Dependence on Literacy Strategy - Taking a Hard Second Look

This is the title of an article I read this morning that I thought you might like to see.  The author is Herbert Klem, and it was first published in the International Journal of Frontier Missions (12.2 Apr-Jun 1995)

Here is one quick blurb I found on the Scripture Engagement website:

It is possible that the literacy based approach as applied in non-reading communities reaches best those who most want to escape from the traditional culture into the modern world of wealth and technology, but it may not be successful in reaching the majority of the people, or the poor in many regions.

After over 150 years of literacy based mission strategy, we will still miss half the world if we continue believing that people must read in order to receive the Word.

 If you have time to read the entire article, it will change the way you define "effective missions strategies."  For me, it provided further confirmation that our ministry of reaching unreached people groups has been on the cutting edge. 

When we started out in missions back in 1986, we were considered "Literacy Specialists" - until we abandoned the idea of forcing people to learn to read in order to be engaged with the scriptures.  We still provided literacy classes for those who wanted to learn to read, but our experience in Guatemala (and later in Oaxaca) proved that most non-literate people are oral learners, and needed alternative methods of receiving the gospel.

Link: Article on IJFM website