Literacy.

It's something we're all familiar with, and there are plenty of opportunities for us to learn to read and write as children or adults. But in a culture without a written language, literacy is an unfamiliar concept. Not only does it take a lot of time to learn a language, but developing an alphabet for a tribe, and teaching it, takes even more.

So why bother? Why not just learn the language of a people group and share the important points of the Bible, and move on to another people group? It would be faster. Besides, tribal people use stories to teach. Stories seem like a natural fit for the setting.
Unfortunately, stories aren't enough to plant the solid foundation that both a maturing believer and church need.

"We would do well," wrote Larry Goring, NTM's International Field Ministries Coordinator, "to consider Jesus' ministry in its historical and cultural context, and also to look at His entire ministry, if we indeed desire to follow His model."

"We know from the rest of Scripture that Jesus spoke more than parables. He preached and taught clearly on adultery, divorce, murder, hell and the requirements of the Law. Only one-fifth of the Sermon on the Mount is in story or parable form; the rest is straightforward teaching," wrote Larry.

One large concern when it comes to just telling Bible stories is syncretism, according to Larry, when old beliefs and traditions are mixed with biblical teachings. Oral traditions are fluid and changing, with elements being added or forgotten along the way.
Take the biblical story of the Flood as an example. Hundreds of cultures have various versions of how it happened, why it happened, and who was involved. We know the source of the story, that it wasn't water from the wounds of a great ice giant named Ymir, that a giant snake did not chase the water back.
The truth that this was God's judgment became confused in oral traditions over time. Ymir is part of Norse mythology and a giant snake is found in many flood stories around the world.

When stories from the Bible are treated in the same way as traditional stories, they are lowered to that level. The story of Abraham moving in faith to sacrifice Isaac becomes as important as one instructing the people to bury their dead where they die to avoid spirits finding and attacking the village. Other elements could then be added into Abraham's story. Without a solid biblical text to draw from, who can say that a spirit didn't intervene, saving Isaac?

If there was no concrete source to draw from, biblical truths would start to be distorted as soon as missionaries left a people group.

Without a written form, there is no differentiation between the Word of God and tribal narratives. As the NTM Translation Manual puts it, "Early on in our presentation of truth, we work hard to establish that the authority of our teaching is the written Word of God (for if not, how does it differ from any other story that has been passed down through the ages?). The Word of God translated into the vernacular of the people is the visual evidence of that truth. We demonstrate our claim that God earnestly desires to communicate with man when we do the difficult work of Bible translation."

Being able to read the Bible not only guarantees the stories will stay true to the Word. It also means tribal people can grow in their faith. If someone knows just a few Bible stories, they will, at best, be a baby Christian. Our goal and calling is to create disciples, who then go and disciple others. (Matthew 28:19-20)

There's also joy and accomplishment when someone learns how to read. Not too long ago, an older man took his time carefully writing his name and title on a chalkboard: Maadi Damfaxa, village chief. He faced the audience and said, "I have passed 60 years and because of these [missionaries] that have come, I am now two things. I am God's child and I can read His Word."

Being able to read God's Word in their own language gives a people group a sense of ownership and pride, making it far more valuable than getting it in the trade language. It's also easier to understand a text if it is in the reader's native tongue.

Teaching literacy also changes the culture of a people group in a positive manner. It preserves it. When a language is unwritten, it can die. When a language dies, a culture dies. Words get forgotten, stories fade from memory. As the world becomes smaller, languages that have written forms are spoken more and more in tribal locations. Cell phones and name-brand sodas are being spotted in remote locations all over the world. If there is to be any preservation, the language needs to be written.

Telling people the stories and teaching people orally can only create believers. Giving a people group the means to grow through literacy and the Bible in their own language creates maturing Christians and healthy churches. It takes more time, but the end result is more than worth it.