Perhaps I should explain what, exactly, is Teen Bible Quizzing to the uninitiated. So, if you are already in-the-know, you may now jump to the bottom and hit “Like” on the Facebook button and spend the 5 minutes I just saved youmemorizing a new Bible verse. Or two.
Still here? Well then, let’s get started!
First of all, one thing to get straight is that Teen Bible Quizzing is not Bible Trivia.
Teen Bible Quizzing is a dynamic, enriching ministry utilized by a number of denominations and youth organizations with a mission to invite youth into a deeper relationship with Jesus through His Word. It combines a study of the Bible, exciting Christian competition, fellowship and disciple-making into a program that is attractive to youth. Each year thousands of teens spend dozens of hours learning (and sometimes memorizing) an entire book - or books - of the Bible. They compete in quizzing competitions both locally and nationally. Like other team competitions, Bible Quizzing teaches teamwork and self-discipline, but primarily it puts the Word of God in the hearts of young people.
There are very few other areas in which young people are able to socialize with so many other godly youth on a regular basis. And while the ministry helps them mature in intellect, attitude, emotions and spiritually, it is also extremely competitive and exciting!
WHO CAN QUIZ
Teen Bible Quizzing is typically for youth ages 12-18. Check with your local program director to confirm eligibility. Small and large churches alike have Bible Quiz teams. A team can have as many as 5 quizzers or as few as two.
THE COMPETITION
To the casual observer, Bible Quizzing is a sport where 2 or 3 teams square off in a test of knowledge, speed and memory against each other on a prescribed portion of Scripture. But for quizzers it is much more than that – in preparing for competition, young people develop a love and respect for the Bible. The Word is planted in their hearts and unreservedly changes their lives.
Each tournament will have a number of teams that play each other in a bracket or round-robin format with 2 or 3 teams playing against each other, depending on the rules allowed by the style of quizzing. Since each denomination has customized rules, I’ll be describing the Nazarene style of quizzing for simplicity:
Each team will have up to 4 active quizzers and 1 player in reserve (though I’ve seen teams compete successfully with just 2 good quizzers). The active quizzers sit on pressure-sensitive pads connected to a computer or console that indicates the first person who stands up to attempt to answer the question. Each game consists of 20 questions from the study material. As the question is read by the Quizmaster, the first quizzer to leave their seat has the opportunity to finish the “toss-up” question being asked and give the answer – all within 30 seconds. If correct, their team will receive the full allotment of 20 points. If incorrect, the quizzer is given an “error” and the quizzer(s) in the corresponding seat on the other team(s) get to hear the full question and attempt to give the answer for a 10 point Bonus. There is no penalty for missing a Bonus question, so a quizzer should always at least make a guess! If a quizzer makes 3 “errors”, they incur a 10-point penalty for their team score and must leave the game. If a quizzer gets 4 “toss-up” questions correct, they must also leave the game so as to keep a team from dominating with only 1 superlative quizzer. The team with the most points at the end of the quiz wins the match (of course!).
| Watch portions of Teen Bible Quizzing at a Regional Tournament:
| And if you thought that was good, get a load of quizzing at the next level! Watch a full game of Regional All-Stars compete:
|
Other scoring opportunities in a game include: 10 points bonus for the 3rd, 4th and 5th quizzer on a team to get a “toss-up” question correct, 10 points for each quizzer who quizzes-out (4 correct) without an error, -10 points for each team error beginning with the 5th error, -10 points for each “error” beginning with question 16.
THE SCRIPTURE
The scripture changes every year according to an 8-year cycle. This year, most denominations are studying the Book of Acts. Next year the material will cover 5 short books: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
THE SEASON
The Bible Quiz season usually mirrors the school year. Teams meet once a month from August to April. The local season is usually completed by February or March to allow for the selection of District All-Star Teams who then compete at Regional and National Tournaments from April-July.
As the year progresses, the material covered at the quiz competition cumulates. The first tournament may cover Acts 1-5 and the next tournament - a month later - will ask questions from Acts 1-9. By the end of the season, questions will come from the entire book (or books) of study.
If your eyes pretty much just glazed over while reading this, watch this short promotional video I made for my local church. It highlights the basics of TBQ:
I hope you have found this useful. If you have any questions or comments about Teen Bible Quizzing, please leave a comment below.
If you want to know when I post new random stuff,subscribe to this blog
)
