3 Steps to Build a Culture of Scripture Memory in Your Church or Ministry

What ministry leader wouldn’t love to see all the people they lead so in love with the Scriptures of God that they are constantly memorizing new passages and sharing them with each other? Such a dream seems beautiful and a little bit out of reach. How do you encourage the people you lead in the discipline of memorization, and how can you help them take the next step of recitation? In this blog post, I’m hoping to offer the leaders of our various Christian communities the insight they need to build a culture of Scripture memory and recitation as a ministry. I’ve led groups of adults in Scripture recitation for many years and I’ve found a way to inspire others to memorize and recite in three steps that I believe will work in many group contexts, large and small. Perhaps you teach a women’s Bible study and are hoping to inspire the women of your group to dig into the Scriptures more deeply. Perhaps you are a pastor who has it on his heart to lead his whole congregation into a special love for recited Word. Maybe you’re a youth pastor looking for a way to get your students memorizing. Whatever the context, if the LORD leads the effort, I trust these three steps of Inspire, Instruct, and Involve will accomplish what you are praying to see.

Step One: INSPIRE.

              This step has two parts to it.

Part ONE: Bring in a recitation professional to recite for your fellowship. There are several people across the United States who travel to recite Scriptures as a ministry (as well as some overseas). They can recite short passages or whole books at a time. They can recite for a Sunday service or as a special event where the recitation is the center focus.

This ministry of recitation can have a deep effect on your ministry group simply from their opportunity to hear God’s Word as it is, living and powerful. These words live inside the reciter, and when they speak them to an audience, they share the life of the Words and their own heart as it has been impacted by these Words. Seeing someone recite Scripture can also be the spark needed to ignite a fiery passion for Scripture memory. The listener thinks, “So people still do this today?” As they listen to the reciter, they have the answer: YES, and so can you!

If you ask it of them, most recitation professionals would be willing to share their story of how they got started with memorizing Scripture and how it has affected their lives since. These testimonies can greatly add to the effectiveness of the inspiration you hope to achieve.

This is what a pastor friend shared after hosting a recitation of 1 John in his church:

“Scripture Speaker Rachel Eernisse makes the message of the Bible come to life. Hearing extended portions of God’s Word in a single setting provides an opportunity to consider major themes and see familiar verses in their larger contexts. Our church has been tremendously blessed by the ministry of Scripture Speakers and now has a growing excitement to commit God’s Word to their memories.” Dr. Charles Eldred, Pastor of Fairway Park Baptist Church in Hayward, California.

Here is a list of the recitation professionals I’ve come across so far that you may consider contacting to recite in your church. They are based in different places all over the U.S.A. and in other countries. They each have their own way of handling honorariums or travel costs.

Biblical Recitations. Dramatic recitation ministry of Dr. Allan Mosher. Recorded recitations viewable on his website. Dr. Mosher also travels to recite Scripture. biblicalrecitations.com Dr. Mosher is based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Charakter Ministry of the Arts. Recitation ministry of Wesley Brainard. Recitations viewable on YouTube. Wesley also offers unique workshops related to the dramatic arts, drawing on his experience as a professional mime. charakter.org Wesley is based in Florida.

Janet Pope. Janet is a women’s speaker who is very passionate for Scripture memory. She also recites Scripture and shares the testimony of her Scripture memory journey. (She has an extensive list available). janetpope.org Janet is based in Alabama.

Let the Word be Heard. Recitation and teaching ministry of Brittany Schlichter. Brittany is passionate for women’s ministry and loves to share Scripture recitations at conferences and other events. letthewordbeheard.com Brittany is based in East Texas.

Living Letters. Broadway professional actors Stephen and Juliette Trafton recite Scripture to bring the audience into the Word. Before each recitation they set the scene to help the audience imagine themselves as part of the experience. Recitations viewable on YouTube. living-letters.com Living Letters is based in Florida.

Scripture Alive. Dramatic recitation ministry of Jeremy Kluth. Recitations viewable online. Jeremy also travels to perform recitations and teach Scripture memory workshops. scripturealive.com Jeremy is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture Speakers. Ministry led by Rachel Eernisse to encourage both Scripture memorization and recitation. Recitations viewable online. Rachel also travels to recite Scripture and teach Scripture memorization workshops. s_cripturespeakers.com_ Rachel is based in Greenville, South Carolina.

Simon Camilleri. Simon recites Scripture dramatically and teaches others how to do the same. He also has a ministry to teach effective public reading of Scripture. You can find Simon’s latest dramatic performance of John 17-20 at thatyoumaybelieve.com and his public Bible reading ministry at publicbiblereading.com. Simon is based in Melbourne, Australia.

VerbatimPresents. Dramatic recitation ministry of E. Perez Romero. Recitations viewable on website. All love offerings received are donated to charity ChinaAid. https://verbatimpresents.wixsite.com/mysite Pastor Romero is based near Los Angeles, California.

If you are not able to bring in a recitation professional, you could share a video of one of their recitations instead. Although this isn’t as impactful as an in-person experience, (especially since your fellowship members can’t meet the reciter after the event), it can still provide inspiration.

Part TWO: After your recitation professional leaves, it’s up to you to cast a vision and keep that passionate fire burning. Leading by example is one of the best ways to do that. You can share with your group or church how much you appreciated the reciter’s ministry, and that you hope to see more and more people from your fellowship memorizing Scripture and willing to recite it for each other. Then, you can do this yourself. Next time you open your teaching with a reading of the passage, recite it instead. You can have a goal in mind, (prayerfully planned), to recite a passage for each new series.

It’s okay if you don’t end up as dramatic or professional in your performance as the visiting reciter was. Mistakes and less-than-stellar performances can provide their own great encouragement to the listeners. Recitations like these show that the ministry of recitation is accessible to anyone, skilled or not. The Word of God is powerful no matter who speaks it.

Step two: INSTRUCT.

The will to do the work of Scripture memory is essential, but something that can help keep the passion behind that will is some instruction to improve the work’s effectiveness. Many people get started memorizing and become discouraged when they don’t progress in the way that they’d like. There are some proven methods you can share with your ministry to help them along.

That recitation professional you invited might also be willing to share some instructions on Scripture memorization. While you have them with you, you could ask them to share a bit of instruction with their recitation or even have a separate event for them to dive into the topic more deeply. Some of the recitation professionals available already have workshops planned out and ready to share.

You can also give away free copies of resources for your congregation to dwell in on their own time. This helps you reach more of your congregation in case many members had to miss the event of recitation or instruction. It can also help so much if a person who’s interested in Scripture memory has a resource in their hands to continue referencing long after the professional has left.

Don’t forget to include instructions for recitation as a ministry in addition to instructions for memorization. There aren’t as many resources out there for this specifically, but resources that are made for public speaking or public reading of Scripture, even for the art of acting, can also benefit those seeking to recite.

The first book I would recommend is “Speaking Scripture: How to Memorize and Recite with Purpose and Delight.” (Rachel Eernisse, 2022). This is my favorite book to recommend for better reasons than just that I wrote it. I wrote this book in order to address this exact need for instruction and inspiration in Scripture memory and recitation in the U.S. church. After twelve years or so of memorizing Scriptures, reciting them, and teaching others to do the same, I found that almost everyone had the same questions, needs, and objections that had me yearning to address them in a way that many brothers and sisters could be reached. By God’s leading, I wrote this small and intensely practical book to help any reader be fully equipped to memorize God’s Word effectively and also be ready to share His Word through recitation effectively. It’s written to be very accessible and reach even the reluctant, fearful, or doubtful memorizers and reciters. Handing this book out to the different members of your ministry would be a great start to building a culture of Scripture memory and growing a ministry of recitation.

              Two other books I can personally recommend are:

His Word in My Heart: Memorizing Scripture For a Closer Walk with God, Janet Pope, 2013. This book really helps the reader get to the heart of meaningful Scripture memorization. We should seek to memorize Scripture not because it checks a box that makes us feel accomplished or because it’s something we think we are supposed to do. We should memorize Scripture to know God and spend time with Him. This book would make a great gift to some individuals in your ministry group or congregation who are starting to memorize and whom you would like to further encourage.

Unleashing the Word: Rediscovering the Public Reading of Scripture, Max McLean, 2009. This book is written to argue for the public reading of Scripture to be taken seriously as a ministry in its own right and to equip the reader to effectively serve in that ministry. Although it’s written on the topic of public reading and not recitation, it includes chapters and chapters of practical instruction that are applicable to recitation as well. This is a great gift to give to individuals who are already reciting Scripture and are ready to take another step in developing their skillsets and abilities.

              You can also share resources like certain podcast episodes and blog posts that you found helpful in your church newsletter, ministry update email, or Sunday bulletin etc. Two wonderful places to find encouragement for Scripture memorization are: Scripture Memory Fellowship at https://scripturememory.com/ and the ministry of Josh Summers at https://www.biblememorygoal.com/. (The website you are reading this post on is a great place as well).

Step three: INVOLVE.

Now that the people of your ministry have received inspiration and instruction and the spark has lit a fire, they may be ready to take the next step in sharing the Scriptures in their hearts. To create a culture of Scripture memorization and recitation as a leader, you need to make it common in your ministry. Why not encourage those who are going to read the text before a sermon or Bible study to recite it instead? This doesn’t have to become a new requirement for every meeting that will have you burdened to track down more reciters. A simple invitation for anyone who is interested in reciting before the sermon or lesson to reach out to you can already be effective in creating the culture you’re hoping for. You can schedule the volunteers at a pace that suits the number of sign-ups over time.

Don’t be discouraged if not a lot of people sign up at first. The fact the invitation is there already says how much Scripture recitation is valued by your ministry. A few people reciting here and there can also grow into a few more people reciting more and more often. Each time someone recites before the group the message of “anyone can do this” is shared and has a chance to inspire more people in the audience.

Many churches and Bible studies will have memorization challenges for their fellowships. These can be wonderfully effective in getting people to memorize Scripture. Why not take this challenge further and include the opportunity and encouragement to recite what has been memorized? You can make time for it with each meeting or service, and/or you can simply challenge anyone who memorizes the passage to share it with a friend or with their families.

Another wonderful way to encourage recitation and minister to your church at the same time is to host recitation events. These can be small, with a team of 4 or 5 people reciting for the adult Sunday School class or much larger with a dozen or more people ready to present to the church. At my own church, we have done several smaller events that have helped the recitation team with the motivation to memorize and recite and also blessed the church through the spoken Word of God. These events can be shaped in any way one wishes, and you can gain more insight and encouragement to host one by reading this article: The Mini-Fest.

An example of an event our church put on was a recitation of the book of Jonah paired with Psalm 139. Each reciter took one chapter or portion of Psalm 139 and recited it for the event. In between each passage, we all sang a hymn with the congregation that helped us reflect on the passage before. Our pastor gave a quick message at the end of the event on the topics presented. We scheduled the event at a time of day when we could serve just cookies and coffee.

There are also some wonderful events that celebrate recitation and knowledge of the Bible called ScriptureFests that your ministry group may like to participate in. You can encourage individuals to sign up to recite a passage themselves or you can organize a team to recite a passage together. These events are hosted by churches and ministries all across America and are supported by the ministry of ScriptureFest.com. At this website you can learn more about the different events near you.

Your church could also host their own ScriptureFest. These events tend to be much larger and longer than the small recitation events I’ve already described, but if you are hosting the event then you can schedule things in a way that your ministry would be ready to handle. You get to craft your own event any way you like, with whatever theme you like. You get to partner with ScritpureFest.com to help get the word out to churches in your local area and even beyond. ScriptureFest events have become a thriving movement that is inspiring hundreds of people in each location to treasure the Word of God in their hearts. Families who are dedicated to the events will even travel hours away to attend and be a part of different ScriptureFests. Here is the link to their website for you to discover more about them: https://scripturefest.com/.

Closing Thoughts:

When building a culture of Scripture memorization and recitation, it’s important to be patient. New things can take time to catch on, and this must be guided by the Holy Spirit for it to be effective. If you’re finding a lot of reluctance when trying to get sign-ups for recitation opportunities, it could be indicative of a greater need for inspiration or instruction, or even both. You can seek to reignite the process by bringing in another recitation professional or sharing some new resources. As you continue to lead by example and take care to acknowledge and encourage the individuals who have caught the fire, in time and by God’s grace that fiery passion for memorizing and reciting God’s Word will spread.

May God be glorified and His Church edified as we seek to hide His Word in our hearts!

Blessings to you as we exhort one another, and so much the more as we see the Day approaching.

~Rachel Eernisse, Scripture Speaker