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Ten Bible Engagement Facts Every Pastor Needs To Know

Here are ten key Bible engagement facts* every pastor needs to know:

  1. Bible engagement and church attendance are inextricably linked
  2. People who read the Scriptures a few times a week will usually attend church frequently
  3. Local churches that major on Bible engagement are more likely to grow
  4. Bible engagement is the primary factor that sustains and nourishes faith
  5. Robust conversations about the Bible are strongly correlated with church health
  6. Christians are built-up spiritually primarily through conversations about the Scriptures
  7. When confidence in the Bible is nurtured, church attendance is strengthened
  8. If people don’t have confidence in the Bible, they probably won’t attend church
  9. People who believe the Bible is relevant to life are more likely to attend church
  10. People who believe the Bible is the “Word of God” are six times more likely to attend church weekly

With the above facts in mind, how should the local church be aligned to better facilitate and encourage Bible engagement? Pastors, here are ten practical suggestions:

  1. Encourage everyone in the congregation to regularly read and reflect on the Scriptures
  2. Equip people with Bible reading guides, plans and resources that help them develop and sustain daily Bible reading disciplines e.g., Scripture Union Guides
  3. Cultivate small groups that facilitate vigorous conversations about the Scriptures
  4. Promote, preach and teach the trustworthiness, relevance, usefulness, inspiration and uniqueness of the Bible
  5. Create opportunities or forums for people to discuss the weekly sermon and associated Scripture text
  6. Train people in public Scripture reading so that the Bible is read dynamically, clearly and compellingly
  7. Have Bibles available in the pew and actively encourage people to use them during services and gatherings
  8. Provide opportunities for people to publicly share how God strengthens, supports, comforts, inspires, informs or guides them by His Word
  9. Give everyone who doesn’t have a Bible an age appropriate easy to read version (maintain a supply of Bibles, advertise availability of free Bibles)
  10. Highlight the importance of Bible engagement with an annual program, quest or activity that the congregation does together e.g., E100 Challenge

 

*[The ten facts are gleaned from the research findings of the Canadian Bible Engagement Study (CBES). The CBES is the first ever comprehensive national study of why Canadians do or do not connect with the Bible. World-class market research company Angus Reid Strategies, led by Angus Reid, conducted the survey. The CBES sampled 4,500 Canadians regarding their use, beliefs about, and attitudes toward the Bible. You can download the CBES for free at www.bibleengagementstudy.ca]

© Scripture Union Canada 2014


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Why Pastors Should Make Bible Engagement Their Priority

The single most beneficial thing pastors can do for their congregations is help them read and reflect on the Scriptures. Bible engagement is critical for spiritual health and growth. The primary catalyst for developing mature Christians is Bible reading coupled with reflection. In fact Scripture reflection has twice the power of any other spiritual discipline to advance people in their love for God and others.

Bible reading and reflection on the biblical text are two distinct spiritual disciplines. Pastor, if you’re preaching about the importance of Bible reading and provisioning members of your congregation with a Bible reading plan, you’re not doing enough. Don’t assume that Bible reading will result in reflection on Scripture. Reflection must be taught, modeled and facilitated. The best way to facilitate reflection on Scripture is to equip your congregation with resources designed for this purpose.

So what are the resources that help people actively reflect on God’s Word? Not devotional books. Books with illustrations or stories tied to a text are not designed to help people chew on and suck the sustenance out of the Scriptures. Some of the best resources for Scripture reflection are Scripture Union’s Bible reading guides. Scripture Union’s Bible reading guides are published quarterly, take the reader through the Old and New Testaments in 4-5 years, and are available for all ages. Uniquely, the reading guides are built on the Scripture Union Bible Reading Method™ – a methodology designed to help readers actively engage with the Scripture text, get caught up in it, receive it, and reenact it.

Bible reading, together with reflection on the Scriptures, results in strong Christians and healthy churches. According to the Reveal survey there are 25 significant catalysts that help people grow in Christian faith. Of these catalysts, reading and reflecting on Scripture outstrips the other catalysts by a 75 percentile. Pastor, if you could choose only one thing to help your congregation grow spiritually, reflection on Scripture should be your number one choice.

© Scripture Union Canada, 2012

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