How to improve Bible engagement …
What’s the most critical thing that can be done to ramp up Bible engagement?
Before we answer the question, it may be helpful to review what the church has been doing to invite and encourage connections with the Bible:
From a distribution perspective.
Bibles, Bible reading guides, Bible commentaries and dictionaries, daily devotions, reading plans and a host of biblical tools, media and resources have been printed and published. In addition to printed materials, the Bible and related resources have been made available online and through audio and/or visual formats like DVDs, Apps, MP3s, CDs, and such. In fact, the Bible is more accessible in more formats, through more mediums, to more people, and in more languages than ever before!
From an interactive perspective.
Churches, Bible colleges and agencies have facilitated and promoted the reading, singing, studying, discussing, dramatizing, memorizing, teaching and preaching of the Scriptures. Films, games, seminars, billboards, workshops, museums, courses, competitions, plays, t-shirts, stained glass, tattoos, paintings, talk shows and other creative means are employed to publicize, promote, proclaim, illustrate, advocate or communicate the Word.
Working harder.
But despite everything that’s been done, Bible engagement in the Western world is in decline.
So, what are we doing about the decline? Pastors are urging their congregations to read the Bible, church boards are praying about it, small group leaders are buying Rick Warren’s 40 Days in the Word, seminaries are promoting biblical studies courses, and Bible agencies are creating more products.
When things don’t go how we want them to, we work harder, attempt something new, do what someone else is doing, or try to improve what we’ve been doing. Sometimes, we make excuses, blame others or give up. But most of the time, we fight the good fight. We strive to leverage social media, seek to understand culture better, work to overcome negative perceptions, harness technology, rebrand, innovate – anything to keep on keeping on.
The trouble is that more of what we’ve been doing produces the same results. Yes, there are mission agencies, Bible agencies, local churches and organizations with success stories – but in the grand scheme of things, we have to face the facts – there are fewer Westerners engaging with the Bible today compared to twenty years ago (e.g. a 50% decline in weekly Bible reading in Canada since 1996).
A radical paradigm shift.
This naturally leads us to ask, “Is there any hope?” Always! But we need a radical paradigm shift. We must stop thinking we can do something to improve Bible engagement and start calling on God to do what only He can do. We need supernatural intervention for a supernatural problem.
So, what can only God do to improve Bible engagement? Many things. But perhaps the most important thing is for God to save people from their sins and incline their hearts to Him.
Belief matters! When people love Christ, they love His Word. A correlation of findings from Bible engagement studies reveals that most people who intentionally engage with the Bible have embraced Christ by faith alone, i.e., Spirit-filled children of God. Real Christians connect with the Bible because that’s what real Christians do (real Christians are spiritually inclined and constrained to live by the Bible’s precepts).
Connecting people with Jesus.
Here’s the bottom line: The decline in Bible engagement is primarily a relational problem – people aren’t connected to Jesus. “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” John 8:47 (ESV).
If people are not real Christians, the main task is not getting them to read/hear the Word; evangelism is the chief task. In short, to ramp up Bible engagement, we must focus on leading people to Christ.
Join the conversation. Please share your suggestions for how to improve Bible engagement.
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Summary
To improve Bible engagement, the church has made the Bible more accessible through various mediums and created numerous interactive resources, but engagement continues to decline despite these efforts. While many programs and initiatives exist, they haven’t reversed the downward trend in Bible reading, especially in the Western world. The solution lies in a radical paradigm shift: rather than relying on strategies and products; the church must call on God for supernatural intervention to change hearts. Ultimately, Bible engagement is a relational issue—people need to be connected to Jesus, as real Christians naturally engage with His Word.
© Scripture Union Canada
