Why: A high level understanding of God’s word is critical to the Christ follower.
- It is important for us to know God’s word deeply
- It is also important for us to know God’s word broadly
- It Builds confidence in those who are inexperienced reading their Bible
How: Here is how we’ve done it to great success
Brand the year (this means plan ahead! We had everything finished by Early November)
- Brand subseries
- Creates a rhythm
- Creates entry points for new people
- Creates onramps for people who have stopped
Preach what you are reading
- Every plan I’ve seen fail was disconnected from weekend messages
- Identify challenging topics and ideas
- Interject midweek content to unpack additional challenges
Give people tools
- We printed Journals
- We printed reading plans for the year
- We printed reading plans for each series
- Constant reminders and encouragement
Keys to success
- All in - Everyone participates in the reading (small groups, weekends, midweek, (bonus points for kids and students)
- Tackle hard subjects when the arise
- Builds confidence for those reading for the first time - they have a guide!
- Gracious accountability - encourage getting back on board, don’t chastise getting off track
Bottom line:
When you communicate on purpose, it can lead to significant spiritual growth for those in your congregation.