In the terraced hillsides of far western Nepal, a church is struggling to survive and grow in difficult terrain. Sixty people attend this church which meets at 9 pm so its members can farm during the day. There are no small groups, no children’s program, no offering, and no tradition of taking the Lord’s Supper. Church members do not pray out loud. One man has attended here for seven years, but knows almost nothing beyond how to become a Christian. For others, what they do know about the Bible has had little impact on their lives. They remain baby believers, still wavering between their commitment to Christ and the rituals and values of their religious background.

That described the situation last year in the Kalikot district of Nepal, and is representative of hundreds of immature, vulnerable churches across the area. Their growth and maturity is stunted by the scarcity of spiritual nourishment available to Christians in oral cultures.

Moved by this scarcity, OM Nepal decided to create two Village Ministry Teams which would spend three months at a time discipling believers in story form. People from oral cultures have a tremendous ability to learn and memorize stories. Through storytelling, the teams have helped believers understand God’s plan for His creation from Genesis to Revelation, often for the first time. The teams help to establish Christians in Nepal who not only believe, but live day-by-day according to the principles of God’s Word.

Kalikot’s small church was one of the first to ask for and receive a Village Ministry Team. The effect has been dramatic. After listening to the team’s Bible story presentations, church members understand portions of Scripture. As the pastor wrote, “now believers are getting strength from the words of God.” The church’s worship services have been transformed, and now include corporate prayers and enthusiastic participation from members. Believers have committed to meeting weekly in the morning and have started a fellowship rotation between their houses, some of which are three or four hours apart. Children go to Sunday School and sing songs about God in their villages, rather than lyrics from western movies.

After finishing their time in Kalikot, the Village Ministry Team will return in a few months to reinforce this still-fragile church. Meanwhile, they travel to other districts to partner with similar oral-based churches. Church by church, they seek to encourage, motivate, and build up the Body of Christ by sharing The Story that He wrote for us to tell.

Please pray for growth in the oral-based churches of Nepal.