4 Ways to Encourage Bible Engagement

Special thanks to Jordan Wiseman from the YouVersion Bible App for writing this post.


As pastors and church leaders, we know the power of God’s Word to change people’s hearts and minds. If we’re honest, it can be a struggle to get our attenders—and even ourselves, sometimes—to want to go deeper and engage in the Bible.

Here’s the good news: the people in your church most likely want to make the Bible a bigger part of their everyday life—they just aren’t sure how. In fact, 57% of Americans who own a Bible wish they read it more. (Source: American Bible SocietyThat’s pretty amazing, because wherever you live in the world, it can be pretty difficult to get over half of the population to agree on anything!

Ready to get your church to go deeper in God’s Word? Here are four ways you can encourage Bible engagement.

4 Ways to Encourage Bible Engagement

  1. Share your story. People are attracted to vulnerability, especially from their pastors. They want to know that they’re not alone. Take some time to share your personal experience with reading the Bible and how it’s changed your life. Ask yourself these questions: Why does the Bible matter to me? What’s different about my life because of it?
  2. Point them in the right direction. It’s often easy to assume that people know more about the Bible than they actually do. The first step to helping your attenders engage in the Bible more might be to help them understand it. The Bible Project is an Open Network partner who offers incredible overviews of each book of the Bible that make it easy to understand God’s amazing narrative woven throughout Scripture. Find videos on the Open Network or watch on their YouTube Channel.
  3. Encourage community. The YouVersion Bible App offers thousands of Bible Plans, and each one of them can be done with friends—all within the app! Encourage small groups and volunteer teams to do Bible Plans together—you can even do Plans with your church staff team, too.
  4. Don’t make it complicated. Reading the Bible doesn’t have to be intimidating. Encourage your church to read YouVersion’s Verse of the Day every day, and spend time meditating on what it means for them. You can even create verse images within the app and post them on social media to increase engagement. Remember: starting small is better than not starting at all.

Bible Engagement Resources

FOMO is real, so don’t take chances.

Get the latest blog content delivered straight to your inbox.

Reach more people for Christ.

Find free resources, training, online community, and apps on the Life.Church Open Network.

Start your free account