With the new world of high-speed communication and digital advancements, some believe that the best method to spread the Gospel is through literacy. However, in opposition to that, there is a considerable part of Christian missions proclaiming another way.
Conversational skills and the capacity to communicate are very important. This method, which promotes the spread of the Gospel by word of mouth through oral passing of the message, is an important weapon to reach people whose main form of receiving the message is by hearing, rhythm, and song. It is a mode of relating the message of Christ and contemporary mankind.
What is Orality, and What is Its Importance?
Orality is the art of learning and speaking by word, and listening to prose and telling stories using songs. Orality centers on the use of drama, folk expression, as well as going beyond the written word. According to some people in the field of modern missions, more than 70% of the world is oral learners and cannot read or rather will not read, and cannot hear but would rather hear than read.
This proves that traditional approaches of studying the Bible with much dependence on textual literacy are inappropriate to engage innumerable people in the world. Orality Institute and other organisations of this kind are aimed at equipping churches and missionaries on how to further oral learners with the Gospel.
Biblical Foundation of Orality.
Orality has its origins in the earliest days of Scripture. GOD has his truths, which were in oral form way before they were ever written in the bible. Prophets conveyed the messages of God orally, Psalms were sung; Jesus told his messages in parables, which were brief stories containing great spiritual lessons.
Jesus taught theology in the parables of the Good Samaritan and the prodigal son, but also appealed to the emotions of people. The teachings were then relatable and effective through the parables, which made them transformative in the manner that messages should be. Such reminders are significant in contemporary oral practices that are applied in missions.
Orality in the Context of Modern Missions
Due to their mode of communication, orality has emerged as a strategic means of mission. A large number of the unreached people groups lack a written language, and, most frequently, Bible translations are not yet complete. Orality fills that gap.
Missionaries share biblical truths through oral Bible stories and address them culturally. The Orality Institute helps ministries implement the story-based disciple-making methods, which can be extended to the field. As an illustration, when a faithful person hears an oral version of a Bible story, he or she can effortlessly recount it to others, therefore, setting out on a phenomenal, Gospel spreading ripple effect.
How Orality Strengthens Indigenous Leadership.
The history of Orality can be traced to the pre-written days of the Bible. The truths of God were passed on orally even before being written on the pages of the bible. Messages of God were delivered by prophets through the word of mouth; through Psalms that were musical; by Jesus through parables, which were brief stories that held significant spiritual messages.
Jesus taught in parables. Jesus taught theology and appealed to the emotions of his audience in the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son. The messages were transformed into the parables that were impactful and relatable, as they should be taught. These teachings are particularly essential with oral tradition in missions nowadays.
The Cognitive Power of Storytelling.
The oral communication style of most unreached people groups has made oral as a strategy of choice in missions. A large number of people groups that go unreached have no written language, and in most cases, Bible translations are yet to be developed. Orality comes to rescue of the gap in this instance.
Missionaries interpret biblical truths through oral stories of the Bible to preach and communicate using culturally acceptable methods. The Orality Institute collaborates with ministries to implement disciple-making processes based on stories that are easy to reproduce in the field. When a believer learns a story in the Bible through oral presentation, the story can be retold by that believer, and hence initiates a phenomenal wave of sharing the Gospel.
Storytelling serves as a cognitive link between disparate cultures, languages, and worldviews in missional scenarios. Just as NLP models consider and draw meanings and relationships, orality approaches consider and employ symbols, metaphors, and culturally narrative elements in an attempt to convey spiritual value.
A Modern Partnership of Orality and Technology
Orality is not such an old term, but it is alive and well in the era of information. Smartphones, radio, podcasts, and video storytelling are some of the tools that are used by modern missionaries to spread their message to oral learners. Application of audio Bible, scripture podcasts, and other applications of bible stories makes an important progress on outreach in areas where there is a low rate of internet connectivity or levels of literacy.
Orality Institute is a global organization that combines modern tools with ancient techniques of storytelling to make sure that the Word of God is accessible and in a form that is repeatable and comprehensible to everybody. Technology never replaces orality, but makes it better.
Transformation With Orality.
Storytelling of the Bible using oral methods has made a positive impact on whole regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Missionaries also have the delight of seeing individuals who did not go to church in the past, and Bible story groups, with a strong narrative beginning with Genesis and going through to the Gospels, to disciple new believers.
Just like other parts, another generation of leaders who interpret the bible stories using the local dialects, thereby enhancing spontaneous church growth, has been yielded by the orality-based training in South Asians, where literacy levels are low. These examples give testimony of orality in meeting the eternal necessity to relate Scripture to culture, the mind to the heart, and the message to the mission.
The Reason Why Orality Works in all Cultures.
Telling stories is one of the oldest art forms in any society, regardless of the level of literacy of the people. An individual transitions between a Hollywood blockbuster and a bedtime story, and that is how much storytelling is central in communication. Where the message is modified to conform to this universal practice, missionaries can release the Gospel to the bounds of literacy and education, and language restrictions.
Orality movement is not only of the illiterate society. Aimed also are post-literate societies in which individuals prefer to find information by audio or video and opt to read shorter digital texts. In this respect, orality is aligned with the most common communication methods and introduces a new meaning to the mission of the Church.
How Can You Get involved?
If orality is a calling to share the Word of God, one can always volunteer in the mission of the Orality Institute. You may be a part of prayer, financial assistance, or training courses, and the initiative will definitely help in advancing the cause of training believers in storytelling across the world.
The best thing to do is to attend orality training courses and host storytelling events at your church, or volunteer to translate Bible stories into the local dialect. Every step that you take will help the Gospel to spread to more people through the power of the spoken word.
Final Words
It is only an understatement to say that orality is merely a strategic choice when it comes to contemporary Christian missions. It is a realization of how God made human beings to learn, memorize, and connect to each other. Technology and literacy will evolve, but people will always need personalization and communication based on stories.
Orality is a reversion to the Christ-centred methods of teaching, inviting the heart to speak to the mind. It is revolutionary in all cultures and generations.
Visit the Orality Institute to become part of a global storytelling initiative that makes disciples of all nations.
