Men Transformed by the Word

A Thai-born man who lives in the USA attended an STS workshop in the States. A week after his first workshop, he called the STS office. "Guess what?" he exclaimed, "I told a story Saturday at our men's Bible study. They loved it! When we discussed the questions, I stayed in the story, like we did in the workshop, and we learned more out of that one story than we ever knew was in there."

This Thai layman continued to use the STS method to teach his men’s Bible study class. Given time, his confidence grew to the point that he trained for the pastorate and was ordained for ministry. He now leads a church and uses the Simply The Story way of preparing and sharing scripture as the primary way of teaching. This now confident pastor leads mission trips back to his homeland, Thailand.

A Filipino workshop attendee testified the following:

“Before I was afraid to tell them, but now I have confidence because they are not listening to me they are listening to the story, so I am not worried about myself.”

Easier to Tell Others Story With Passion

“I'm amazed that you made decision not to cancel the workshop even it's on the day of your wife's big surgery. I'm also amazed how much your wife supports you and your decision in any circumstances. What a faithful wife she is and what a faithful servant of God you are. There are many things we learn from you.  Thank you for not canceling it.  

“It was a life-changing experience in my Bible reading.  There are many things I found out about the passage we used in a workshop.  I knew people in the Bible have feelings and so does God but it was a great reminder of that.  

“This story telling makes reading the Bible very interesting and fun!  I knew in my head that the Word in the Bible is alive but now I can "feel" and understand that in my heart.  

“I think the story telling is useful when I tell the Word of God to others, but also good resources and useful when I read the Bible by myself. I've always believed that I tend to remember more when I wrote down, so this was a bit challenging, but I think picturing in my head helps us remember the story and stay in my heart. Since the word of God speaks to my heart not my head, it would make it easier to tell others story with passion.  

During the workshop, we were divided into 3 tribes. I think start with small group setting was a great idea.  If I have had to do it in front of everybody from the beginning, I would have been a lot more nervous.  

Although I did really bad, my instructor was very very encouraging. Her feedback were mostly positive things, which made me realized that I don't have to be perfect. I can do this because it is not me that leading the story telling but the Holy Spirit leading it. I guess it just require more practice. I hope to continue to use it among the other students with our core members and at the Bible study (with Christians and/or with non-believers.)

International Student in USA

Ministering to Seekers

”My husband and & I continue to teach Bible stories using STS to our international students.  

“Attendance has averaged 43 the past five weeks; 80% of attendees are not yet followers of Christ. The Spirit of God is touching these precious young people from 8 different countries.  

“We are soooo blessed and compelled to pass on the blessings of His word.  Thanks for teaching us.  

”When will you do another seminar in So. CA?  I want to continue to learn to do this method well so I can pass it on to many others.”

CA, USA

Simply The Story for ESL


Since we moved to this rather big city, I have been teaching ESL [English as a Second Language] to gals from Egypt, Syria, Yemen, etc. who barely speak any English; therefore I have not been able to use my Storytelling skills. But recently I substituted in the advanced class (who are fluent in English!).



I shared about King Solomon, who settled a dispute between two prostitutes who both had given birth to babies, but one of the babies died. Both women claimed to be the mother of the living child. The king asked for a sword to cut the live baby in half and give one half to each woman (1 Kings 3:16).



Anyway, after telling the story, I was so surprised how enthusiastically the class responded. They recalled many of the details. They participated in sharing observations, they split up in groups to repeat the story to each other, then we had four women volunteers to repeat the entire story in front of class.

There was so much interaction and involvement, that by the time we ended, the story was told eight times! I imagine, afterward they shared with their families or friends! There were 20 ladies, and about half are Muslim. The ladies loved the class. It truly was a home run! But now they think I am a great teacher (which I am not). And they put me on the schedule for the advanced class. I told them, “As long as I can tell stories ... I will do it.” They happily agreed!


Now, I am starting to work on some of my old stories we had practiced in the past training sessions.

STS has truly been resurrected in my life and I am so excited about it.

An Academic Rediscovers Storytelling

Testimony of the Rediscovery, through Simply The Story, of an Ancient Jewish Tradition— Storytelling— for Effective Jewish Ministry Today

My wife Diana and I have served as missionaries to the Jewish people for twenty-nine years. We ministered for eight years in Israel in pastoral and teaching ministries.

The Jewish people, known as “the People of the Book,” are also people of books.  Historically, their high education and literacy skill paves the way for their many successes. It became apparent that I needed to become learned and intellectually well-equipped to effectively reach and minister to Jewish people.

After achieving my goal of attaining a PhD degree, I believed I was intellectually prepared for ministry to Jewish people. I was quite practiced in delivering expositional Bible studies, with outlines and a largely lecture form.

But over the years, I was becoming quite weary of using apologetics and argumentation. Jewish people, and especially those schooled in Rabbinic thought, can argue and debate you to a standstill over who is the Messiah and other theological issues. Head-to-head Messianic vs. Rabbinic apologetics was usually futile in terms of winning Jewish people to the Faith in Jesus the Messiah.  

Then, about two years ago, I met Larry Dinkins, another missionary with a PhD. He began to tell me his story of how his high level academic training was not working in Thailand. He came to understand that the Thai are largely oral learners. He learned of Simply The Story (STS), experienced a paradigm shift, and began using this way of communicating scriptural truths with the Thai and other Asians. It revolutionized his teaching and ministry.

This impressed me, but I assumed storytelling was generally an approach used with non-literate and uneducated people, so my first response was to think it not relevant to Jewish ministry.

But it did not take me long to think twice—stories would be Jewish–friendly, if one used the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old Testament”). The majority of Jewish people today are secularized and not very Biblically literate. Yet they would instinctively know these are the stories of the Jewish people, the stories of Israel, and would resonate with them. I believed it was worth a try.  

Well, long story short— I have been using Simply The Story (STS) now in a weekly Jewish Seeker’s Bible Study for about two years in the Los Angeles area. We have between twenty and thirty who attend each week, and about one-third of them are Jewish. My Jewish friends love it! It is the best approach I have ever discovered for engaging Jewish seekers with the Word of God.

STS provides a context for discipleship as well as leadership training. I have been coaching Jewish believers to lead in the STS model, and they are growing in leadership skills as they do so.

One Jewish man embraced Yeshua as his Messiah through our group several months ago. Several Jewish seekers are attending, three or four have continued to come for months; they have not yet embraced the Messiah, but they are participating in the stories and bonding to the group.

A Jewish man is his early 80s, who lived most of his life in New York City, came to faith in Messiah about three years ago, and now attends our Seekers Study. He told me, “I grew up in Hebrew school and synagogue and had to learn the stories of the Torah and Hebrew Bible, but he told me recently, “I never really knew the stories the way I have learned them now; they have come to life!”

STS will continue to be a major element in my ministry repertoire in the future.

[See interesting article Bill authored that wove in the story principles of STS. The myriad of STS applications and the uniqueness of how Bible stories can be utilized in ministry can be seen in his article published in Jewish Voice Today. 2.4 MB    

By Rev. Bill Bjoraker, PhD
US Missionary to Jewish People, Assemblies of God
Director Operation Ezekiel
Faculty, Academic Advisor, William Carey International University

Storytelling Transforms Outreach

“When I learnt STS, it helped me a lot in my ministry. Many times, I could not share God's Word to non-Christians because they never heard it and they didn't want to believe and didn't want to trust God.

“When I asked them if I could tell them a story they said yes and were very interested. They asked me to come back the next day and tell them another story. Then they said to me " ’I didn't know your God was like that, tell me more about Him’"

“I have led many to the Lord now through STS style Bible Stories and now I have a church and disciple them with the stories.”
Amos, a national missionary and pastor in a SE Asia country.

Immigrants, What an Opportunity!

It works, it really works what you taught us!!!!

“My new Chinese friend, Jill and I just had a 4 hour lunch. I am finding it very effective to do the story telling over food; people don’t run away or fall asleep and there is a natural break when they go for seconds. I asked Jill if she was willing to be my guinea pig because I wanted to tell her a story that I had learned last week in the workshop.

“So I did the prodigal son story, letting her repeat the story, then we went through the observation stage and then personal application. With questions like: Who am I in this story, and where am I going - away from the Father, still feeding the pigs, or on the search to find the way home to the Father. She said she is definitely searching for the Father.

“It was so awesome. I didn’t know how much Bible background she had so we did a quick review of the fall in God’s story. Then we prayed together and she prayed freely herself. I was so thankful that the Chinese restaurant was almost empty by the time we got to the prayer application.

“I am not sure if she understood everything but let me tell you it was so incredible, I cried when I saw her hungry heart and the deep questions she asked. She even said: let’s get back to the story. She said something like “I wonder what will happen to me when I go back to China as a Christian.”

“I realized, I need to learn more how to lead people in a culturally appropriate sinners prayer and of course I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit discerning the right timing not to be too pushy but also not to miss the moment.

Pray with me that God would reveal himself to her as she is watching the 80 minute God’s Story video in Chinese.

Until we meet again.
Love Marianne, USA