Orality Conference

Missions is becoming more effective among the non-literate populations of the world. This is largely due to a breakthrough in how we disciple new believers and train leaders for churches that are mainly located in populations that cannot read.  The movement is known as Orality, but it goes far beyond a discussion of literacy and non literacy.  At a recent meeting at Wheaton College  theological educators joined with leaders of the Orality movement to discuss how then move can be better represented in Theological Education.  Part of the answer that was reached is an understanding that Orality has surfaced a more effective way to disciple leaders through understanding how primary learning takes place.  Currently I am working on a paper to describe a new theory, Primary Learning, as a means to be more effective in discipling believers regardless of their literacy.

Darryl Bowe, one of the ICM/ATS participants wrote up a report.  It is only two pages but it gives a more thorough idea of the conference and our participate:  Read the Report

Phil

Summer Newsletter

Be the first to read the ICM Summer Newsletter.  Synergy is more than the sum of the parts.  Read how synergy is key to ICM's work in Africa.  Africa is changing.  It is becoming something more than anyone thought possible.  Africa is Rising!

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Teach in Kenya

International Christian Ministries has a seminary called Africa Theological Seminary (ATS).  It is foundational to our goal of discipling and training leaders in Africa.  The following is an overview of what teaching at the seminary is like.  At the end of the article is a list of courses.  We are always looking for good teachers who can teach their subject but more importantly connect with the pastors and leaders in the program.  These men and women have churches and ministries that represent thousands of people.  Your impact on those learning will be multiplied a hundred fold.

Please read more:  Click Here

Breakthroughs in Missions

I am not sure whether you know this, but Missions as we know it is going through some remarkable changes.  Donald McGavran introduced the world of missions of the idea of homogeneous peoples.  The premise was the people like to be around their own kind.  Understanding this allowed missions to target the message of the Good News to specific groups.  Ralph Winter took this a step further in his Unreached People Groups.  He said that we should recognize that nations in Matthew 28:19 (NLT) ⁽¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) uses the Greek word, ethne.  This is where we get ethnic.  He pointed out that strategically we could identify the enthnic peoples of world and determine their degree of movement towards Christ.  We could then prioritize our mission challenge to reach the unreached people groups (ethinic groups) and be more efficient and effective.  This was a huge step forward in fulfilling the Great Commission.


But knowing who to reach is not the same as reaching them.  We now have a strategy for identifying those who need to hear.  The next question is "what methods are we going to use to engage them?"  The answer according to many (myself included) is something that has been dubbed Orality.  The basic premise is that most people are oral learners, they prefer methods of learning that engage their senses, enhance their relationships and fit into the cultural modes of communication.  These include story telling, parables, songs, dancing, art and other primary learning methods.  Mission agencies are now scrambling to target people groups using this strategy.  The results have been remarkable.  This method is helping speed up the advance of the Gospel around the world.  


International Christian Ministries and its seminary, Africa Theological Seminary have been participating in a two conference that has been looking at Theological Education and Orality.  We we are discovering is that Orality has less to do with literacy and more to do with how people choose to learn.  This has brought us to the point of not only buying into the Orality movement, but examining our own ways of teaching.  We are in the process of realigning our curriculum and teaching methods so that our learners learn better and also develop skills that will help them teach better in their communities.

Africa Rising

The President has declared August "Africa Rising Month" .  You can read the full story.  Just click the picture below to read the full article:

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May God open your eyes to see what He is doing around you and around the world.

Phil

Orality Conference

Next week four ICM staff will be attending the Consultation on Contextualizing Theological Education in Oral Contexts in Wheaton, Illinois.  This will be one of the first meetings for theological educators to consider the needs of leaders who are ministering to congregations and communities that are primarily oral in their learning.  Dr. Walker will be presenting one of the papers that the consultation will consider.  Other ICM staff members who will be participating are Darryl Bowe, Vice President of International Operations, Rev. Stephen Mairori, Kenya Country Director, and Dr. Emmanuel Chemengich, Principal Africa Theological Seminary, Kenya.

Send ICM to Prison

Prison life anywhere is not good.  But prison life in some places are worse than others.  God wants us to reach all people everywhere.  If that means we have to go to prison to reach them, then we will.  Read the story about how ICM Kenya is going to prison for the lost!


Did you read the Spring Newsletter...motorcycles, gangs and more.  Just Do It and the Hundred Fold Return
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