INTRODUCTION: Why Should I Quiz?

At the Beacon Hill Ministry Fair, some people may have been exposed to the Teen Bible Quizzing Ministry for the first time.  So, we want to give you a chance to get to know us with some basic, introductory posts.  This series will give you a taste for what Bible Quizzing is.

Why Should I Quiz?

The Tagline

We like to break down the appeal of Bible Quizzing into a simple tagline:  Learn God's Word, Make New Friends, Compete

Learn God's Word

Ultimately, Bible Quizzing is all about learning the Bible - God's own words to humanity.  As a quizzer, you won't learn a few quaint Bible stories, some watered-down theology, or a couple of hand-selected memory verses.  You will learn whole books of the Bible!  You'll learn to commit scripture to heart and mind, to read critically, and to understand the original meaning of the text.

We like to tell the story of a couple of past quizzers who applied to be missionaries.  They were in a group with seminarians, pastors, and Bible school graduates, and went through a rigorous test to check their knowledge of the Bible.  They got the top two scores in the entire group, outdoing men and women with MDivs and PhDs, and they realized it was all due to Bible Quizzing.

Make New Friends

There are not many ministries these days that reach out beyond the four walls of your own church or the small group of teens who make up your Youth Group.  But in Bible Quizzing, we compete against teens from other churches from our District (the northeastern USA) and some years from all over the country.  It is a chance to meet people from all over who share your love of Jesus, and form friendships that last a lifetime.

A number of past quizzers met their college roommate, their spouse-to-be, or their best friend in Bible Quizzing.

Compete

Let's be clear - Bible Quizzing is fun!  It's a sport where you test your mind and your heart as you compete with other teens to see who knows the most, who remembers the most, and who is the quickest to remember the material.  Like any sport, not every competitor is the same.  Some are amazing at memorization - it is not uncommon to find quizzers able to recite whole chapters or books of the Bible.  Some are amazing at recognizing key words or phrases - this was my specialty.  Still others are gifted at quick jumping and lightning-fast recall.  And some teens aren't great at memory, but are gifted in bringing the team together and encouraging others.  Whatever your gift, be sure we can use you.  And be sure you will have fun!

A Few Other Things

• Some Home Schoolers find Bible Quizzing a perfect fit for their curriculum.
• Some teens find the Bible Quiz Team to be a safe place to ease their way into the social side of the church.  As a smaller and supportive group with a focussed purpose, it is unintimidating.
• Some colleges offer Bible Quizzing scholarships.  If you're looking at a Christian college, be sure to inquire!