One of the values of our Pathways Bible Training team that I appreciate is a readiness to learn and grow. We recognize that we certainly do not have the capstone on Bible training methods, and as we are teachable and seek improvement, this attitude will only bless the many global pastors who will receive our training. So over the 14 years I have been full time with Pathways, we have always had a posture of seeking to improve our material, making it simpler and easier for global ministry leaders to understand, making it more reproducible when they use it to train others, choosing better biblical passages, better illustrations, less words, more practice.
This past week I was in Kentucky, once again meeting with our Pathways “servant leadership team,” where we primarily focus on reworking our curriculum.
I have been encouraged along the journey as I’ve been able to use many findings from my doctoral dissertation to improve our material. And now we are beginning to set our hands to the work of creating a new version of Pathways specifically for “oral oriented audiences,” people who learn better through audio and visual methods than looking at the written word. The challenges before us are significant, since the Bible is a written piece of literature, but most people of the world (including a majority in the U.S.) are oriented to learn in other ways.
The work at times is grueling, searching for the best (and fewest) words, the best examples and passages, that help global audiences begin to master a principle. At the same time, it is also rewarding to hear from hundreds of pastors about improvements they are making in their “Word work,” knowing there are thousands more who are receiving vital training in how to handle God’s Word well. May God give us the grace and wisdom to continue at the task. I was talking with a pastor from DR Congo a few days ago and he was sharing how much he enjoys and benefits from Pathways. He told me that his dream would be to train pastors full time in Congo with Pathways within the next six years. Amen! As I lean in toward an oral version, if any who may be reading this blog know of someone skilled in the following, please let me know. Someone who:
- Understands global orality issues.
- Grasps the thought process of and is able to communicate with people from the west as well as global audiences.
- Knows some about curriculum writing.