The OneStory Alliance

The OneStory Alliance officially launched in 2004 by Cru and IMB missionaries who saw the effectiveness of sharing God’s word in story form with unreached people groups (UPGs). Using their connections at two of the largest missions organizations in the world, they strategically invited other ministries that added insight and knowhow to join forces to forge strategies and rediscover old paths to complete the great commission in the coming decades.

Over 70% of the unreached language groups of the world don’t learn new information through abstract logic or reading like lists, sermons or lectures. These cultures often have no printed Bible, and even if it was produced, those oral communicators couldn’t read it anyway.

We look forward to the day when all tribes and ethnicities gain full, unabridged access to God’s word in their own language but how most will receive is from streaming media on a mobile device, not written text.

While OneStory Alliance no longer functions, the main organizations that were still active through 2023 included: Wycliffe, YWAM, TWR, Pioneers, The Alliance, The Seed Company and SIL International.

One of the legacies of this work are story sets in 110 languages crafted by field workers. These stories are used by mother tongue storytellers to plant churches and give believers access to the Scriptures in their heart language, often for the first time.

Some of the first story sets were developed by the founding organizations who later left on friendly terms to pursue orality projects for UPGs on their own. We honor the work of all who continue to develop and share best practices for reaching the lost as gospel communication over the centuries has transition from primarily oral, to print to digital media.