8 Reasons to Lead Your Congregation to Follow the Same Bible Reading Plan in 2022

With a little more than one month to go in this year, it’s past time to be planning for your congregation’s activities next year. If you haven’t considered leading your church members to adopt the same Bible reading plan, it’s worth considering. Some members probably won’t get involved, but it’s still worth the effort. Here’s why:

1. It’s just good to invite the whole church to join together in a spiritual task. We’re doing church in a fractured, divisive world—and anything we can do to promote togetherness in spiritual disciplines is a good thing. 
2. Challenging the church to read reinforces the church’s commitment to the Word. It’s one thing to say, “The Word of God governs what we do”; it’s another thing to say, “The Word of God that governs us is so important to us that we want to read it together.” Plus, we can illustrate that commitment to potential new members by inviting them to join in the reading. 
3. Encouraging the whole church to read together will lead to at least some who will read more next year than ever. The accountability and unity in this process are sufficient to get some members who’ve never followed a reading plan to begin. Even if only one person reads more than ever, our congregations will be stronger. 
4. Having a reading plan can encourage gospel-centered conversations among members. Some who have never otherwise asked about each other’s Bible reading might well be more inclined to enter such discussions. I’ve seen it happen. 
5. If your church memorizes Scripture together—something I think is important for a congregation—you can choose the texts from the congregation’s readings. That way, we can model the value of choosing texts from one’s devotions rather than simply “picking” a verse to memorize. The more a text comes from our quiet time with God, the easier it is to remember it. 
6. It’s likely some members will develop a reading habit that will continue beyond 2022 even if your church doesn’t follow a similar strategy the next year. When Christ-followers spend time with God every day for a year, they’ll not want to miss a day. Hearing from the Lord via His Word changes our lives. 
7. A congregation-wide plan will push church leaders to be faithful in their own reading. Sometimes, even leaders struggle with consistency in their Bible reading. If they know, though, that they’ve encouraged the church to read together, they’ll be more committed to the task. They should want to lead the way. 
8. The pastor might determine, under the leadership of the Spirit, to preach through a book of the Bible the church is reading together. Or, the church might develop small group curriculum around the reading. Either way, the congregation digs even more deeply into the Word they are already reading. 

If your church has used this approach in the past, what can you tell us to help us do this well in the next year?