As a parent and as a leader in my career field, I sometimes bristle when I hear the phrase: “Rules are made to be broken.” Really? If that’s the case then why even have the rule in the first place? Why would you openly defy authority and incite anarchy? OK, that may be an extreme reaction. But if it is my rule that is being broken, that’s how I feel.

On the other hand, I do agree that the axiom “there are exceptions to the rule” has merit in a few situations. For example, “i” comes before “e” unless you leisurely deceive eight overweight heirs to forfeit their sovereign conceits. Weird, I know. Some rules established for the common good do not apply in unanticipated or rare situations. In those instances mercy, compassion, or common sense must prevail until the rule is revised.

And then there are rules that we just don’t know about. On my first trip through New Jersey, for example, I discovered that I am not allowed to pump my own gas. And who would have thought that it is illegal to sell home-baked goods in Wisconsin? But it is true.

In Youth Bible Quizzing we follow the official “Rules & Guidelines”. It is important to note that even the title of that document wisely includes the word “guidelines”. The authors and stewards of that document fully understand that not every situation can be anticipated. But they also use the word “rules” to emphasize that some items are not negotiable. Rules alone do not prevent unfair tactics or bad attitudes.  However, as stated in the Bible Quizzing Ministry Code, “the pursuit of competitive success must never dominate the commitment to exhibit a Christ-like example.”
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As I re-read these Rules & Guidelines in preparation for the upcoming season, I noticed 10 rules that are not always followed for one reason or another. Keep reading and count how many of these you have seen and if you agree with my interpretation of the rule:

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think shopping on Black Friday is super fun. As I may have mentioned in other posts, I gravitate toward activities that are technical or strategic in nature. So while everyone else is enjoying their post-Thanksgiving meal nap, I am studying the various Black Friday ads stuffed in the hefty-edition newspaper. I like the challenge of figuring out the most efficient sequence and cost-effective combination of stores we should visit the next morning.

​But more than that, I just like doing special things with my extended family. For us Black Friday is not just about saving money, it is about going on an adventure together. It is now a family tradition. Granted we could get the same deals by shopping online, but then we would miss the specialness of the pre-dawn coffee run, meeting new people while waiting in lines, or discovering treasures at new or unique shops we would not otherwise visit.

As I am preparing for Hebrews, 1&2 Peter, it occurred to me that this season is like Black Friday for Teen Bible Quizzing. What I mean is this: With the same amount of time and effort you typically set aside for Bible Quizzing, you can acquire a lot more knowledge from your studies this coming season. Not only does this year's scripture contain about half the number of verses as the previous season of John, but Hebrews, 1&2 Peter is the shortest of all the Bible Quiz seasons! Because of this you have an opportunity to do special things this year.

But be careful! I encourage you not to reduce your study time just because there are fewer verses to learn. Instead, use that same time to deepen your knowledge and strengthen your relationship with Christ! Better yet, learn the material in a new, unique way. For example, if there was ever was a season to be an According To or Memory Verse question specialist, this is it!

To help you decide how special you want to be this season, here are some statistical highlights specific to Hebrews, 1&2 Peter:

In my career as a business leader responsible for the development and performance of those who work for me, I have learned and tried to emulate leadership principles that seem to be the most effective. In my experience, there are no bad teams, only bad leaders. Leaders must keep their ego in check. They must embrace simplicity and communicate the mission with clarity. To be effective, leaders must not only prioritize various activities, but also execute each of them well.

I have also learned that leadership is not always one thing or another. There is a spectrum and sometimes contradictions. While leaders do lead, they must also be willing to follow. They must remain calm when under stress, but not be robotic. Aggressive, but not overbearing. They must be brave, but not reckless. Successful leaders have a competitive spirit, but are also gracious losers. There are times leaders must be quiet, but never completely silent. Additionally, leaders should be humble, but not passive.

After all, if no one is following you, are you really a leader?
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Not surprisingly, these leadership principles in business are also effective for me as a leader in Youth Bible Quizzing.

Have you ever wondered how some churches – regardless of the size of their youth group – continually bring in new Quizzers every year while other churches have not had a Teen Bible Quizzer in several years, decades, or ever? Though a minority regrettably cannot participate for legitimate reasons, I find that the majority of adults and students decline to participate due in part to an inaccurate or incomplete perception of what it entails – despite multiple attempts to highlight the program in newsletters and at Teen Camps, Retreats, Children Quizzes, and Conventions.
 
For them, Teen Bible Quizzing is simply not a part of their church’s culture – and that may be just fine for their unique situation. On the other hand, they could be so much more fruitful if they offered this highly effective youth leadership and discipleship program to their teens. They just don’t know that they don’t know what they are missing.
 
Alternatively, why do some quiz programs regularly produce quizzers who excel in competition while other similarly mature quiz programs do not? The answer is the same: it is their culture.

​Culture is simply the beliefs and values that determine how someone acts. Culture is developed by what we do – or do not do – regularly. When you hear things like, “My church just doesn’t do that”, that is culture.
 
Jesus, too, sought to change the church’s culture of His day. His message was radically different from what they were accustomed:

My family and I love to play board, card, and dice games. There is at least one game on my Christmas list every year. Though we all enjoy the bonding time and delicious snacks, it seems to me that my family has the most fun when they team up against me. While I prefer strategic games like Settlers of Catan, Risk, and Ticket to Ride, my wife enjoys simpler games like Mexican Train Dominos and Yahtzee. And when we play cooperative games like Pandemic or Escape Room the Game, I am often amazed by our genuine selflessness and impressed by our collective ingenuity to solve the challenges of the game.

It is not surprising then that I fell in love with Teen Bible Quizzing. In addition to the Bible study, disciple-making, and spiritual growth this ministry offers, the game appeals to my fondness for strategy and teamwork.

Yet at times home study or team practices can get routine or even boring. And if you are bored, you are not learning. To keep everyone engaged, it is good to add a little variety every now and again.
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With the goal of making reviewing at home and team practices fun and engaging, playing Tribute: The Youth Bible Quiz Board Game just might do the trick (assuming, of course, you enjoy board games as much as I do). Now you can review at home without it feeling like you are studying. Or play it during a team practice to keep practices from getting stale. In addition, the beauty of this game is that it is different every time you play. The types of questions are in a different order every game and you decide in advance from which chapter or chapters you want questions asked. There are 2 versions available: physical game board or a print-your-own version.
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While some of the board games I like to play are so complicated that they take hours to learn, this game is so simple that you can learn how to play almost faster than you can set it up.

​​In my business, I’ve observed that a solid strategy to recognize outstanding achievements results in stronger engagement, increased employee morale, and lower turnover. In quizzing terms, think of those as stronger relationships, increased enthusiasm, and fewer dropouts. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, it’s not as easy as it seems. You need to find the right recognition program that fits the values and culture for your church or District quiz program - and it can change each season.

Given that more than half of my District is brand new to quizzing this year, I decided to focus less exclusively on rewarding performance and to start celebrating accomplishments. We aren’t quite large enough to have separate Novice and Experienced divisions, so finding a way to encourage the new quizzers while the Experienced quizzers likely dominate the standard awards was imperative.

​The aim of Bible Quizzing is to become an avenue of meaningful Bible study, fellowship, discipleship, mentoring, mission, and exciting Christian competition. So this year we are celebrating quizzers and teams for their spectacular effort, great results, and inspirational support in ways that align with these values.
 
Celebrating success is fun and energizing and shows students that their efforts are being seen by the leaders and by their peers.
 
Your quizzers are your best recruiters. If they come home excited and equipped with fun stories and loot in honor of their accomplishments, you can be sure they will tell others either in person on their social media accounts.
 
So if you are looking to modify or refresh your own quizzing program, here are some award ideas you can use.

As a teen, I attended a church that did not offer any sort of Youth quizzing program. I didn’t even know such things existed, otherwise I would have jumped in wholeheartedly. I just needed an adult willing to lead.

It wasn’t until I started attending a church in Louisville, KY in my early 20’s that I first witnessed Nazarene Youth Bible Quizzing in action - and I was immediately hooked. A nine-month Bible study that encourages youth to learn scripture, develop a devotion to God’s Word, go on road trips for competitions, make friends and fellowship with like-minded teens across their community and the nation, fortify their ability to witness, and equip them to be effective leaders in the church? Um, yeah! Youth Bible Quizzing is unquestionably the most effective youth discipleship program the church can offer.

So why do so many churches not offer it? While there are many reasons (dare I say “excuses”?), the most common barrier to entry is “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” And I get that. From the outside it can seem scary and intimidating. I didn’t know where to begin when I began, either. I had to figure it out - and make mistakes - along the way. There was no guide. But, IT WAS WORTH THE COST.

So, if you are considering starting a Youth Bible Quiz program at your local church - or you know someone who would be willing to do so - my goal in this article is to make getting started as easy as following a recipe. It is a checklist, so print it out (front and back) and post it on your mirror or refrigerator. Or make it the lock screen for your phone. Let it be as much an inspiration as it is a reminder. The second page, especially, could be used all season long. But the biggest value of the guide when opened on a computer are the links that connect you directly to a wealth of incredibly useful resources.

In time, tailor this for your specific program - and pass it on to your next Bible Quiz leader when the day comes for you to “quiz out”.

​While there is never really a bad season to participate in Teen Bible Quizzing, the common perception is that a Gospel year is preferable. Especially to new quizzers, the Gospels seem easier to grasp as they tell a story. In addition, among the Gospels in the quiz cycle, John is by far the shortest.

The Book of John contains 878 verses, which is 18% fewer than Matthew (1,071 verses) and 24% fewer than Luke (1,151 verses). Also, of the 18,635 words in John, 3.7% of them (697 words) are used only once. Called unique or key words, they give quizzers the edge needed to be the first to jump and know from exactly where in the scripture the question was taken. For example, if a question began with “Who confessed…”, you would know that the question could only be: “Who confessed freely?” The word confessed is only found in John 1:20, so you know the answer is “John”. If you know these unique words and enough of the associated verse, you will be able to jump well before the complete question is read.

You can find a list of these words on the YouthQuiz web site or in the concordance at the back of your spiral-bound scripture portion. They are also in bold italics in the Nazarene Youth Bible Quizzing pocket scripture portion. A good study technique would be to highlight these words as well in your scripture portion so they will stand even more out as you read and re-read the material.

While I'm not a rocket surgeon, as you can tell I like to pretend I am one. So here is a brief statistical analysis of the Memory Verses for the upcoming quiz season covering the Gospel of John:

Reflecting on the Field and National Quizzes I have attended the past dozen or so years, I can confidently say that the most successful teams always have a skilled According To question person.

For those who may be unfamiliar, every quiz match asks four According To questions. The preamble of these questions supply the quizzer with the chapter and verse for the subsequent question. The intent of this type of question is to direct the quizzer toward a certain passage of Scripture which may be similar to other passages being studied. While the answer does not have to be word-for-word from the verse, the answer must be contained to just that verse and be precise enough to distinguish it from other verses. An example would be: According to John chapter 5, verse 1, where did Jesus go? Answer: Up to Jerusalem. Jesus went to many places in the Book of John, but in John 5:1, he specifically went up to Jerusalem.

Since answering an According To question as a multiple is permissible, it is common for these quizzers to get the jump (pun intended) on everyone else by interrupting the reading of the question as – or before – the Quizmaster is announcing the verse number. The quizzer rattles off several possible questions and their respective answers within 30 seconds in the hopes that one of them was the intended question.

Seemingly, According To quizzers appear to have not only memorized the entire study scripture, but can recall a specific verse instantaneously. In awe of this apparent superpower, I asked three former According To quizzers who have competed multiple times at the national level to share their stories and study methods: Cole Hodge and Leah Augustine from the MidSouth District, and Lydia Hutchison from the Florida District.