Teaching Bible engagement …
The importance of teaching Bible engagement.
I’ve attended many local churches during my Christian life, yet I’ve never attended a church where the congregation are taught how to read, reflect, remember and respond to God’s Word. That’s alarming, especially when comprehensive research reveals that reading and reflecting on God’s Word is the primary factor in our personal and congregational spiritual health and growth.
One would think that teaching Bible engagement would be something every pastor would regularly do with his/her congregation. But they usually don’t. The average Christian in the average church has never been practically coached in how to contemplate, pray, synthesize, analyze, meditate, study, interpret, imagine, listen, memorize, journal, sing, or apply God’s Word.
Looking back to when I was a pastor, I confess that I didn’t teach Bible engagement. Why? Because I didn’t identify it as a priority and because my focus was generally on preaching, counselling, and organizing the church’s ministry.
Helping your congregation develop Bible engagement skills.
Hindsight is 20/20. If I ever pastor a congregation again, I’d do many things differently. One thing I’d do would be to teach everyone how to engage with the Bible. This is not because my existing ministry involves advocating for Bible engagement but because I’m convinced that the most helpful thing a pastor can do for a congregation is facilitate encounters with Jesus in and through His Word.
One of the things pastors need to guard against is good things becoming the enemy of what’s best. Yes, it’s good to preach and teach God’s Word. But when preaching and teaching cultivate spiritual dependence on a pastor and not a reliance on God’s Word, then the good becomes the enemy of what’s best.
American preacher Francis Chan says, “Church is the way it is because we led them here.” Pastors, maybe it’s time to change up what you’re doing. How can you help your congregation develop the skills to correctly handle the word of truth (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15)? And, what would it take for you to enable everyone in your congregation (young and old) to connect regularly and effectively with God’s Word?
More than small group Bible study …
Most pastors would probably agree that a large group of people in their church are spiritual infants. Mature believers are sometimes few and far between. Even though solid biblical teaching may exist in a church, a congregation often reaches a spiritual plateau beyond which they don’t grow. So, to help people grow spiritually, we often invite them to join a mid-week small group.
Mid-week small groups play a part in helping people engage with the Bible. But mid-week small groups aren’t enough. People can attend a small group and still lack the personal skills required for effective reading, reflecting, remembering and responding to God’s Word. That’s because studying God’s Word with others isn’t the same as developing an individual’s capacity to meet with God daily in the Word.
All this suggests that pastors should never assume, as I did, that simply knowing how to read (or listen) and having a Bible reading plan or guide is enough for people in a congregation to engage with God’s Word. Bible engagement, the type that builds mature believers, requires much more than an ability to read/listen.
So pastors, if you’re serious about your calling “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12), please make teaching Bible engagement one of your top priorities.
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Summary
Many pastors overlook teaching congregations how to engage with the Bible beyond just reading it, even though Bible engagement is crucial for spiritual growth. It’s not enough to provide a Bible reading plan; Christians need practical coaching on how to reflect, meditate, apply, and memorize Scripture. While small groups can help, they often don’t equip individuals with the personal skills needed for consistent, deep Bible engagement. Pastors should prioritize teaching these skills to help their congregation connect with God’s Word, leading to stronger, more mature believers.
© Scripture Union Canada
