The Sooner The Better

Guide to Starting a Team

By Bro. Richard Smith

Want to start a quiz team? Even if you’ve never quizzed before, you can start a team! First of all, remember that this is more than just a game or competition, it is a ministry. You are working with souls…children’s souls! So above all else, remember to love them, be kind to them, and that the number one reason we do Bible Quizzing is not to win trophies or medals, but to hide the Word of God in our hearts!

Here are a few tips on starting a quiz team.

  1. Contact your district quiz coordinator. If you are not sure who this is, talk to your pastor or someone in leadership who has their contact information.

  2. Talk to your pastor about starting a team. Remind them that 90% of young people who Bible Quiz for three years or more stay in church.

  3. Find out what verses the next local tournament is over. That will give your quizzers a goal to work towards.

  4. Find a group of kids (you need at least two to make a team) and have at least one weekly practice with them. In this practice, teach them how to memorize verses.

  5. Get flash cards for your quizzers. Referencing (going back and quoting verses you have already learned) is the key to knowing your verses well.

  6. Invest in a buzzer system. The raising hands thing works for awhile, but it is not nearly as much fun or efficient as a buzzer system.

  7. Teach your quizzers about the different types of questions.

  8. MOST HELPFUL Get the WordSong App here: Trusttttttttt me on this. https://wordsongapp.com. Your kids will be singing the verses in no time! (My 3 year old learned 24 verses his first year doing this!)

  9. Get Bible Quizzing apps here: https://www.upcquiz.com/apps/apps.php

  10. Make it FUN! Bible Quizzing is a way to make the Word of God fun for young people! Bible Quizzing is more than just tournaments and even learning God’s word! You get to TRAVEL to other states, meet NEW FRIENDS, have LOTS of fun, and even WIN scholarships to missions trips and Bible College.

  11. Teach your quizzers how to interrupt questions.

  12. Pray for your quizzers and encourage them. Quizzers (and people in general) respond better to motivation and encouragement than anything else.

  13. There is no minimum age for Bible Quizzing. (However, there are are two divisions: Beginner and Junior.)

  14. If a quizzer is 8 or younger as of January 1st of that quizzing year, they can quiz Beginners.

  15. If a quizzer is 12 or older as of January 1st of that quizzing year, they are too old to Junior quiz. (But they can join Intermediate/Senior quizzing.)

  16. Get EVERYTHING you need to know and do to start an Alabama Junior Bible Quiz Team Here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1PlPAqsdjaQ-crpkQhXV7XT3TFy1mhw_O

How much do tournaments cost?

First Team: $200/year or $40/tournament

Second Team: $150/year or $30/tournament

Each Additional Team: $120/year or $25/tournament

Preparing for the Season

by Bro. Richard Smith

September

Begin promoting BQ to your young people and generate interest; also, talk with your pastor about other individuals in your local church who could become part of a BQ coaching team. Take some time to figure out your memorization schedule, considering how many verses your quizzers can learn. Depending on quizzers age and  experience, this should average 5-25 verses per week and it may not even be feasible for some new quizzers to learn all the material. Remember to include memorization "break times" when your quizzers only have to review and shore up what they have already studied. If you are new to quizzing and don't understand what any of this means, get in touch with me and I will give you some additional information.

If you have friends from other churches without Bible quiz teams, this would be good time to let them know about quizzing. Encourage them to talk with their pastor about starting a quiz team in their church and pass my contact information on to them.

October

Figure out exactly who is going to Bible quiz and get your materials ordered. Set what day(s) you will have quiz practice in conjunction with pastor and parents. Have a quiz kickoff to generate excitement and a positive push. Hand out the materials to each quizzer, along with a written schedule of memorization and review.

November

Plan to get started no later than November 1. Have a regular quiz practice and learn the ministry of encouragement! It is usually no problem when there are only 30 verses to review, but it gets challenging for quizzers when the verses pile up. If you are not quite getting your quiz program started yet, don't despair. We still want you to join the quiz family this year!

December

Don't forget that the holidays are upon us. Be thoughtful when making out assignments, especially with those that are traveling during Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is better to lower expectations and keep your youth involved and excited about BQ than try to meet a deadline that will overload them or burn them out.

January

Get ready for the first Alabama BQ tournament. If you are just starting in January, it will be a little tougher, due to the tournament memorization schedule, but we would rather have you involved than just sitting at home on Saturdays! Come be a part of things and get your young people with other Godly young people!