“What should we be doing in our language program for Scripture Use?”… Too often, the decision is made based on what the team members enjoy or are good at, what an outspoken individual in the language group is asking for, or what worked in another language group. Although these are considerations, they are not the best place to start. We need to be thinking strategically about what we do and why we do it.
A key to scripture use is effective program planning. This paper argues that integrating aspects of Results Based Management with the Eight Conditions for Scripture Engagement increases the likelihood of vernacular scripture use among language communities with newly translated scripture.
Such planning should start by determining the ultimate spiritual Impact desired and assessing the contributing factors that are present or absent, including the strengths and weaknesses of the communities involved. A team can then work to determine the Outcomes needed to facilitate the desired Impact and the Activities that are necessary and sufficient to bring about those changes, along with the Inputs and Outputs for those activities.
