We are an international organization whose
purpose is to communicate the sacred stories
of the biblical tradition. Click the logo below for Blank Bible Challenge to watch some of our storytellers!
We Tell and Hear Biblical Stories
We seek to bring out the storytelling and the story sharing abilities of individuals. As such, we encourage the learning, telling and hearing of biblical stories. We are committed to cultivating the learning and telling of stories by offering various levels and methods of study.
A leader in the field of performance criticism of the Bible, NBS
supports the storytelling of the scriptures through scholarly debate and
discovery; networking between members; its quarterly magazine, The Biblical Storyteller;
e-communications by our scholars; performance opportunities and
regional events; workshops on biblical storytelling; continuing
education through our Academy for Biblical Storytelling; and our annual
convention, The Festival Gathering.
Read about our members work in this article from the Episcopal News Service.
We Explore the Connection between the Biblical Stories and Contemporary Life
We realize and understand that each of us comes to the story of God in a unique manner. When our story is connected appropriately with the story of God, there is revelation. As such, some will be moved to laughter, others to tears. Some listeners/tellers will take on societal and political issues, while others will engage in contemplative prayer. We do not seek to determine or manipulate how God should move an individual but rather encourage open expression and response to the story as we embrace, grapple and wrestle with the text.
We Find Divine Power for Transforming Our Lives
We strive to tell the story without fear, believing that Christ calls his followers to influence both individuals and the culture in which they live. We believe that the sacred stories of the biblical tradition have the power to transform the lives of both teller and hearer.
We Have Our Deepest Needs Met
We believe that the foundation and impetus for our desire to tell the biblical text begins with the gratitude for the gift of the stories of Scripture. Energized by that gratitude, and in joy for "being connected with God's story," we learn, tell and listen to the stories as a resource for our individual journey, and offer the stories to others for worship, retreats, or conferences.
We Encourage Research
A goal of the Network is to encourage research on the implications of biblical storytelling for biblical scholarship.
The mission of NBS is to encourage everyone to learn and tell biblical stories.
Interested in what we do? Start by putting your name on our
e-communications list. You can receive information about regional
biblical storytelling workshops and events and learn more about our
Festival Gathering. Subscriptions to our colorful, content rich,
quarterly magazine, The Biblical Storyteller, are only $25.00. If you become a member you will receive our quarterly Scholarly Musings in addition to The Biblical Storyteller and other benefits. Ready
for workshops, dynamic storytelling performances day and night
plus fabulous keynote lectures by internationally respected biblical
scholars? Register for our annual Festival Gathering!
New Doctor of Ministry Program in "Biblical Storytelling in Digital Culture" being offered by Tom Boomershine
and Tim Coombs
This program will provide education and training in the understanding and implementation of a new paradigm for communicating
and understanding the Bible in post-literate, digital culture. The
paradigm recognizes that the Bible was originally performed for
audiences by heart. Participants will demonstrate a mastery of the basic
theory and practice of biblical storytelling and performance criticism
in ministry, including the performance of the Bible in worship and
education, the enabling of others in biblical performance, and the study
of biblical compositions as performance literature. Participants will
explore and develop biblical tellings that are responsive to the current
digital media culture. The projects will explore original action
research in the implementation of this new framework in the practice of
ministry.
To learn more about this program contact Dr. Tim Coombs at tcoombs@earthlink.net or click the United logo above to go to their website!