel A. Ajibade — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:33:34 +0000

Narrative preaching connects deeply with people because everyone loves a story. Life itself unfolds through stories, and the Bible is filled with them. Ezekiel Ajibade explores how preachers can communicate God’s truth through storytelling that is artistic, rhetorical, and theological. By praying, selecting complete plots, using imagination, and structuring sermons inductively, preachers can engage listeners’ hearts and minds. Narrative preaching helps people not just hear Scripture but experience its transforming power.

Watch the related webinar presentation.

Multiplying Disciples: Making Movements

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:49:11 +0000

During our September 2025 webinar, four presenters shared unique perspectives on church planting movements.

Jojo Manzano offered a global perspective, highlighting the urgent need for rapidly multiplying disciples to reach the unreached.

Todd Kerns from StoryRunners emphasized the crucial role of storytelling in disciple-making movements. He shared an example from rural Africa where people empowered by stories began planting and multiplying churches.

Sonny and Bel Lapada, serving among the Tagbanwa people in the Philippines, demonstrated how Bible Story Dialoguing can establish house church networks. They have been applying oral methods and principles since the late 1970s, even before they knew the term.

Neil and Doreen Benavidez recounted their experience in Mindoro, Philippines, where they started a Bible school among the Mangyan. They train church planters, most without a high school degree, and require each graduate to have planted at least one church.

Discover the Power of Narrative Preaching

Ezekiel A. Ajibade — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 01:52:48 +0000

In this inspiring talk, Dr. Ezekiel Ajibade discusses why storytelling is central to African communication and biblical teaching. First, he lays the foundation for narrative preaching, then unpacks how narrative preaching moves hearts, engages imagination, and reflects God’s purposeful action in history. Drawing from both theology and experience, Ezekiel challenges us to preach with vivid, relatable stories that show, rather than tell, the truth of Scripture and challenges the listener to take action.

Read the related journal article.

Check out further resources about narrative theology and download the slides used in the presentation at OralityResources.International.

Resources

Transformative Storytelling Strategies

Havilah Dharamraj — Thu, 15 May 2025 02:56:25 +0000

Using the story of Jacob and Laban as an example, Havilah demonstrates how engage people with Biblical stories—ultimately leading to personal transformation.

She emphasized four key points that are important when using a story for preaching, Bible study, or discussion groups:

Let the story speak for itself. Allow the story to make its own point. There is no need to break it up into sections or points.
Build a bridge to the world of the story. Help listeners understand the original context and culture.
Bridge the story to the listener’s world. Make meaningful connections to the audience’s own experiences and challenges.
Place the story within the Bible’s metanarrative and show how it fits into the overarching narrative of God’s redemptive plan.

Havilah’s approach reminds us that the power of biblical storytelling lies not in dissecting the text, but in inviting people to encounter God through the story as a whole.

Oral Ethics: How can Oral Hermeneutics Build a Christian Ethic?

Caroline Reel — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:27:24 +0000

Few lay Christians routinely practice the disciplines of ethics and hermeneutics confidently and appropriately. Many who have learned to practice these disciplines often leave that knowledge to gather dust between the covers of a textbook. This paper discusses how the various folklore or literary genres in the Bible are particularly suited for the study and practice of the three branches of Christian ethics. Lessons built on spiral logic or pedagogy patterns can use the genres of myth to teach meta-ethics, prescriptive narrative, and others for normative ethics, as well as descriptive narrative to teach and enact applied ethics. The practice of oral hermeneutics may pair with this course of study to deliver that ethical material from Scripture effectively to the oral majority or anyone who desires not only to learn ethics but to live them.

Listen to Caroline talk about her article.

Orality and the Impact of Media

William Snider — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:36:55 +0000

Orality and media intersect as digital media reshapes oral traditions and communication practices, extending reach and creating new forms of engagement. Drawing from 30 years in Asia and experience in digital ministry, this article highlights how media amplifies the Gospel by addressing orality, particularly among audiences resistant to text-based methods. Using Paul’s strategy of cultural adaptation, digital platforms emerge as “common ground” for evangelism. Media allows preservation and contextualization, enhancing storytelling and connecting to cultural practices. Practical approaches, such as local leadership training, empower communities and create lasting digital ministries adaptable to diverse cultural needs.

Watch the related webinar presentation.

The Transformative Power of Storytelling

Nerimil Ella Saguin — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:36:09 +0000

Discover how a coach with Spoken Worldwide uses storytelling to share the Bible in a way that engages listeners deeply. Through the “Spoken methodology,” she asks questions that invite people to explore God’s Word themselves, connecting with it personally. “I’m not the ‘teacher’ but a storyteller and facilitator,” she explains, emphasizing that storytelling fosters discovery and transformation. By using questions, images, and role-playing, Ella empowers her audiences to experience and share the Gospel naturally.