Working definitions of Scripture engagement …
Bible Research Summit working definitions.
In ongoing efforts to understand the nature and scope of Scripture engagement, researchers and practitioners at the recent Bible Research Summit drafted the following three working definitions:
1. Scripture engagement is encountering God/Jesus through a process/lifestyle of quality interaction in/with the Story as part of a lifestyle of living in and living out of the Story so that individuals and communities are transformed. [This is a cyclical process. That is, individuals and communities continuously reengage/encounter God/Jesus through a process/lifestyle of quality interaction in/with the Story as part of a lifestyle of living in and out of the Story].
2. Scripture engagement occurs when the big Story of God/Jesus/humanity, motivated by its authority or its potential relevance (passion vs. skepticism), occasionally or through some habitual practice, which includes various media (e.g. reading, audio, groups, etc.) that contain Scripture content and an application of/resulting in a response to the Word which cultivates transformation in individuals and communities.
3. Scripture engagement occurs when circumstances or posture inspired by the Holy Spirit combine to create a desire to discover/explore the story of how God engages humanity through the habitual seeking of the Word through various mediums (individual, group, audio, visual, written) resulting in the transformation that is Christocentric/Christ-like.
Composite working definition.
Taken together and simply stated, the three definitions identify Scripture engagement as:
An encounter with God/Jesus
that is a motivated/inspired interaction with God’s Story
that includes various media
that involves an individual or communal activity/response/application
that cultivates/results in transformation
The goal of the Bible Research Summit.
The American Bible Society hosted the Bible Research Summit. The goal of the Summit was to discuss the history, current practices and future needs of measuring Scripture engagement.
Researchers and practitioners.
Chris Armas – Code for the Kingdom
Lizette Beard – LifeWay Research
Steven Bird – Taylor University
Chad Causey – OneHope
Mark Forshaw – Global Scripture Impact
David Kinnaman – Barna Group
Nancy Lewis – REVEAL
Jason Malec – American Bible Society
Lawson Murray – Scripture Union
Pam Ovwigo – Center for Bible Engagement
Glenn Paauw – Biblica
Tyler Prieb – OneHope
Angela Rogers – Connection Media
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Summary
Three working definitions of Scripture engagement were developed at the Bible Research Summit. These definitions emphasize the process of encountering God through a lifestyle of interaction with the biblical Story, leading to transformation in individuals and communities. Scripture engagement involves using various media (e.g., reading, audio, groups) to respond to God’s Story, often motivated by passion and a desire for transformation. The summit aimed to explore how Scripture engagement is measured and its current practices, with input from various researchers and practitioners.
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