Remember the days when it seemed that everyone went to church—and participated in Sunday school? When reporting attendance, my home church also used to record the number of Bible chapters each class had read during the previous week. The youth would often read a lot of scripture in an effort to have more chapters than the older adult class. While obviously not the best motivation for reading the Bible, at least we were reading it! We had Bible drills and challenges. We were taught scripture through songs and rhymes. All of these things helped us to learn things about the Bible.

What about those people who did not attend Sunday school or even church as children or youth, but have now come to the church? How do they learn what many Christians consider to be basic skills—how to find the Old and New Testaments, which stories are part of which testament, who were the patriarchs, what are the names of the gospels, etc.? You may think that these are concerns only for younger people, but many adults (even older adults) are uncomfortable in church settings because they don’t have this basic knowledge. They don’t want to participate in a class or other small group because they don’t know how to find scripture passages or are unfamiliar with all but the most commonly known biblical stories.

So, how can the church provide an opportunity for people in this situation to learn without calling attention to their lack of knowledge? One option that my current church has used is to offer a “Bible 101” class. Out of the three people who responded to the offering of this class, only one had not grown up going to church. The other two people wanted a “refresher” course. The class used a curriculum that provided an overview of the Bible, supplemented with additional information and stories the teacher felt were important or would be of interest. These people have since transitioned into existing Sunday school classes.

Another option available to Cumberland Presbyterians is to use Opening Doors to Discipleship (http://odtd.net/). The courses on Bible Background, Presbyterian/Reformed Faith, and Discipleship provide a lot of basic information and can be completed individually in the privacy of one’s home. If desired, individuals could work through the sessions or modules and then meet to talk about it. Establish a schedule with which participants are comfortable.

Because people learn in a variety of ways, consider presenting some of the stories of the Bible through music, drama, readings, and art. When people are involved in the story presentation, they will need to do some background research, which will encourage learning. You might even prepare some questions for them to answer afterward.

Some congregations offer a set of scriptures that will help people to read the Bible in a year. While that may seem daunting, even reading some of the scriptures will still help people new to the Bible get some basics. If your congregation chooses this option, it may be important to provide translations that are written in more contemporary language.

Remember that you may not be aware of the need for this type of program in your church, but it is important to offer it for those who may be embarrassed to ask for help and for those who “need a refresher.”

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Written by Cindy Martin, Coordinator of Adult Ministries, Discipleship Ministry Team.