after workshops how to use sts

When people attend a Simply The Story workshop, they usually leave very excited about what they have gained from the stories. They also desire to share Bible stories with others. But when and how to share stories and what to do when others ask to be taught how to tell stories can be the challenge.

The last day of a workshop, the instructors share some of the diverse ways the stories can be used the STS way. Attendees all receive the Booklet, Ministry That Multiplies, in the workshop. (It is available in more than one language). It contains a great road map for putting into practice what has been learned in the STS workshop.

Additionally we give examples of using STS in such places as personal devotions, family times together, home fellowships, church studies, church services, school, work and even in the market place of life in unplanned opportunities. All of these are good places to use STS skills. Also, we assure people that the ability to spontaneously tell the short, 5-minute stories will come in time with practice and it is VERY useful.

Who Can Teach STS Workshops?

We do strongly say, “Do not to try to run trainings until you have the official STS certification.” We REALLY want to see workshops led all over the world, everywhere from metropolitan areas to the most remote regions of the world. Consequently, we are certifying instructors as quickly as possible.

Attendees anxious to share what they learned in a workshop, but who run ahead and lead trainings without certification, either leave out needed information or introduce changes that dilute that core strength of STS. Even though their trainings are based on STS concepts, the symmetry of what makes up a full workshop is lost.

We have learned that it takes 2 or 3 workshop experiences and some homework and practice to be certified. Unauthorized workshops (whether called STS or given some other name) give attendees less quality than they could receive in a pure STS workshop, and, as a result, those who learn the altered content experience less fruitfulness than those who receive full instructions. Unfortunately, in these attendees’ minds, it is STS that has failed. So later, when these people have an opportunity to experience a true STS workshop, they are not interested as they think they have already learned STS.

Realistically, the need and the interest world wide to learn STS skills and concepts currently exceed our ability to lead workshops. However, we have other options available where people can learn STS.

Ways Besides Workshop to Learn STS

We offer Simply The Story Practitioner Audio Training. Solar Powered audio players provide STS instructions, and lead listeners through 52 stories and the discovery of sample treasures in every story. Use of this tool equips learners to tell individual stories, so practitioners are created. As well, from repetition, the principles of STS on how to discover treasures and to form questions slowly seeps into people’s skills and understanding.

The completion of the training DVD will supplement this audio training and will also help those who attend workshops to review what they learned. This enables those who are interested in certification to become instructors more quickly.

Perhaps by now you are thinking that, although you can use STS to bring God’s truth to others, that we don’t think that you should teach STS concept to others. Not so! We do! As you continue to read on, you will see a natural way to minister using STS and to wisely and effectively hand off STS to others.

Discipleship-Multiplication Model of STS

Another special way to minister with STS and to grow in skill is to use the Discipleship-Multiplication model of STS. After attendees leave a workshop, they often have opportunities to tell stories regularly to one interested person (or more than one). If those interested in hearing stories are believers, they will often ask, “Teach us how to tell Bible stories this way.”

Those who attend one workshop, and who are able to tell an STS story, CAN teach others how to tell stories!!! This is what we suggest: pick a chronological sequence of stories, such as stories in Genesis. For example, cover the life of Abraham. (A document with more details on this sequence of stories is available on request.)

Sample of chronological stories that can be used in STS

Story #1 Genesis 12:10-20 Abraham’s Lie
Story #2 Genesis 13:8-18 Family Argument
Story #3 Genesis 14: 14-24 Abram Rescues Lot
Story #4 Genesis 15: 8-18 God’s Covenant to Abram
Story #5 Genesis 16:1-13 Sarai, Abram and Hagar
Story #6 Genesis 18:1-15 Promise to Sarah
Story #7 Genesis 18:15-26 Abraham Barters With God

In general, select the told part of the story to be 6 to 12 verses long. If the story is much longer, you may want to condense the first part into a short introduction to give context to the part that you will explore using questions.

If those to whom you minister weekly by telling them a story want to learn how to prepare and share STS stories for themselves, we list below how to teach them. Let us assume in this possible situation that you will be able to tell these people (your new “students”) one story a week. The progression below is just an approximate schedule for handing off STS concepts and skills. As your students show understanding and skill in what you have taught, then move on and teach your students the next skill listed.

Week One

The first week, tell story #1, Abraham’s Lie in the STS style (presenting the story the 3 different ways, and then engaging the listeners in discussion using observation and application questions).

After the discussion of the story is completed, explain the presentation process to the students. (The presentation is listed early in the STS Handbook on one page titled Chapter 3, Simply the Story, A One Page Overview.) Tell what you did and why you did it that way. After reviewing the process several times, suggest to the students, “During the coming week, could you consider sharing with others this same story you just experienced?” Explain how they can follow the same presentation process to tell the story.

Ask the new students to consider to whom they might be able to tell the story. Suggest to your students that they might want to ask questions similar to the ones they just answered. If you have time for them to repeat the story back to you once more, do that. Keep your “training” time easy. Remind these brand new storytellers to ask the person to whom they tell the story to repeat the story back, “as much as you can remember.” Encourage the students to just share the story and to try to ask questions as they are able. Again, keep your instructions to the students easy this first time.

Week Two

The next week, start your time together by asking your students, “Were able to share the story with anyone?” Let the students talk about what happened. Listen carefully to try to learn what went well, and what did not. This listening encourages the students and enables you to discern how you can best help them improve their style. This is not the time to correct or teach; just listen.

Ask your students to tell you as much of the presentation process as they can remember. Go over the process once more unless they can tell it back to you fairly correctly. Then tell story #2, Family Argument, to your students.

Complete telling this second full STS story, including asking the questions that help the students discover treasures. Then tell your students a very simple overview of the preparation part of the process.

Just mention how you look for treasures by observing what the characters in the story say and do, and the choices made and not made, and the results. Also mention how you want them to discover how those observations might apply to us today. Then ask the students to tell the preparation process back to you, as best as they are able.

Again, encourage the students to pray for opportunities to share this second story, Family Argument, with others and to talk about it with them.

Third Week

When the students return the third week, again, first ask them if they had opportunity to share the story, Family Argument. Let them describe how it was received. Each time they share their storytelling experiences, you encourage them and listen well. Notice where they struggled with the process. This will help you after you tell your next story to know how to best help your students.

Tell your third full STS story, #3, Abram Rescues Lot. Afterwards, share more specifics about the preparation and tell them the Crowd illustration. (The Crowd is in the handbook)

If the students are literate, as well, give them a bookmark in their mother tongue to help them remember the process. (Of course, only give out literature if carrying Christian material is not a danger to the students.) Teaching the students more about how to find observations will gently help them to better see how the questions are formed to explore stories. Again, encourage the students to tell the Abram Rescues Lot story to anyone God allows them to share with.

Before the students leave, give them the Scripture reference for the story that you will tell them the next week # 4, God’s Covenant to Abram. If the students are not literate or do not have written Scripture that covers this story, read it to them.

This is an ideal time to teach how to learn a story. Explain the difference between remembering a story, which is knowing the exact content, and in memorizing, which is knowing the exact words. Tell how to learn a story by reading it out loud and then closing their eyes and repeating what they remember.

If students are not literate, or do not have Scripture, read the story to them and have them repeat back what they remember. In both methods, explain how you repeat the process again and again until the story is learned. Talk briefly about using expression and even actions when they tell the story back to you. Once again discuss and pray together about those to whom they might be able to tell this week’s story, Abram Rescues Lot.

Fourth Week

This next time together, again, listen to their reports of telling the Abram Rescues Lot story to others. Then, before you start telling the fourth story, God’s Covenant to Abram, ask the students to tell you the three ways of presenting a story in STS. After they tell you the answer of telling the story, asking for a volunteer and leading through the story, then surprise the students. Ask if one of them would like to present the story, God’s Covenant to Abram, in those three ways.

Explain how in STS, when a story is told and questions are asked, even though you as the storyteller know most of the answers, you will hold back and not say the answers, but instead allow the people to whom you are telling the story to discover truths for themselves.

This is a time that you can demonstrate this style by taking the role of “not knowing.” You can show this by the way you let them, the students, lead you through the story. If any of the leading through the story done by the student does is not clearly understandable, do not answer. Just look confused. Encourage and prompt the students to rephrase the lead through to help you remember the story.

After the lead through is completed, ask the students who were able to prepare the story during the previous week to tell you what observations they made about the people in this story. After they share all they saw, then ask how those observations might apply to us today.

Lastly, you complete phase two of the STS storytelling and ask your prepared questions to help the students discover what might be some added observations and applications. Tell the students to notice how you asked questions to lead them to the treasures you and they found!

Now give two assignments. First encourage the students to again go out and share a story STS style. Ask them to use the story that you taught them today, God’s Covenant to Abram. Second, (only if you think your students are ready) say, “Try as best as you are able to prepare the next story, #5, Sarai, Abram and Hagar, and be ready to teach it to me next week! If the most we achieve is that one of you is able only to tell me the story next week … and you remember only part of it …we will still celebrate together. Remember student our motto. It is always, ‘Do the best you can.’”

Fifth Week

The fifth week together let them share what happened during the week in telling the God’s Covenant to Abram story to others. Then, see how much they can do in telling you Sarai, Abram and Hagar, and in doing the whole STS process. If you have more than one student, they can divide up and share presentation process. For instance, one can tell the story and ask for a volunteer and another person can do the lead through. Then someone else can ask the observation and application questions.

If any student starts to skip any part of the process, gently remind the person of the proper place in the process where they should be. Afterwards, depending on how well they do, using questions you can fill added treasure as you feel led. Let them have as much feeling of success as possible. If you have some special treasures to offer, you can share those. Just be sure you do not make them feel as if they had failed.

Discuss again the whole process of preparation and presentation and always make sure the students feel comfortable in asking you questions about what to do and how to do it.

Assign (or teach) the students story #6, Promise to Sarah. Ask them to meditate on it over the week and prepare it for week six. Send the students out with the same instructions as given the previous week to share Sarai, Abram and Hagar with others.

Sixth Week

Do as you did in week five. Listen to reports of what happened when they told Sarai, Abram and Hagar. Let them tell you this week’s story, #6, Promise to Sarah, using the whole STS style as best they are able. Help them stay in the process, and then afterwards, through use of questions, you add in treasures you saw that they may not have covered. Encourage them to share Promise to Sarah during the next week.

Seventh Week

Start as you did in week five and six. Listen to reports of what happened when they told Promise to Sarah. Then together prepare Abraham Barters With God, using the style taught in the STS workshops and using the Gold Sheet.

From this time on, if your students seem ready, you begin to make your weekly meetings times of preparing the stories together. You all now will be discovering and sharing with each other the treasures you find. If you are working with non-literates or people who do not have the full Scriptures, you may need to always be the one who prepare the introductions and who reads the stories to your students.

If you have acquired the skill of 5 minute STS stories, your students should be ready soon for you to teach them that added skill.

You will be discipling in a most powerful way. You are teaching the Word to them, but also you are teaching your students to listen well to Scripture and to others. You will be equipping believers to share stories for evangelism and discipleship.

This Discipleship-Multiplication model shows a practical use of the STS story concepts. People will be discipled each week as you tell the story, and slowly, over time, the process seeps through to these initial listeners. In the meantime, those listeners, your students, will be touched by the Word as will you, the storyteller.

This dual purpose of discipleship and training enables the passing on of the story to yet others in a very practical and effective way. Those you teach can share with other listeners, family, friends or those they encounter. Some of those listeners may even pass on the story to yet others.

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