As a travelling reciter of Scripture, my favorite way to minister to others is by dramatically reciting passages before an audience. There are some more wonderful people out there who also have their own ministries that involve dramatic recitation and you can find links to some of their websites on my Resources Page. However, recitation as a ministry is not just for the professional! It’s not even just for the people who like public speaking and large crowds. That’s certainly a good thing since most people hate public speaking with a passion. Recitation of Scripture is a powerful way to minister to large audiences and small audiences, whole churches or home Bible studies. It’s also a beautiful blessing to give to an individual. Here are some creative ideas to use recitation of Scripture to minister to others.
As I love to say, our purpose in memorizing Scripture should be to “delight in God’s Word and invite Him to use it.” Let’s not forget that He might like to use it in someone else’s life, not just ours!
Large Audience Ideas
1.Church family.
Depending on the size of your home church, you may be intimidated to recite in front of them. Smaller churches certainly feel more cozy and less scary. But no matter the size or how nervous you might be about reciting before the church, keep in mind that this is your family. These are brothers and sisters in Christ who know you and love you. They know that what you are doing, reciting, is a tough thing to do and they are rooting for you!
Recitation of Scripture can be a beautiful way to open a sermon or add to a worship time. If you have something memorized, you can let your pastor and other leaders know that you are available to recite. Be prayerfully ready if the time comes. God can use your recitation not only to speak to the audience powerfully through His living Word as it lives in you, but also, He can use it to encourage the believers there that they can (and should) be memorizing Scripture too.
2.ScriptureFest.
ScriptureFest events are part of a movement among churches and ministries across America to celebrate Scripture memorization. People will come from miles around to join an event and sign up for a passage. On the day of the event, everyone takes turns reciting Scripture before the audience gathered. These events can last the whole day or even spread to two days. Almost everyone is reciting as an amateur and everyone celebrates each recitation. You can find a ScriptureFest in your area by going to ScriptureFest.com.
3.Mini Fest
These are recitation events that I hosted for years before I ever learned about ScriptureFests. They are like a mini version of the larger event. Usually I’ve hosted these as official events for the church, but I’ve also hosted them as private potluck parties. Round up a team of people who are willing to memorize passages surrounding a certain theme. Have everyone memorize a passage on the list and come together on the day of the event to take turns reciting. These events work best if you provide some accountability and coaching along the way to help each person complete their memorization and prepare for their recitation. You can see an example of a recitation event we did for Good Friday here. And you can read more detail about how to plan and host these events here: The Mini Fest: How to Host Your Own and Lead Your Team.
Smaller Audience Ideas
1.Small Bible studies.
Not only is this idea more accessible for being less intimidating, but reciting for a smaller group may mean there are more opportunities available. Offer to recite a passage or book of the Bible for an adult Sunday school class. The children’s Sunday school class might love to welcome a recitation, especially animated renditions of favorite Bible stories. If you have a home group, you can make it a goal to share with them each new memorized passage after you’ve completed it. These opportunities don’t just offer accountability, they also offer a more personal connection for the listeners to be affected by your testimony on display. They can see and hear your love for Scripture from your recitation and will have greater opportunity to approach you afterward and ask questions, like, “how can I get started memorizing too?”
2.Local ministries.
This won’t require much travel from you and will often involve a smaller audience. Check around your local area for ministries or organizations that host a regular chapel. Many of these ministries would love to have a guest come and share something special with them, like some beautifully recited Scripture. You may need to plan extra passages or a larger book to recite together to fill the time, or you can also spend part of the chapel time talking about the passage or talking about Scripture memorization. You could also take this as an opportunity to host a “Mini Fest” and bring a team with you to recite and sing together. These ministries in your area could be retirement homes, nursing homes, senior centers, and homeless shelters.
I’m currently prepping a recitation and message for my local Christian homeless shelter ministry for their women’s chapel. I’ll be reciting Jonah, talking about his testimony and mine, and tying it together with spiritual battles that can be fought best with Scripture memorization. I believe this is a rich opportunity because most of the women there are walking through some hard spiritual battles every day. I’m thrilled to have the chance to come and speak the living Word of God to them, and I’m praying that they are inspired to memorize Scripture as well. This could be incredibly life-changing for them. It has been life-changing for me!
3.Your own family.
Your family should be the first place you minister to with Scripture recitation. They are your first ministry priority, after all. One of the ways you celebrate a newly memorized passage can be reciting it for your family over dinner time. You can also share a repeat recitation whenever you’ve reviewed it or if it’s just been on your heart that day. Perhaps your family could participate also and you could take turns having someone recite at dinner time, or dedicate one dinner a week to being a recitation dinner. One of my favorite ways to share Scripture with my daughters is to recite for them as a bed time story.
You can have a tradition of reciting certain passages of Scripture to celebrate certain holidays. Many families read the Christmas story aloud each year, what if you recited it instead? This can also be a great opportunity to reach the lost members of your extended family. At your next holiday reunion you can ask if you can recite a passage for the holiday. People in general are respectful and willing to listen to you recite because they know how hard it is to memorize and how hard it is to stand in front of an audience and recite. They may be open to the idea of listening to a recited Bible passage that goes with the holiday, especially for holidays that still have Christian roots like Christmas and Easter. The ears that would normally be closed to conversations of faith may open to listen to your recitation, and how powerful is it that they would be listening to the direct living Word itself?
Recitation of Scripture can also be a way to minister and stay connected to other long-distance family members. Mary Thomas, one of the members of the Bible Memory Goal online community, shared that her kids recite each week to their grandparents over the phone. What a wonderful encouragement for everyone involved!
4.Dinner parties/friend events
Instead of waiting for a perfect opportunity to present itself, you can make the opportunity for yourself. You can plan a special dinner party or potluck and invite your friends over to listen to one of your recitations. This way you can control the environment during your recitation, deciding how many people you would be comfortable with in attendance. You can keep the party simple, or you can add to it themed snacks and decorations. I would love to host a Jonah party someday with goldfish crackers and a blue tablecloth.
A private event for your friends can take other creative forms as well. Danny Smith, another member from the BMG community, once recited the entire book of Revelation with a small group of friends while doing an easy hike together. He planned a circuitous route with several stops along the way where he had props set up ahead time to add to the experience. At one point he had each of his friends eat a spicy type of candy to represent eating the scroll that made the prophet’s belly bitter (Rev 10:9-10). You can listen to his recitation here, where he uses many of the same props minus the hike. Great job, Danny!
Audiences of one.
1.Shut ins.
There are people who are part of your church family who can’t partake of your church family, in other words, the brothers and sisters in Christ who can’t make it to Sunday services because of their physical limitations. “Shut ins” is the term I’ve heard to describe the people who find themselves in this situation. It is so easy for the shut ins to be forgotten, and it is so discouraging and lonely for them to be. Not only is it a wonderful idea to visit the shut ins of your church to fellowship with them, it is wonderful to pray with them, sing with them, and recite Scripture for them. They are missing out on the opportunity to be with their church family and hear the teaching of the Word of God. By coming to recite Scripture to them, you are bringing with you so much of what they are missing.
2.Hospital visits.
The next time you visit someone in the hospital you won’t have to wonder what to say, you can say Scripture. Ask the Lord what passage He would lay on your heart, recite with power and joy, and know that the Lord will be able to specially minister through your recitation.
3.Needs in the moment.
So often I have been talking with someone who is expressing need or anxiety and I feel led to recite for them Psalm 139. It is the most wonderful thing I could say to them, that God truly is with them. But by saying it via Psalm 139, I am not reducing their pain to an easy little phrase of my own, I am speaking words that have real power, and I am pointing them to the God who said them. Recitation of Scripture is an incredibly effective way to answer people in their time of grief, pain, and confusion. Be sure to listen to the Holy Spirit carefully in these moments to know what passage He would lead you in.
4.Gifts
Rejoice, for an absolutely free gift has been discovered. You can memorize and recite a passage to give it as a gift to someone else. What good news for those low-on-cash seasons of life. I once gave the gift of a recited portion of Luke 1 and 2 to my Dad for Christmas. He loved it, and even better, I get to give the same gift every year. You can memorize Proverbs 31:16-31 to recite for your mom on Mother’s Day. Husbands, I can’t even imagine how honored your wives would be if you memorized the same passage to honor them, explaining to your wife that you memorized the passage because you see her as a fulfillment of it. Other passages can be wonderful gifts for birthdays, pastor appreciations, graduations, and even weddings.
Unique ideas
1.Reciting over the radio.
Samantha Forbes, another BMG member, shared an idea to recite for local Christian radio. This was a unique opportunity for a local station’s annual “Share-a-thon,” where Samantha brought her students from her Christian school to come and participate. What a special opportunity this was! Perhaps something like this opportunity may open up in your own local area, prayerfully keep an eye out for opportunities God might provide.
2.Street recitation.
Get a street performer license and bring Scripture to the streets! Different than street preaching, the crowd walking by might be intrigued by a passionate performance of Scripture. Definitely consider how your local area may respond and make wise and safe choices, please. I haven’t tried this idea yet, but I really want to!
Closing Thoughts
As you can see from the list above, there are many ways to minister to others through the recitation of Scripture. Do you have any ideas to add? Or a testimony of how someone else ministered to you with Scripture recitation? Please share it in the comments below! May God bless you as you delight in His Word and allow Him to use it in lives of others.
Need help reciting more effectively, powerfully, or beautifully? Check out my book on Scripture memorization and recitation here.
God bless,
Rachel Eernisse, Scripture Speaker.