To Get Started

First, we ask the host to provide us with the widest selection of possible workshop dates. This helps us find a lead instructor who is available within that window of time. We also ask the host to estimate how many people might attend because we schedule one STS instructor for every three attendees for the first part of the workshop.

After a date is set, we begin securing the needed instructors. Instructors may be available locally or may need to come from a distance.

Training Schedule

Instructors arrive one day early to prepare and set up the training. We are constantly developing new leaders, so team members may be new to one another, and skills may need to be honed during the preparation day.

STS workshops are composed of two parts. Instructors first train a small group of attendees who are interested both in learning STS and in being taught how to train others. In 18 hours of interactive teaching, small group discovery and personalized hands-on STS coaching takes place. Attendees learn and prepare a Bible story, and lead others in a discussion of the story. They also learn how to lead others in small group preparation of a story for ministry. After the full week of training, many attendees are ready to be STS Provisional Instructors in other workshops.

For the second part of the workshop, new people join the training. Up to 5 new attendees can join for every person just trained. In the next 19 hours, these new attendees learn to tell Bible stories while the pre-trained attendees gradually move into leadership by assisting our instructors. Many of the new attendees also have opportunities to deliver a Bible story in a discussion style and receive personalized coaching. They become STS Practitioners.

Total Who Can Attend

Workshops vary in size. For example: To train 90 people, we would send 5-6 instructors to train 15 people for the first 18 hours of training; up to 75 more could join the second 19 hours of training. As instructors are available, STS teams will come to lead workshops for as few as 6 attendees for a full workshop.

Venue Needs

For small to medium size workshops, one room is needed that is large enough for everyone to meet together. The room needs to be of sufficient size for small groups to separate to study and deliver Bible stories. Smaller rooms or patios which are directly adjacent to the larger meeting room can be used for these small groups, as well. Less space is needed for the preliminary 18-hour training. Often churches provide facilities for workshops. Ask for information on hosting a large workshop.  

Cost

STS does not charge a fee for the workshop. STS does not pay for workshops, and our instructors volunteer their time. We encourage the host to establish a workshop registration fee for attendees that covers the expenses of the host, the church and any other workshop fees. Different locations will have different workshop fees for attendees. Headquarters staff assists the host in establishing an appropriate fee for the attendees. Costs typically include one meal and two snacks daily for attendees, audio or print workshop materials if available in the local language, as well as food and housing for the STS instructors. If there is no way to get material to the location, handbooks and some audio in various languages are available for download, free of charge, on the STS website.

Although not required, any help toward the travel expenses for instructors who have flights or ground travel costs to get to a workshop is very welcome.

The STS headquarters provides registration forms, bulletin inserts, brochures and flyers that the host can use. A wealth of helpful “How to Host Tips” are also available.

Currently, requests for workshops far outnumber the available instructors who can pay their way to a workshop. Due to this interest, the cost, and time that STS headquarters and the instructors jointly invest to lead workshops, we ask that workshops be open to people outside the hosting ministry. We desire to best utilize our instructors’ time and investment by planting STS principles and skills into the widest number of ministries and denominations possible.

If a host wants to limit the workshop to attendees from their ministry, church or denomination, we ask that the travel costs for the instructors be paid by the host.
If, for security reasons, an open workshop is not wise, we are happy to respect the local host’s wisdom.  Please talk with STS headquarters if this is your situation.

We recognize it might be hard for the host to learn how to communicate the costs to churches and attendees. Our headquarters staff are willing to help fellowships write letters to churches that will help bring this training to their people.

Financially Challenged

In some areas of the world, attendees have financial challenges. Simply The Story believes in local ownership, and therefore, does not pay workshop expenses, fees, or for people to attend. If an outside ministry wants to help finance a workshop, we believe that no matter how financially challenged attendees may be, it is important that some part of an STS training be paid for by the attendees. Whether the attendees pay for their travel, lodging, or food (or even bring their own food or contribute to the group meals), even the smallest contribution gives value to and ownership of the training. We will prayerfully consider unusual circumstances. This is the Simply The Story standard.