70% of the World are Oral People
The great commission commands us to make disciples of every nation, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded his disciples to do. It is clear that for one to become a disciple, he must know and live according to the God’s word. God’s word transforms those who know and live it out. No ministry, whether evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, or church planting will be successful unless the Word of God is communicated effectively.
An overwhelming two thirds (2/3) of the world’s population are oral people. An oral person is someone who prefers to learn and communicate through oral means, such as story, song, dance, drama and proverbs. He is also someone who cannot or chooses not to learn through reading. For example a study done by the National Endowment for the Arts found that in the US 77% of High School graduates do not read after graduation. They also found that 43% of College and Graduate school graduates do not read after graduation. They can read but chose not to read.
Over 70% of the Bible’s content is made up of stories. Not only that, but Jesus throughout his ministry told stories. “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable.” Mark 4:33-34 Since the Bible is largely stories and Jesus used stories, it only makes sense to communicate the Word of God as stories.
Are we learning the Story well enough to tell a story? Do we limit our ability to reach out and/or grow disciples to material that can be written and read? Is our form of education and discipleship (based on the written word) limiting our scope to a mere 30% of the world?
