Overview
StoryRunners is a ministry initiative of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), launched in 2003 to communicate the message of the Bible among unreached people groups, particularly those in oral cultures who learn best through spoken narrative rather than written text. The organization focuses on equipping individuals and communities to create and share oral Bible stories in their own languages, with the goal of fostering evangelism, discipleship, and church planting movements.
StoryRunners was established in response to challenges faced by Cru in the late 1990s, when traditional, literacy-based ministry tools proved ineffective among populations without access to Scripture in their native languages or among those who could not read. Recognizing that many cultures rely on oral communication, the ministry adopted storytelling as a primary method of sharing biblical content in culturally relevant and accessible ways.
The mission of StoryRunners is to help fulfill the Great Commission by enabling oral learners to engage with biblical narratives in ways that resonate deeply within their cultural context. Its broader vision is to see communities of Christian faith established among every unreached people group in oral cultures worldwide.
History
The origins of StoryRunners trace back to the broader work of Cru, founded in 1951 by Bill and Vonette Bright at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As Cru expanded globally, it encountered significant barriers in reaching people groups lacking written Scripture or literacy skills. For example, projects like the Jesus Film often required adapting to oral learning methods, as some participants could not read scripts and instead learned through repetition and listening.
In response, StoryRunners was launched in 2003 to address these challenges through oral Bible storytelling. Initially partnering with other storytelling ministries, StoryRunners developed its own distinctive methodology, most notably the “School of Storying.” Over time, the ministry expanded its scope to include training church planters, lay leaders, and students, as well as exploring applications of storytelling in areas such as trauma healing and theological education in non-Western contexts.
| Title | Type | Language | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| StoryRunners — full collection | Audio | 100 languages |