How to Get Your Church Reading the Bible With Text Messaging
Americans love the Bible. But that doesn’t mean they read it.
A 2014 study from Barna found that 79% of Americans believe the Bible is sacred, and 88% of households own at least one Bible. But only 37% of Americans read the Bible once a week or more.
Like much of modern life, there’s a disconnect between what we say and what we do. 47% of Americans say they’re too busy to read the Bible (which is up from 40% in 2013).
But there is good news: 62% say they want to read the Bible more.
And your church can help.
Text messaging can be one way to get your congregation reading the Bible more:
Daily Verses
You could send out daily scripture verses to encourage and engage your church. There are plenty of daily reading plans or lectionary schedules you could use to pull verses. You could also use memory verses or passages related to Sunday’s sermon.
Read the Bible in a Year
There are also a number of plans out there to help people read through the Bible in a year. You could help people stick to that commitment by creating a text group that sends out the daily readings. That daily text can be the reminder people need to follow through.
Bible Study
Prompt more study and interaction by texting your congregation the passage for next Sunday’s sermon and asking questions. Push people to a web form or email to send in their responses. This kind of back and forth study can improve sermons and help pastors respond to specific questions they might not have anticipated.
Texting the Bible
Unlike email, text messages actually get read. This can make text messaging an ideal platform to get your church reading the Bible.
Interested in learning how to get you church reading the Bible with text messaging? Call us at 800-696-1393 or email tmsales@textmarks.com. Or, try it out for free and sign up for TextMarks now.
