Trying To Keep Up
In the first seven years since its beginning, multiple Simply The Story workshops were held in 98 countries! However, you will see a list of 115 further down this page because it is a combined list. We've Integrated into the workshops-held list are countries where people minister who have attended a workshop have then afterwards brought the teaching style of STS back to their country of service.
The chart below documents God's increase as it shows the current countries covered. 
Based on field reports and typical replication of STS, we conservatively estimated that, after that first four year span, 300,000 people were using STS principles in ministry.
Certified STS instructors now span the globe, and 22 training centers spread over all six populated continents.
How Does This Happen?
As with other movements of God, people plant, God gives the increase.
In our initial testing of Simply The Story, we presented the concept to our leaders in The God’s Story Project in USA, Asia, Africa, and India. These leaders had previously partnered with TGSP to produce multiple language versions of God Story: From Creation to Eternity. They heartily embraced STS.
Then, to launch Simply The Story, we made a five-country, 42-day, 20-seminar trip. We trained Christian leaders in the STS way of using pure and complete Bible stories, and of doing interactive, inductive Bible study, oral style. After experiencing STS, many of these leaders immediately included leading STS workshops as a part of their God-given ministry assignments.
Since that time, these leaders have attempted to respond to the huge interest generated by those inaugural Simply the Story workshops.
Almost none of these leaders are financially supported by TGSP. A few key country leaders do receive travel money, as needed, when STS is planted in new regions and countries.
First Disciples … Then Disciplers
We discovered that those who attended these workshops immediately began using STS concepts in ministry and in the training of others. Within the first two years, due to the design of training and certifying of instructors that developed and the replicability of STS, we saw these results:
1. Workshop attendees understood Scripture for themselves.
2. Attendees spontaneously began productive evangelization and discipleship.
3. Workshop attendees learned how to train others.
4. Those they trained began to train yet others. (see Multiple Generations)
Some of these listed are not stand-alone countries, but may be protectorates or another sub-classification. We list this way, not just to make the list look more impressive if it is longer (and it does), it is because it we want to see what regions have and have not had some kind of STS coverage. I.E. it was a milestone to see the one done in Republic of Ireland by instructors from N Ireland. Many fragment countries such as Sudan split because the separate regions had very different identities. We track where STS has been or has a witness, and places we yet want to cover.
w = workshop held. p = person(s) using STS there.
|
STS-What & Why