Yangon, Myanmar: Have you ever had someone ask you, “So what is it that the Church of the Nazarene believes?” Have you ever found yourself struggling to be able to answer this question?
If your answer to either of the above questions is yes, you are not alone! In fact, many people find that they struggle remembering the 16 Articles of Faith (AoF) that make up the core beliefs of the Church of the Nazarene. Core beliefs that don’t just belong to the Nazarene church, but to those everywhere who identify themselves as Christians.
The Sunday School Discipleship Ministries International team from Myanmar (Burma) addressed these questions in a very tangible and impactful way! They invited Ray and Becky Neu, who have been working with global SDMI and Tell THE Story, to come and teach Southeast Asia Nazarene Bible College (SEANBC) students and district pastors, how to teach the AoF through story!
January 26-28, nearly 40 people participated in the Tell THE Story, Articles of Faith Training, at the SEANBC main campus in Yangon, Myanmar. The creative and intuitive Articles of Faith Study Map, which focuses on aiding memorization through the use of picture association, was clearly effective in aiding participants to not only remember but understand the core beliefs of the Church.
The demonstrated recall and understanding of the AoF between the first and third day were clear evidence of the effectiveness of the training.
Perhaps most effective, were the several hours spent in “contextualizing” the Study Map. Ray challenged the participants to really consider the images on the map. Do they speak the same meaning to you in your culture? What might better define “church” in your context? How about, “atonement,” “justification?” At the end of the seminar, the students were given the chance to collectively, “refine” the study map to make it more impacting and meaningful for the people of Myanmar.
So how about you? Would you like to have a solid foundational answer for what it is that you believe? Could the members of your church or small group benefit from a refreshing review of the Core Beliefs of Christianity? Visit the following link http://www.studymaps.org
Resources that are available include:
- Study maps in multiple languages
- Guide for teaching the AoF using the Study Maps.
- Other visual study maps for the Ten Commandments and the books of the Bible.
If there were ever a time to know what you believe – now is that time. Like the Myanmar church, take advantage of these great resources!
There is even an App for that! Get the Articles of Faith Study Maps mobile application for iOS or Android by following this link:
Play Store
App Store
