scripturesinuse.org

What It Is

Scriptures in Use (SIU) is a nonprofit organization based in Green Valley, Arizona, USA, founded in 1986 by Jim and Carla Bowman. Its educational focus lies mainly in missions and discipleship training, rather than functioning as a mainstream online course platform. The organization aims to help unreached, unengaged, and oral-culture communities understand and apply the Bible in their local languages and cultural contexts through storytelling and Oral Bible Strategies.

Core Courses and Methods

SIU’s core methods include Bridges training, Bible storytelling, dramatized presentations of Jesus’ parables, and adapting Scripture into songs that fit local cultures. Its emphasis is not on text-based study, but on oral communication training for “Oral-Preference Learners.” The site highlights empowering local and Indigenous leaders to become storytellers, disciple-makers, and grassroots church planters.

Pricing and Certificates

The website does not disclose standard course pricing, class hours, class formats, or enrollment procedures. Its pages mainly offer a Donate option and mention support for missionary trainers or partner training gifts, making it appear more like a donation- and partnership-supported model. As for accreditation or certificates, no clear information is provided, so it should not be regarded as a course that leads to formal academic credentials or professional certification.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its very clear positioning, with a focus on people with low literacy levels and those who prefer oral learning; its emphasis on local languages, cultural respect, reproducibility, and sustainability; and its long organizational history, along with publicly listed impact data such as oral Bible church planting, new believers, and Bridges participants. Its weaknesses include limited transparency around course information, with a lack of detailed syllabi, teaching formats, pricing, certification details, learning support, and outcome assessment. At the same time, its content has a strong religious orientation, which makes its applicability relatively narrow.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is better suited to Christian mission organizations, church leaders, cross-cultural ministry workers, and those who want to learn oral Bible storytelling training. It is not suitable for users looking for general education courses, career skills certificates, or a Chinese-language online learning platform. Access from mainland China cannot be determined from the available site content and is therefore listed as unknown.