I had the privilege of being involved in the largest study ever conducted that asked congregants where they are at in their spiritual journey, what had catalyzed them to take a next step in their relationship with Christ, and how their church was doing in helping them. To date, I believe over 650,000 people took the survey.
The study is called Reveal and was originally created by the Willow Creek Association. During my time as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, I had the responsibility of utilizing the tool to help the leadership know where the congregants were in their spiritual journey, so we could help attendees take informed next steps.
The two largest learnings from this massive survey done in churches of every size, every location, every denomination, and every color over several decades were –
The #1 catalyst for spiritual growth is Bible engagement (there was no close second!).
The #1 thing people want from their church is to help them understand the Bible.
Eureka! – the number one thing people need is the number one thing people want.
I was born at night but not last night! The number one need has collided with the number one want. If you are going to put your eggs (your energy and resources) in one basket this is it. Help your people successfully engage God’s Word.
A Pattern Set in the Old Testament
Moses knew the importance of this and established a pattern for Israel to follow. He set this in place right before he died, knowing that the people would lose their way without it. In Deuteronomy 31 we find the program: every seven years during the Festival of Tabernacles, they were to gather the men, women, children and foreign residents together to read through the entire book of the law from beginning to end. The purpose? “…so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law” (Deut. 31:12 NIV). The goal wasn’t to be smarter, but to guide them in taking next steps in their faith journey.
In the very next paragraph, God told Moses that the people wouldn’t actually do it. And they didn’t. Fast forward eight hundred years— Israel is divided into two nations and in a heap of trouble. The northern kingdom of Israel with ten of the twelve tribes has already been eliminated by the Assyrians. The southern kingdom of Judah has experienced equal seasons of darkness and disobedience and holding on by a thread.
Then a bright spot appears. Josiah is appointed king of Judah at the age of eight. He pursued what was right in the eyes of the Lord. At the age of twenty-six, he had one of his men head to the temple to retrieve some money from storage to pay for some needed renovations on the temple. When his scribe got to the temple the priest says, “Hey I was in the storage room to get the money and found this book.” It was the book of the Law. The Bible got lost in the temple!
The scribe brings the Bible back to Josiah and the king has it read to him. Josiah tears his robe in an act of penitence and calls for all the people of Israel to gather and hear the book of the law from beginning to end just as Moses had commanded. It leads to the greatest revival in Israel’s history. Why? As it is today, so it was then – the number #1 catalyst for spiritual growth is Bible engagement with no close second. This not only happened under Josiah’s leadership, but check out Nehemiah 8-9 where Nehemiah and Ezra the priest do the same thing 175 years later with the same results.
Where do we go from here?
I don’t think much has changed. George Gallup, Jr. made this declaration after extensive research on the American people regarding their faith –
“The churches in America face no greater challenge than overcoming biblical illiteracy, and the prospects for doing so are formidable because the stark fact is, many Christians don’t know what they believe or why. Our faith is not rooted in scripture. We revere the Bible but don’t read it. Some observers maintain that the Bible has not in any profound way penetrated our culture.” – George Gallup, Jr.
It became very apparent to me that the folks in the first church I pastored didn’t know the basic storyline of the Bible. We even had “Bible” in our name. It seems that one of the most basic ROI’s (return on investment) for spending 5, 10, 15, 20 years in church is a firm grasp on the basic story of the Bible. But it wasn’t happening. It is not that Bible knowledge is the end objective. Just like with Moses, we want people to know God’s Word “so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.” Afterall, it is the #1 catalyst to pull this off.
My Discoveries
My first attempt was a standard one that most of us have tried. At the beginning of the year, we invite people to engage in a reading plan that will take them through the entire Bible. Truth be told, I haven’t had much luck with this approach. People fall out pretty early, once they get to Leviticus.
It is not because the people don’t want it. It is the #1 thing they want from their church. Research shows that most people, even people who don’t attend church, have “reading through the Bible” on their bucket list. Right up there with climbing Mt. Everest or parachuting out of an airplane is getting all the way through the Bible at least once before they “kick the bucket.”
So, what are we missing? Here are four things I have discovered that open the door to success.
1. Approach Chronologically
The Bible is a story, but it is not organized as a story. The books of the Bible are organized topically – books of the Law, history books, poetry books, books of prophecy, gospels, and letters. When our people, who don’t have a grasp of the grand narrative of God’s story, approach it topically, it is like reading your favorite novel starting on page 156. People are lost and confused. Once the people know the one grand love story of God, they can access it for themselves as life-long learners.
2. The Power of Community
Extensive studies have been done on how people effectively break bad habits or start new ones. Take smoking for example.
- If you try to quit smoking on your own, your statistical chance of success is zero.
- If you add an effective tool, like a nicotine patch, your chances inch up to 5%.
- If, with the effective tool, you add community, your chances skyrocket to 40%.
The same is true with successful Bible intake.
3. Approach It as a Campaign
For years when the church has wanted to raise money they do so with an “all in” campaign. Nothing competes with this initiative. The program bleeds through the entire church family. Sermons, small groups, and personal study all align over the typical six-week period. Everyone in the church syncs up – adults, students, and children. The stewardship companies we hire lead us into this approach because they know it is massively effective.
We need to do the same thing with our approach in helping our people engage God’s Word. Notice it is how Moses instructed the people of Israel to approach it – “Assemble the people – men, women, and children…” (Deut. 31:12) This is how Nehemiah and Ezra approached it in 400 BC. Notice as Ezra read the scriptures to the entire audience there were group leaders (called Levites) huddled up with a small group of folks to make sure they understood what was being read. (Neh. 8:7-8)
The educational integration (sermon, small groups, personal study) coupled with generational integration (adults, students, and children) is a powerful combo that promises to yield great results.
4. Add a Listening Option
In the Old and New Testament, the primary way people took in the Word of God was through listening in community. People didn’t have their own private Bibles, and many were likely illiterate. While we have the benefit of our own private Bible todays, it turns out that auditory learning is very effective for most people. The reality is, many people today can read but don’t. They choose to take in content by listening. That is okay. Paul tells us that “faith comes by hearing…” (Romans 10:17) I have found that when I offer a listening option our overall success skyrocketed.
This all came together for me back in 2005. Zondervan had published an abridged chronology of the Bible called The Story. They had high hopes for this new tool. It was precisely what I was looking for. However, as it turns out, sales were quite underwhelming. It was an effective tool, but it needed community wrapped around it.
Over the next few years, I partnered with Zondervan to bring in this missing piece. A 31-week chronological journey through the scriptures. Sermons, small groups, and personal study were all aligned. We designed and produced resources so that the adults, students, and children were all on the same page.
The first time I did the full program was in a church I served in San Antonio. The church blew up numerically (net 30% growth). Why of course…this is the #1 thing they want from their church. They weren’t kidding. But what was the most exciting were the testimonies of people who finally had a grasp on the one grand love story of God. It transformed them and set them up to access scriptures more effectively for the rest of their life.
Here is my encouragement. As you look at your calendar for this next season of ministry, design your engagement in scriptures by applying these four principles and see if it doesn’t result in possibly the greatest revival in your churches history. Let’s not let the Bible get lost in the church!
In addition to The Story, my wife, Rozanne, and I created a 52-week Bible study called Encountering God’s Love from Genesis to Revelation to help individuals and small groups understand the full narrative of God’s Word.
About the Authors
Randy Frazee and Rozanne Frazee are the authors of Encountering God's Word from Genesis to Revelation.
Randy Frazee is Pastor Emeritus at Westside Family Church in Kansas City. As a teacher and author, Randy is a leader and innovator in Bible engagement, spiritual formation, and biblical community. Randy is the architect of The Story and BELIEVE church engagement campaigns. He is also the author of multiple books for the Church. Rozanne Frazee co-authored with Randy the bestselling Real Simplicity (previously titled Making Room for Life). Randy and Rozanne have been married since 1981, with four children and five grandchildren. To learn more and connect with them, visit randyfrazee.com.