Position Descriptions
Literacy/Scripture Use Specialists
Literacy/Scripture Engagement Specialists do teach people to read, but of more importance, they train national people to be teachers. Literacy Specialists also develop pre-primers and other materials to help new readers. In addition to biblical stories, these materials may include health booklets and traditional stories, all designed to assist beginners as they learn to read their own language.
Hand in hand with Literacy is Scripture Engagement. Published New Testaments serve no purpose if they are left sitting on the shelf. People need to be encouraged to engage with Scripture, so that God can use it transform their lives. In many cultures, people communicate primarily through the spoken word. The fact is that many people will not learn to read. Therefore, we must use other ways to make Scripture available to them. Missionaries are using cultural traditions to communicate Biblical concepts in ways that are non-traditional to us.
For example, historically, storytellers in Liberia taught moral values to each generation through traditional stories. During Morality Play Writer’s Workshops, participants are asked to find suitable Bible verses to relate to the moral values taught through the relating of traditional stories. These stories can then be compiled into Morality Story Books.
Bible storying is another method being used to encourage engagement with Scripture. It simply means that individuals memorize Bible stories and then relate them to others, thereby sharing the Gospel.
As you can see, literacy and scripture engagement are more than a teacher standing in front of a blackboard. They're about finding appropriate formats to make Scripture available to all people, literate or not, so that they will have the opportunity to learn about their Lord and Savior, having their lives transformed, and then go on to teach others the Good News.
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