Your team of friends can use the same strategy to experience what only God can do. OURS IS A UNIQUE oral Bible storying strategy for planting churches in places where people are unreached with the gospel. They have extremely limited “access” to the Gospel because very few people are literate or know a Christian. Let us know if you would like to help! www.Jesus-Said-Go.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Jes
us Said Go begins oral Bible storying “access” projects in unreached people groups (UPG) for long term management by “access” church mission teams for two reasons:
1. Local churches have primacy in completion of the GREAT COMMISSION and
1. Unreached peoples best understand the gospel when ORAL STRATEGIES are used. FOR THOSE REASONS, this strategy has two phases:
PHASE ONE (Access Projects) – We select, train, and send 10 indigenous Bible storytellers to start Bible story groups in five language groups. In the first year of one project, 10 story groups grew to 25 groups and 830 participants. In 10 years (if every group reproduces annually) there will be over 10,000 story groups – each a potential church. Our goal – a group in every village, so everyone has walking access to God's Word and Christian fellowship. Funding is needed to begin new projects in Benin this October 2021. PHASE TWO (Access Teams) – We hand off active Bible storying projects (with proven quality and vetted indigenous storytellers) to church mission teams for long term management. Teams provide mercy ministries to help storytellers start story groups in new villages. LEARN MORE These turnkey projects are used to start churches quickly and effectively and we need more teams! MEET A STORYTELLER
EXECUTIVE BRIEFING
A team is staffed by at least two volunteers making at least one mission trip annually for at least 10 days per trip. Each team has long term management of at least one of the five active projects in a country. The goal is to give everyone in their selected UPG walking access to God’s Word and Christian fellowship through indigenous Bible storytelling. We believe when everyone has access, the UPG cannot remain unreached because God has promised when His Word goes out, it will bear fruit and accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55.11)
THE FIRST TEAM TRIP is a survey party. After an international flight, the team is met at the national airport, briefed, and escorted to survey and assess their UPG opportunity. Visas, ground transportation, meals, lodging, evacuation insurance, and flight are provided for about $2,500 per person. Valid passports and vaccinations are required prior leaving for the country. The team will:
1. Meet other teams and national partners.
2. Participate in story groups and observe UPG story groups in action.
3. Discuss dates for hosted trips, best ministry practices, UPG language focus, and mercy ministries. NOTE: After consultation with teams, national partners will provide dates for semi-annual hosted trips. Ideally, all teams will participate in these hosted trips to maximize collaboration between teams and national partners. Ticketing for hosted trips must go through Isle Travel Agency.
4. Collect pictures, videos, testimonies, and assessments to report findings. NOTE: ZOOM & WhatsApp video calls with national partners are available before and after any trip. EACH SENDING CHURCH provides basic funding of $500 per month so Jesus Said Go can maintain the basic ministry structure needed to support the team ministry. That basic structure includes ongoing training, accountability, field reporting, and expense stipends for our indigenous partners. Teams are encouraged to invest additional time and funding in mercy ministries (water, medical, sanitation, hygiene, agriculture, sports, microloans, Bible translation, literacy, Jesus Film teams) to start story groups in new villages. OUR "BIBLE AND ORALITY" paper provides valuable context about Bible storying for oral learners. We pray it will help you sharpen strategies to start “healthy” story groups focused on discipleship that produces people of character. Healthy story groups can reproduce until every village has a story group and, when that happens, everyone will have walking access to God’s Word and Christian fellowship. Perhaps the most valuable insight for starting healthy story groups is found in the Parable of Soils as told by Jesus:
“Then Jesus said to them, “If you cannot understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they do not have deep roots, they do not last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of 30, 60, or even 100 times as much as had been planted.”” Mk 4:13-20 NLT
AS YOU CONSIDER this parable to enhance the spread of story groups into every village, remember:
1. Bible stories told accurately and naturally by and to oral learners is the best way for them to understand God’s Word and prevent Satan from snatching it away.
2. Story group discipleship builds Kingdom character, so people are less likely to fall way because of problems and persecution and therefore more likely to be productive.
3. Story group discipleship builds Kingdom conduct that reproduces story groups and churches.
4. Every discipled Christian, story group and church expands Kingdom culture. TEAMS COLLABORATE with each other and national partners about plans for story groups in every village. Plans will include prayer, research, study, indigenous Christian workers (Bible storytellers, story groups, churches & pastors), mercy ministries, maps, digital chips loaded (with audio of mother tongue Bible story sets) into the cell phones of storytellers, WhatsApp group chats, testimonies, and field reporting. At some point there will be enough indigenous Christians to continue the work without your help, but today THEY NEED YOU! CONTACT US for more information about mobilizing a team into a UPG with an oral Bible storying strategy.
