The Sport of Bible Quiz
Why Bible Quiz?
Bible Quiz provides a fun way to engage students in deeper Bible study and memorization. It helps you:
Keep them in church
Most students that participate in Bible Quiz stay in church through and after college, and many enter full time ministry.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. ~ Psalm 119:105
Keep them growing
An effect of memorizing so much scripture and spending an entire school year deeply studying a few books of the Bible is that the students will grow immensely in their spiritual walk.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ~ 2 Tim 3:16
Keep them fighting
By having your students memorize scripture, they become solidly grounded in what the Bible teaches, and allows them to wield the Sword of the Spirit effectively.
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil… and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ~ Eph 6:11, 17b
“I encourage every church to provide opportunities for young people to learn the Word of God and to develop a healthy, biblical worldview. Bible Quiz is a proven, effective means to instill God’s Word into the next generation.” ~ General Superintendent Doug Clay
What We Do
Learn God’s Word
Students memorize chapters and books of the New Testament and develop a passion for being faithful to God in the process.
Practice
Teams hold weekly practices to work on quizzing skills, develop strategy, and build comradery (just like a sports team).
Compete
Students compete on a team at meets throughout the school year answering questions over the Scriptures studied to win trophies and medals (and bragging rights).
Travel
Teams can choose to travel the nation competing in tournaments, Regionals, and Nationals.
Earn Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded to the top quizzers and teams. Also, the quizzers can finish the National Memorization Award, Master Memorization Award, and Discipleship awards for the opportunity to win additional scholarships. Assembly of God colleges and universities offer additional scholarships for participating in Bible Quiz.
Further Benefits
Develop a Passion for the Ministry
“Bible quizzing immersed me in God's Word, giving me a heart to eventually preach and teach Scripture to others.” ~ Former General Secretary Dr. Jim Bradford [1]
Build a Solid Foundation
"[Bible Quiz] gave me the discipline and desire to maintain a consistent and meaningful devotional life and walk with God… Also the knowledge of the scriptures that I gained through Bible quiz has provided me with a strong foundation from which to think about the role of Christianity in politics.” ~ Nilay Saiya, Political Scientist [1]
Learn How to Study the Bible
“My experience as a member of a national Bible Quiz team taught me how to study, memorize, and critically analyze scripture" ~ Susan Parr, Educator, Administrator, Short-term Missionary, and Mother [1]
Develop a Lifetime Habit of Bible Study
“I woke up each morning excited to memorize God's Word and even today, after graduating five years ago, I still memorize the Bible daily." ~ Kristina Van Gorp
Create Friendships
“In Bible Quiz I developed deep relationships with folks who became very dear to me, …, and loved meeting quizzers from all over the country.” ~ Bethenee (Grant) Engelsvold, Psychologist [1]
Develop Good Study Habits
“I became proficient in working well under pressure; gained great self-confidence; developed into a team player; acquired strong study habits and discipline; understood how to set priorities and achieve goals” ~ Rhett Laurens, Attorney-at-Law [1]
Learn Communication Skills
“I also learned how to make arguments coherently and concisely” ~ Dr. LaJoie Lex [2]
Develop Good Sportsmanship
"Learning to work as a team to accomplish a common goal is something that has and will help me for the rest of my life … I would not be as successful as I am today doing what I do if not for Bible Quiz.” ~ Jerome Tang, Kansas State Head Basketball Coach [1]
The Quizzers Speak for Themselves
Bible Quiz has impacted many lives over the last 50+ years. Many, many quizzers have gone on to full time ministry as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and leaders. Others have taken what they have learned and applied it to their jobs in the secular workplace or to their homes and families. Some attest that quizzing has not only provided them many of the expected benefits but also has literally saved their lives through the knowledge of the scriptures that they gained. We have gathered quotes from former quizzers in all walks of life and posted them below. (Some are expanded quotes of above.)
“I encourage every church to provide opportunities for young people to learn the Word of God and to develop a healthy, biblical worldview. Bible Quiz is a proven, effective means to instill God’s Word into the next generation.” ~ General Superintendent Doug Clay
“Bible quizzing immersed me in God's Word, giving me a heart to eventually preach and teach Scripture to others. It also instilled some much needed confidence and leadership experience in my life as team captain.” ~ Former General Secretary Dr. Jim Bradford [1]
"As a former Bible quizzer myself, I regularly find myself grateful for the Scriptures which were hidden in my heart from a young age. Additionally, the teamwork and camaraderie fostered by quizzing helped me learn lessons about diligence and confidence which made a huge and repetitive impact on my life. In this age of young people witnessing an onslaught of dangerous myths online, in school, and through a variety of social settings, parents, pastors, and church leaders would do a world of good by helping their young people hide God’s Word in their heart through the many advantages offered by Teen Bible Quiz!" ~ Rev. John Wootton, Superintendent of the Ohio Ministry Network
“TBQ complemented my love for the Bible with in-depth study. It enhanced my memorization skills and offered a community of like-minded young people. The year of TBQ I participated in marked me for life! There is no better discipleship program available in our fellowship than TBQ.” ~ Dr. Faith Lund, Global Worker
“Among other things Bible Quiz gave me good study habits, the confidence to do hard things, the ability to notice similar words and phrases across texts, and a huge knowledge base of scripture to draw on for my analysis of the Bible- infused literature of the periods I studied. I also learned how to make arguments coherently and concisely, learn and grow from failures, and perform under extreme pressure.” ~ Dr. LaJoie Lex [2]
“Bible Quiz changed my life and gave me purpose. God promises that His Word will never return void. When I chose to learn God's Word and put Him first in my life, God rewarded my faithfulness with time, energy, and productivity. As a teen in school, even when I was short on time, when I would take that half an hour to study the Bible verses, I accomplished twice the amount of schoolwork in my remaining time, compared to what I would have accomplished if I had chosen not to memorize that day. Bible memorization also sharpened my ability to learn and excel in my other school subjects, giving me clarity and focus. God expanded my memorization skills for life. I woke up each morning excited to memorize God's Word and even today, after graduating five years ago, I still memorize the Bible daily. ~ Kristina Van Gorp [3] (Read the whole story)
“In Bible Quiz I developed deep relationships with folks who became very dear to me, learned to be confident under challenge, to be disciplined while working towards a goal, and loved meeting quizzers from all over the country.” ~ Bethenee (Grant) Engelsvold, Psychologist [1]
“Bible quiz has had a tremendous influence on me since my quizzing days. It gave me the discipline and desire to maintain a consistent and meaningful devotional life and walk with God. Apart from the spiritual benefits, quizzing has also taught me how to memorize large amounts of material, think analytically and critically, and work towards a long-term goal—skills that I find valuable to this day. Also the knowledge of the scriptures that I gained through Bible quiz has provided me with a strong foundation from which to think about the role of Christianity in politics.” ~ Nilay Saiya, Political Scientist [1]
“My experience in BQ influenced me in innumerable ways: I became proficient in working well under pressure; gained great self- confidence; developed into a team player; acquired strong study habits and discipline; understood how to set priorities and achieve goals; was blessed (over time) with the ability to deal with adversity and success with a measure of grace and humility (even though that lay part didn’t come so easily); and perhaps most importantly, learned the Word that had enabled me to deal with whatever life has brought my way in the many years since.” ~ Rhett Laurens, Attorney-at-Law [1]
“We do chapel before games, and … we go out to breakfast with our young men to spend mentoring time with them. I get to share the Word of God with them, share how to be a good husband, how to be a good father, how to be a good man — all of the answers to that are in the Word of God, and I learned that in Bible Quiz.” ~ Kansas State Head Basketball Coach Jerome Tang [4] (Read the whole story)
“I was inside the north tower (1 World Trade Center) on the 12th floor when the first plane crashed into the north tower. I was also inside when the second plane hit the south tower….All of a sudden, I was able to recall verses from Hebrews chapter 13 (a book that I studied when I was 15 years old). I was happy that I could quote anything so I continued to quote as many verses from that chapter that I could remember. I came to verses 5 and 6, which state, “I will never leave you or forsake you, so that you may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me’”. All of the feelings of fear and nervousness had left me. I continued to quote other various verses that I had memorized as a teen quizzer. Bible Quiz was something fun for me to do in high school. It now had become a strong foundation that had become a very present help in the time of trouble. After spending that time quoting Scripture, I felt renewed and capable of handling any situation that might unfold. If I got to get out safely, then I would get to go home and see my wife. If I did not make it out safely, I got to go home in heaven and see my king. I saw it as a win/win scenario.” ~ Dave Pizzolo [5] (Read the whole story)
“Well, in that moment of wondering why I should continue to live, I remembered the song. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, my life is worth the living just because He lives.” I had a new revelation that this life is not all about me. All the Bible Quiz Scriptures which I had memorized came into my mind like a flood. Like pieces of a puzzle fitting together, I began to realize the bigger picture of what God is doing. I knelt right there on the bathroom floor before God’s porcelain throne and asked Him to forgive me for my self-centered pride, for not trusting Him that He knew better than I, and for coveting the glory that is His alone. I did die that day. I left that bathroom as totally new person” ~ Linda Parker [6] (Read the whole story)
Final Quote by the Man Who Founded Bible Quiz
“Multiplied thousands of young people have been impacted by Bible quizzing. Many leaders in the local churches were grounded in the World of God by being involved in Bible quizzing. Many young people were led into full time ministry, and spiritually equipped for service by consuming large volumes of God’s Word. Some quizzers memorized whole books of the Bible. What a ready resource this amassed Bible knowledge has been for them in Christian service.” ~ Rev. Owen Carr [7] (Read the whole story)
1. Brodin, Kari (2015). Quizzer History Project
2. Lex, LaJoie (2023). Doctoral Defense
3. Van Gorp, Kristina (2023). Testimony: Kristina Van Gorp
4. Carter, Robert (2023). Bible Quiz Newsletter: April 2023
5. Napierala, Elisa (2016), Testimony: Dave Pizzolo
6. Napierala, Elisa (2015), Testimony: Linda Parker
7. Napierala, Elisa (2015), Testimony: Owen Carr