How Bible Quizzing Develops Leaders

Summary

Russ Ferber, the Bible Quizzing Director for UPCI Youth Ministries, discusses how Bible quizzing serves as a leadership development tool that avoids common youth ministry pitfalls. He emphasizes its daily reliance on scripture, fostering a consistent devotional life, application and accountability, teamwork, multi-generational engagement, breaking down generational walls, and the importance of long-term vision in nurturing young leaders. Bible quizzing is portrayed as a holistic approach to youth ministry that integrates with other programs for a synergistic effect.

Takeaways

• 📖 Bible quizzing is a leadership development ministry designed to help young people grow into current and future leaders by evading common traps in youth ministry.
• 🎯 The ministry is compared to West Point, aiming to produce leaders through a structured and disciplined approach, much like the military academy produces officers.
• 👥 Bible quizzing is not exclusive; it is open to any young person and can often surprise with the unexpected participants who excel.
• 🌳 Bible quizzing is built on the Word of God, emphasizing the importance of a biblical worldview and direct engagement with scripture to counter cultural influences.
• 📚 It fosters a daily routine of being in the Word, praying, and listening, which is essential for a consistent and faithful personal relationship with God.
• 🤝 The ministry entails application and accountability, focusing on actions and standards higher than feelings, with coaches and officials providing mentorship and guidance.
• 💪 It necessitates teamwork, highlighting the importance of interdependence and the unique contributions each team member brings to strengthen the whole.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Bible quizzing is multi-generational, bringing young people and their families together around the Word of God, reinforcing the biblical model of family ministry.
• 🌐 It breaks down walls by encouraging travel to tournaments and events, exposing participants to different churches, cultures, and leaders, fostering unity in the body of Christ.
• 🔭 Bible quizzing requires a long-term vision, recognizing the potential threat young believers pose to the enemy when they mature in faith and understanding of the Word.
• 🚀 The benefits of bible quizzing are long-term, likened to compound interest, building over time to yield significant results in the spiritual growth of young people.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the provided transcript?

The speaker is Russ Ferber, who serves as the Bible quizzing director for UPCI Youth Ministries.

What is the main purpose of the ministry of Bible quizzing according to Russ Ferber?

The main purpose of the ministry of Bible quizzing is to develop young people into current and future leaders, while avoiding some potential pitfalls in youth ministry.

How does Russ Ferber describe Bible quizzing in relation to youth ministry?

Russ Ferber describes Bible quizzing as a leadership development ministry, comparing it to the West Point of youth ministry in terms of developing leaders.

What does Russ Ferber emphasize about the importance of the Bible in Bible quizzing?

Russ Ferber emphasizes that Bible quizzing is built on the Word of God, and that it is crucial for young people to have a biblical worldview and to know the Bible itself, not just teachings derived from the world or current evangelical culture.

Why is establishing a daily pattern of being in the Word important according to the transcript?

Establishing a daily pattern of being in the Word is important because it helps young people develop a consistent and faithful personal relationship with God, which is essential for their spiritual growth and ability to influence others.

How does Bible quizzing approach the issue of feelings and emotions during competitions?

Bible quizzing approaches feelings and emotions by focusing on application and accountability, teaching young people to act on their feelings and hold themselves to a standard higher than their immediate emotions.

What is the significance of teamwork in Bible quizzing as mentioned by Russ Ferber?

Teamwork is significant in Bible quizzing because it emphasizes interdependence, which aligns with the biblical model of the church where every member is necessary and fulfills a unique role.

How does Bible quizzing contribute to breaking down generational walls within the church?

Bible quizzing contributes to breaking down generational walls by being a multi-generational activity that brings young people, parents, and even grandparents together around the Word of God, fostering unity and understanding across generations.

What is the role of Bible quizzing in fostering long-term vision among young people?

Bible quizzing fosters long-term vision by encouraging young people to see the importance of the Word of God in their lives as something that builds over time, like compound interest, yielding incredible long-term results in their spiritual maturity and influence.

What advice does Russ Ferber give for integrating Bible quizzing with other youth ministries?

Russ Ferber advises that Bible quizzing works best when it dovetails with other youth ministries like P7, CMI, AYC, and Hyphen, emphasizing that these ministries are meant to work together for a dynamic result that is greater than the sum of their parts.

How does Russ Ferber view the potential impact of Bible quizzing on young people's future as leaders?

Russ Ferber views Bible quizzing as a powerful tool for developing young people into future leaders by instilling in them a deep knowledge of the Bible, a commitment to daily spiritual practice, and the ability to work effectively in teams and across generations.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Bible Quizzing as Leadership Development

Russ Ferber introduces the concept of Bible quizzing as a leadership development ministry within the UPCI Youth Ministries. He contrasts it with common 'traps' in youth ministry that may have unintended negative consequences. Bible quizzing is likened to West Point for youth, focusing on developing leaders through influence and biblical knowledge. The script emphasizes the importance of a multi-ministry approach to avoid myopia in youth development and stresses that bible quizzing is most effective when integrated with other youth programs.

05:03

📖 Daily Engagement with Scripture

The second paragraph delves into the importance of daily engagement with the Word of God through Bible quizzing. It discusses the challenge of establishing consistent prayer and devotion among youth and how Bible quizzing helps to create this habit. The script highlights the significance of scripture memorization in reinforcing the relevance of God's Word and resisting cultural reinterpretations. It also emphasizes the need for a direct connection to scripture in teaching and preaching.

10:06

👥 Teamwork and Accountability in Bible Quizzing

This paragraph discusses the role of Bible quizzing in fostering teamwork and accountability among participants. It argues against the reliance on feelings and emotions, which are subjective and cannot be uniformly applied or held accountable. Instead, it promotes the application of life lessons and the importance of coaches and officials who hold quizzers to a higher standard than their immediate emotions. The script also touches on the emotional aspects of quizzing and how they can be channeled into character development.

15:10

👨‍👧‍👦 Multi-Generational Family Ministry through Bible Quizzing

The fourth paragraph highlights the multi-generational aspect of Bible quizzing, which aims to bridge the gap between different age groups within the church. It criticizes the modern trend of isolating youth ministry and emphasizes the biblical model of family ministry. Bible quizzing is presented as a tool for bringing young people and their parents together around the Word of God, thereby strengthening the church community and reinforcing the role of the family in spiritual growth.

🌐 Breaking Down Walls Through Bible Quizzing

The fifth paragraph explores how Bible quizzing helps break down walls between generations and across different churches and cultures. It recounts the personal experience of the speaker in gaining a broader perspective through interaction with diverse communities during quiz tournaments. The script underlines the unity of the church and the importance of prioritizing unity over individual differences, especially when it comes to doctrinal issues.

👶 Long-Term Vision in Youth Ministry and Bible Quizzing

The final paragraph stresses the importance of having a long-term vision in youth ministry, particularly in Bible quizzing. It draws a parallel between the story of the first emperor of China and the devil's approach to undermining young people. The script argues for the significance of investing in young people's spiritual growth, likening it to compound interest, and encourages patience and foresight in reaping the long-term benefits of Bible quizzing.

Keywords

💡Bible Quizzing

Bible Quizzing is a leadership development ministry that involves young people in memorizing and understanding scripture. It is central to the video's theme as it is presented as a tool to avoid pitfalls in youth ministry and develop leaders. The script describes it as 'the West Point of youth ministry', indicating its rigorous and formative nature.

💡Leadership

Leadership in this context is defined as the ability to influence others, which is a key goal of youth ministers and a primary outcome of Bible Quizzing. The script emphasizes that Bible Quizzing develops leaders by instilling discipline, character, and a deep understanding of scripture, preparing young people to be influencers in the church and the world.

💡Youth Ministry Traps

Youth Ministry Traps refer to practices that may seem beneficial but have unintended negative consequences. The video aims to show how Bible Quizzing can help evade these traps. The script mentions that these traps can undermine the goals of youth ministers, highlighting the importance of careful and intentional ministry practices.

💡Scripture

Scripture, in this video, refers to the Bible and its teachings. It is the foundation upon which Bible Quizzing is built. The script stresses the importance of scripture in shaping beliefs and providing a timeless and relevant guide for young people's lives, as opposed to being influenced by the world or current evangelical culture.

💡Daily Devotion

Daily Devotion is the practice of consistently spending time in prayer and scripture, which is essential for developing a personal relationship with God. The script describes the challenge of establishing this habit among young people and how Bible Quizzing encourages and reinforces this practice, contributing to their spiritual growth.

💡Application and Accountability

Application and Accountability are concepts related to the practical use of biblical teachings and being responsible for one's actions and feelings. The script discusses how Bible Quizzing provides opportunities for young people to apply life lessons and be held accountable by coaches and officials, despite their emotions, which is crucial for character development.

💡Teamwork

Teamwork is the collaborative effort of teammates to achieve a common goal. In the context of Bible Quizzing, it is necessary for participation and is used in the script to illustrate the importance of interdependence in the church and the kingdom of God. It emphasizes that every member contributes to the strength of the team, beyond just the points scored in quizzing.

💡Multi-Generational

Multi-Generational refers to the involvement of people from different age groups in an activity or ministry. The script highlights how Bible Quizzing brings young people, parents, and even grandparents together around the word of God, reinforcing the biblical model of family ministry and narrowing the generation gap within the church.

💡Breaking Down Walls

Breaking Down Walls in the script refers to overcoming barriers and divisions, particularly between generations and different church communities. Bible Quizzing is presented as a means to achieve this by encouraging travel to tournaments and events, fostering unity and understanding among diverse groups within the church.

💡Long-Term Vision

Long-Term Vision is the ability to plan and work towards goals that may take years to achieve. The script uses the concept to emphasize the importance of patience and foresight in youth ministry, especially in Bible Quizzing, where the investment in a young person's spiritual development can yield significant results over time.

💡Cultural Relevance

Cultural Relevance is the ability to connect with and be understood within a particular culture or societal context. The script discusses the risk of shaping beliefs based on the everyday practices of young people rather than the Bible itself, and how Bible Quizzing helps maintain a focus on scriptural teachings over cultural influences.

Highlights

Bible quizzing is designed to evade common traps in youth ministry.

It is a leadership development ministry, likened to the West Point of youth ministry.

Bible quizzing is inclusive, allowing any young person to participate.

Leadership is defined as influence, a goal for young people in the church.

Bible quizzing should complement other youth ministries for a holistic approach.

It is built on the Word of God, emphasizing a biblical worldview.

Daily engagement with the Bible is a key component of bible quizzing.

Quizzing involves application and accountability in the participants' lives.

Teamwork is a necessity in bible quizzing, promoting interdependence.

Bible quizzing is multi-generational, involving parents and the wider church community.

It breaks down walls between generations and different church backgrounds.

Long-term vision is crucial in bible quizzing, focusing on the future impact of participants.

Bible quizzing reinforces the timeless relevance of the Word of God.

The ministry helps establish a daily pattern of prayer and devotion.

Quizzing provides coaches and officials who hold participants to a higher standard.

Bible quizzing is about more than just the competition; it's about personal and spiritual growth.

It encourages young people to be influencers in the world and the church.

For those interested in starting bible quizzing, UPCI Youth Ministries offers support.

Transcripts

[Music]

hey there

i'm russ ferber and i serve as the bible

quizzing director for upci youth

ministries

several years ago i taught a youth

workers session entitled

youth ministry traps now this is not the

place nor do i have the time to get into

that whole session

i would however like to play off that

session to share how the ministry of

bible quizzing

is designed to evade some of those traps

as i explained then

the thing about the best traps is that

they don't appear

as traps and sometimes some of the

things we do in youth ministry

with the best intentions have negative

long-term consequences

they are in fact traps that undermine

our goals as youth ministers

to develop young people as current and

future leaders

now whenever someone asks me bible

quizzing what's that

i always describe it as a leadership

development ministry

thirty years ago in a quiz devotion

where i sat

as a quizzer i first heard the late

great

norman pasley ii describe bible quizzing

as the west

point of youth ministry that never left

me

now for the past we did not mean it in

the sense that bible quizzing is

exclusive because

it's not any young person can be a bible

quizzer

in fact in fact many times the young

person that you'd least

expect to quiz blows your expectations

out of the water

now what brother passley meant was that

bible quizzing develops

leaders not unlike west point produces

army officers

leadership is influence and we all want

our young people

to be influencers in the world in the

church today

so for this session we will focus on how

bible quizzing

seeks to avoid some potential pitfalls

in youth ministry

and in doing so helps develop young

people into leaders

before we dive in however allow me to

add one

key proviso growing up

i was taught by my pastor that no one

should be

exclusively involved in a single

ministry

because no ministry on a local district

or

national level exists in a vacuum

a single ministry alone results in

myopia like tunnel vision

that does not grant us an appreciation

for other ministries and how they all

work together

to that end bible quizzing works best

when it dovetails with

other youth ministries like p7 and cmi

ayc and hyphen these are all meant to

work together

and the dynamic result is always greater

than the sum of their parts

so how does bible quizzing develop

leaders this is by no means exhaustive

and i could easily spend an hour or more

on each of the seven points i have

but here we go number one

bible quizzing is built on the word of

god

now i know this sounds like a no-brainer

it is bible quizzing

after all but we cannot assume that

young people in our churches today

even those raised in church

automatically possess

a biblical worldview a significant

portion of what they hear is about the

bible or refers to the bible

but may be derived from the world or

current evangelical culture

and not the bible itself whenever we're

faced with a tough issue

our response should always be what does

the bible say

which is difficult to answer if we don't

actually know

the bible now previous generations

lived by an acquired set of teachings

and beliefs

that in general weren't too far from the

bible

and even if people didn't live them they

often believed in their value

within the church we call our teachings

and beliefs doctrine

it used to be that when preaching or

teaching it was very often enough to say

that the bible says

this and to stand on the doctrine alone

because many if not most could then

relate it to their individual lives

in today's post-modern post-millennial

world however

where everything is relative each

individual

becomes the litmus test for what is

right

how i live my life determines what is

right

and not what is right determining how i

live

my life so what's my point

my point is is that if we're not careful

in our well-intentioned efforts to be

relevant

in today's youth culture we can shape

important beliefs not by the bible

itself

but by the everyday practice of the

young people themselves

we've always got to go back to the word

even if we don't start there when we

communicate we must create a direct

line of sight to scripture or it'll all

end up being relative

as well as we teach and preach about the

bible there is no

substitute for the very scriptures

themselves

bible quizzing hides 500 plus verses

in young people's hearts each year year

after year

it has been said many times that bible

quizzing gets young people into the word

and the word into young people

this reliance upon the scripture alone

reinforces the timeless relevance

of the word of god and resists

cultural efforts to reshape its meaning

number two bible quizzing happens

daily after many years of youth ministry

from personal experience and observation

i would say that the most difficult

thing to establish

in the life of a young person is their

daily prayer

and devotion in the word time

spent with the word is time spent with

god

but the ups and downs of life its

demands and distractions

all work against being consistent and

faithful to our personal relationship

with god

we can't give what we don't have so if

we're constantly running on

empty getting refills only at church

once or twice a week

we won't have enough to share with

others in need

bible quizzing helps establish that

everyday

pattern of being in the word praying

over the word and listening for a word

the desktop image on my laptop is an

iceberg

and it's there to remind me that the 90

that is not seen

supports the 10 that is seen

our public life is an outflow of our

private life

which is an outflow of our prayer life

jesus made it clear that if any man will

come after me

let him deny himself and take up his

cross

daily and follow me we can't follow

without a

daily walk number three

bible quizzing entails application and

accountability

now feelings feelings are

difficult to quantify we're all

emotional beings

and yet for me to accurately convey

exactly how i feel is not only

challenging for me

but i have no guarantee that my listener

can receive the feeling that i'm feeling

in fact it's far more likely that while

they may approximate my feelings

their feelings are going to be their own

no matter how much i want them to feel

what i feel as pentecostals we

definitely worship with our emotions we

cry we shall

run and dance and in god's presence we

should

forget about ourselves and respond as

the spirit leads

but feelings and emotions are near

impossible

to apply identically from one person to

another

and then hold that person accountable

for how i think

they should feel in that moment in

in any one moment feelings are what they

are

even the bad ones it's how we act

on them and hold ourselves accountable

and those in our trust

that makes the difference now if you've

ever sat in on a quiz tournament you

know that bible quizzing

can get emotional and it's amplified by

our nerves

but regardless of how we feel after we

win

or lose we are presented with the

opportunity

to apply life lessons about grace

faith humility about discipline

dependence and christ-like character in

general

these lessons that are ultimately to be

transferred from the quiz board

into life bible quizzing provides

coaches and officials

mentors who despite how we're feeling

hold us accountable to a standard higher

than our feelings number four

bible quizzing necessitates teamwork

when we're born we're completely

dependent

we'd die if somebody else didn't feed us

and clean us they clothed us

then from about the time we learned to

crawl all the way up until our late

teens early twenties we grow more and

more

independent now the world thinks that

independence is the ultimate goal

i've reached the top i can do it on my

own

i don't need any of your help i can

prove my own

worth that's not how god designed his

church

he designed us to be interdependent the

whole body

fitly joined together and compacted by

that which every joint supplies not only

does bible quizzing obviously require

teammates to even participate but you

won't be on a team long before you

realize

and eventually appreciate that everyone

brings something to the table

that makes the whole team stronger

now i'm not talking about how many

points each quizzer scores

points are a parable we can learn from

but

they're not our main spiritual goal i'm

talking about

personalities prayer

points of view there is no ministry

or church in which we do not work for

the kingdom

as a team every member of the body

is necessary and fulfills their unique

role

relative to every other member bible

quizzing

emphasizes teamwork because the kingdom

requires

teamwork not even jesus worked

solo number five

bible quizzing is multi-generational

now i'm going to speak in some broad

terms but stick with me

modern evangelical youth ministry

typically

separates young people from the rest of

the church

and from their parents specifically then

ministers to them

alone in a vacuum this has been the

trend for almost

30 years as an easy example

a general easy example this

vacuum could have set design

environmental projection lasers and fog

machines

all of which are really cool and some of

which i've used before is a youth pastor

but when used in isolation time and

again

elements such as these don't really

provide any transition

from that kind of youth atmosphere

to the larger church where there are no

lasers

or fog machines

if we're not careful we can create a

silo effect

a kind of like a church within a church

that reinforces or even enlarges the

distance

between young people and the other

generations within the church

now don't get me wrong young people need

teaching and preaching and activities

and events that are specific to them

that grow

them from who they are to whom god wants

them to be

it's just that the modern evangelical

youth ministry model as i've only

briefly described it

is not really found in scripture the

biblical model

is family ministry the church

or youth group was never intended to

become a proxy or a replacement

for an existing family or to remove

parents responsibility to teach and

train their young people

they are partners to strengthen and grow

the family as a healthy unit

if satan's goal is to bring division and

it is

and widen the generation gap between

parents

and young people then the church

should be counter cultural and seek to

narrow that gap as much as possible

youth ministers are wonderfully

positioned

to bring young people and parents

together

if we are proactive and intentional

about ministering and communicating with

both

groups bible quizzing is

multi-generational it brings

young people and their parents together

around the word of god

ideally on a daily basis what an

incredible

combination go to virtually any quiz

tournament and you will see parents

and even grandparents supporting

working with and ministering to young

people

this underpins the biblical model

of family ministry narrows the

generation gap

and strengthens the church as a whole

number six bible quizzing breaks

down walls now this point kind of flows

from the last one not only does bible

quizzing seek to break down walls

between generations

but one of the many perks of bible

quizzing is getting to travel to

tournaments and events

outside our local church and district

as a young person who grew up in a small

north

american missions church it was called

home missions at that time

the chance for me to see more the world

and to make friends from

all over the united states and canada

and to be exposed to different churches

and

different cultures different leaders it

all worked together

to break down any presuppositions

with which i grew up and expand my

appreciation for god's whole church

even if i encountered someone or

something that i wasn't too sure

that i agreed with i learned as a young

person

that unless it was a key doctrinal issue

i was going to prioritize the unity of

the body

regardless of a quizzer's background

there's just something about investing

all that

time and all that effort and all that

emotion

into the word of god that knits young

people together

across the miles and generations and

breaks down those walls

lastly number seven bible quizzing

requires

long-term vision

as the first emperor of china chinchi

huang

consolidated his power it came to light

that he had two

half-brothers between the ages of four

and seven

who had been hidden from him with his

mother distracted and eventually placed

under house arrest

the emperor had these two young boys

killed

they were not killed because of any

power or influence that they held at the

time

the emperor was over 20 years older and

was supreme over

his empire no these two young boys were

killed

because of the potential threat they

posed

when they would come to maturity years

down the road

the emperor eliminated them when it was

easiest to do so

youth ministers satan views our young

people

in the same way he seeks to compromise

them

even eliminate them if he can not

necessarily because of the threat they

currently pose

but because of the substantial threat

that they will

pose with a fully mature full of the

word and

full of the spirit the devil knows that

now in their young lives is the easiest

time

he's ever gonna have to marginalize

and defeat them and if satan has such

long-term vision certainly

we can have no less

now to a youth minister who's not

involved in quizzing

i readily admit i i get it that bible

quizzing can seem to yield

few short-term results

especially relative to the time and the

money and the effort

that's invested but the word of god

in the life of a young person is like

compound interest

that builds over time and yields

incredible

long-term results if

we have the vision and patience

to see it happen last year i was

challenged by a quote from john acuff in

which he said

want a kind 16 year old teach a

six-year-old kindness

then give him 10 years to practice

i don't know if that hits you the same

way it hit me

as a father and a youth minister

but bible quizzing also involves

practice

takes time and requires long-term

vision so

to review how bible quizzing develops

leaders

it is built on the word of god it

happens

daily it entails application and

accountability

it necessitates teamwork it is

multi-generational

bible quizzing breaks down walls and

requires long-term

vision if you'd like to learn more about

starting bible quizzing in your church

please contact upci youth ministries and

we'll help all we can

god bless