Part 1: I'm In Charge Of A Quiz Team! What Do I Do Now?

By Ryan Holman

First, let me tell you congratulations!  God has entrusted you to help young people write His Word on their hearts, even in the midst of today's busy, trying times. With that in mind, this is not a job to be taken lightly.  Let's take a look at what this job entails. 

As you read your job description you will see one reoccurring word: MOTIVATOR.  Without a doubt, your most important task is to constantly find ways to motivate others.  You need to be a motivator in the following three areas:

1. Teens
2. Coaches/Volunteers
3. Your Church

This post - and the next - will take a more in-depth look at how you can be successful in these key areas.  In this post we will focus on motivating your Teens:

Show Your Passion

Have you noticed that your teens seem more interested in the things that you and their leaders are passionate about?  Teens will follow your lead; if you have PASSION so will they. If you don't then don't expect it from them.  Your biggest job is to be a motivator and the primary part of being an effective motivator is exhibiting passion.  In order to encourage someone to action, you must be passionate about what it is you want them to do or they will not see the need to act. 

People often say "I don't have any kids who want to do quizzing at my church." If you've found yourself in this boat, have you considered that perhaps it's because you haven't shown your kids your own passion for quizzing and encouraged them to participate?  Odds are, if you're reading this post, you already understand the value of Bible quizzing, but who says it has to stop there?

Part of passion is knowing why you believe in something.  If you haven't already, take some time and figure out exactly why you believe in quizzing. Once you've worked out your reasons share them as much as you can with the teens and other leaders. 

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Make Quizzing Fun

Alright, so having passion is important to being a motivator, but what else?  MAKE QUIZZING FUN and INTERESTING! It should be more than just questions. Quizzing does not have to be, nor should it be just teens studying on their own and then coming to practice to get asked 20 questions over and over again. 

Quizzing does not have to be, nor should it be just teens studying on their own and then coming to practice to get asked 20 questions over and over again.

This way of thinking and teaching was a personal struggle for me when I first took charge of a quiz team.  Growing up and quizzing as a teen, my coaches expected us to study on our own and then we would do quiz rounds at practice.  Naturally, when I started coaching I did the same thing with my quizzers.  I began to notice that this method only attracted highly self-motivated teens.  Knowing in my heart that quizzing can be for everyone, I challenged myself to create quiz practices where all participants are actively engaged in writing God's Word on their hearts (which of course is the main reason we do this!). 

So how do I make practice more than just questions? The good news is, there are many more ways than I could possibly share in this one post.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Introduce games into practice
• Teach lessons over the chapter
• Use supplemental materials for student devotionals
• Have quizzers act out the chapters (They love this and it's thoroughly entertaining!)
• Pray together
• Send quizzers texts/Facebook messages during the week encouraging them to study and build up the habit of spending time in God's Word.
• Develop a rewards system (such as classdojo.com). 

Whatever you do, make it more than just questions!!

Empower Your Quizzers

In addition to making practice more interesting, here are a couple more ideas to help you motivate your quizzers.  People are naturally more motivated when they feel empowered.  Empower your quizzers.  Teach them how to coach. Teach them to be leaders. If done right, these teens will have some of the best knowledge of Scripture in their generation; they are leaders in the church today and will certainly continue be leaders in the church tomorrow.  Remember those lessons over the chapter we talked about? Have a quizzer lead a lesson over a chapter with your guidance.  Give the team Captains responsibilities such as ensuring pads are set up and put away for practice, turning in line-ups at meets, and reporting substitutions.

Study Along With Them

Lastly, study along with your kids.  You don't have to memorize it, but at least get the big picture. Don't just use Bible quizzing as a way for your teens to get more involved with Scripture, use it for your own personal study. Scripture is alive and active. No matter how many times you've quizzed over or coached a particular book, there is always more to be found. Your quizzers will appreciate your efforts and will follow your lead. Nothing demonstrates more passion and is more motivating than coming alongside your teens and learning God's word with them. (Plus, they LOVE quizzing against you and attempting to beat you in practice!)

Continue on to Part 2

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