Bible engagement situations
The Bible Engagement model describing five engagement situations – each characterised by a different level of engagement with the Bible
The Bible holds a special place in our culture. But in some ways, it doesn’t get the relevance it should have – out of our bible society perspective of course.
In its basic form, it has hardly changed over the centuries. Although it is constantly changing its skin: through translation, the evolution of design and printing, and cultural adaptation. Yet it’s still known as the Book of Books.
As the German Bible Society, our mission is to help people encounter the Bible to support churches and congregations in their work with the Bible.
One way to do this is the Bible Engagement Model presented below, designed to reflect and strategically align a variety of activities promoting the spread of Bibles and Biblical development.
Throughout the centuries, the Bible has been the “Book of Life” for many, a book to be opened and read again and again, proclaimed and preached. But at the same time, it has always been a book that people struggle with - “the book with seven seals” - its relevance concealed.
Every century, every generation has grappled with the question of how to make the Bible accessible: through new translation approaches, illustrations, supplementary/informative pages, and more. The media historical view of the Bible shows that there was hardly a way that was not tried. Again and again it was discussed, what is the “appropriate” way to handle the Bible? How can it as Holy Scripture remain “Holy”, that is, uniquely belonging to God and thus different from any other text one might deal with? What are appropriate ways and means to give people access to the Bible and its message?
Christians of all denominations and beliefs are convinced that the Bible is indispensable for the Christian faith and for a living, mature Christianity. And all denominations, in their own way, try to shape encounters with the Bible in different situations, and bring people into conversation with the Bible.
People encounter the Bible even outside of Christian communities and churches. Everything around us is shaped by the Bible. We see it in culture, in music, art, and literature. Our society also has its roots in the Bible, through its values and legal system. Everyday life necessitates exposure; even our seven days of the week receive their meaning from the Bible. The Bible has relevance for every human being, regardless of what one thinks.
The 5 Bible Engagement situations
OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE ENGAGEMENT MODEL
The Bible Engagement Model is a working model developed from practice, for practice. It is based on and informed by a wide variety of experience from journalistic and practice-oriented work with the Bible. In addition, findings from communication science and marketing were taken into account.
The model is based on the assumption that the Bible can only develop its relevance if the form of biblical content and media are appropriately assigned to their respective situations and target groups. The model describes five situations, each characterised by a different level of engagement with the Bible. These situations can be differentiated by the time they take, and the quantity and density of the biblical message or Bible text used.
In the model the individual Bible situations are presented in a circle, making it clear that different Bible engagement situations are not considered in isolation. If, for example, a low-threshold Bible encounter is made possible in the framework of a campaign, the target group should also be offered an opportunity to build on a triggered impulse with further tools. The different Bible engagement situations can thus complement or support each other.
By staggering the five situations described on the facing page, the model can describe a development: from impulse to input and from interest to routine and knowledge. But this “development-thinking” is not its main purpose: Not every impulse has to lead to an input situation, and not every interest has to be elevated to a knowledge situation. The individual situations have value in and of themselves, supporting and supplementing one another. The model does not assume that the individual situations have to develop into one other. Above all, the goal is to make it clear that there are different everyday situations and contexts in which the Bible can be used meaningfully.
IMPULSE
The impulse situation is a short (first) engagement with the Bible, which may be unexpected and surprising to the target audience, but leaves a positive impression. It may be a situation where a message from the Bible surprises someone with its relevance: “Oh, is that from the Bible? That’s interesting!” An experienced Bible reader, on the other hand, may be in a situation where they are reminded of a message from the Bible, unaltered: “It’s great that this engagement has drawn me to reflect on this thought from the Bible!”
An impulse may therefore (for example in a campaign) be directed and relevant to both those familiar and unfamiliar with the Bible. The medium of the engagement can be concise and provocative, or remind one of the Bible more generally. But it is important that it stimulates reflection, without triggering any profound inner conflict. The engagement must not be too intense, dependant on concise, effective compression and communication of information.
A typical impulse engagement only lasts 2–3 seconds. An impulse needs little text, a single verse or a statement about the Bible, at most. It should also be as emotional as possible, with text and images designed with that in mind.
INPUT
In an input situation, someone encounters a motivating thought from or about the Bible, which directly relates to their life in a meaningful way.
The Bible is full of positive and encouraging verses, but they often eclipse the rest of the Bible and its message, the content that is heavier and more difficult to understand. For this reason, this form of Bible engagement can be arranged, for example, in an environment where people usually have no reference to the Bible, or in which they do not expect it. Whether the engagement is explicitly understood as a biblical message or not isn’t important. An engagement can be designed to connect the Bible with new areas of someone’s life, in “positive moments of surprise,” for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the Bible.
A typical input situation takes 2–3 minutes. It can be stimulated by an impulse encounter; the target group can follow a thought, giving it space, feeling encouraged, confirmed, challenged, comforted, etc. An input situation should only use a small amount of text from the Bible, e.g., 1–2 verses, although familiarity may allow for longer texts.
If content beyond the Bible text (books, images, etc.) is made available, these should serve to develop the relevance of the Bible message for the target group, and to support its connection with the world and everyday life. The starting point for this engagement is not necessarily the Bible itself, but it can be appropriate and natural to use it. Visual and creative mediums are key here, channels that can be emotionally charged and used to deepen and support the plausibility of thoughts.
INTEREST
People with interest in the Bible have already had positive experiences with it. This may be from an impulse or input engagement arousing further interest in the Bible or related content, or even from previous experiences with the Bible in other contexts (family, church, school, etc.). There will be those who are not convinced of the Bible’s relevance to them, as well those who are looking specifically for relevant content, and each brings with them different attitudes alongside their interest.
A typical interest engagement takes 5–10 minutes. In this time, someone can engage with the Bible as well as supporting content that directly links the Bible to their life in a meaningful way. Both smaller sections of the Bible, as well as complete narratives, can be used (e.g., The Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, Parables, etc.). Content beyond the Bible is designed solely to accompany and support, subordinating itself and giving space to the biblical text, the amount of mediation receding in comparison with previous encounters.
The starting point for this engagement could be content that can be directly linked to the Bible text in everyday life (e.g., a known symbol that is linked to or given meaning by text from the Bible).
ROUTINE
In a routine situation the focus is the deepening understanding of biblical texts. “Routine” is meant positively in this model, and reflects the competence that people have already acquired in dealing with biblical texts. They come to the Bible on their own initiative and they are competent at handling the Bible, but they may need support in opening up texts, familiar and unfamiliar (and know how to access supporting content). They approach the Bible with the attitude that it can have a positive, life-changing impact on their lives, and accordingly they return to it again and again with the expectation that it relates to their everyday life.
A typical routine engagement lasts 15–30 minutes. During this time, they are engaged with a specific section of the Bible, likely utilising supporting material (e.g., Bible reading plans, Devotionals, etc.) In routine encounters, full-length bibles are usually used, so texts are searched for and found independently.
KNOWLEDGE
The knowledge Bible engagement is the most time-intensive form of dealing with the Bible, which presupposes the most self-activity and motivation.
A typical knowledge engagement can last 30+ minutes. During this time, additional materials are usually used alongside the Bible text. These serve to deeply develop the text through further information, thoughts and interpretations. Those who deal with the Bible in this intensity often do so to subsequently design Bible encounters for others.
TWO DIFFERENT ATTITUDES TO BIBLE ENCOUNTERS
The five Bible Engagement Situations can be subdivided into two groups according to the individuals’ respective priorities:
In impulse, input, and sometimes in interest encounters, the main aim is to make the relevance of the Bible clear to the target group, and the focus is on the questions that they are asking. Their attitude and priorities can be stated, “Me and the Bible.”
In routine, knowledge, and sometimes more independent interest encounters, some positive views on the Bible can already be assumed. Like the first group, the Bible study has to remain relevant to the target group, but relevance may come at a later stage in the encounter. The priorities and attitude of this group are different, where one can now say, “The Bible and Me.”
An interest Bible engagement may combine both priorities. With the first attitude, the interest has yet to be aroused, but previous positive experiences with the Bible can be built upon. With the second, a more independent interest has already developed. Here, people initiate encounters with the Bible themselves, but unlike the routine encounter, they are not seeking its relevance to everyday life.
OVERVIEW OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION FORMS
In order to effectively design encounters, it is crucial to define whether the encounters are initiated through mediation alone, or brought about and/or sustained through direct contact with another person. Both can support one another. For example, an impulse engagement may be initiated by another person, but developed through a flyer that creates an input encounter. In general, where a personal level of input is not possible, media in print or digital can fill an important function. However, we can’t rely on media alone to make the Bible accessible. The Bible is uniquely accessible through encountering others, where its relevance can be authentically discovered.
In addition, it should be noted that the model is not unconditionally working towards knowledge situations, or even routine situations. Instead, the idea is that the Bible is powerful and is effective across all levels of engagement, especially when it is experienced at the appropriate level or levels. For “Bible professionals” and full-time church staff, for example, an impulse engagement may occur in everyday life that positively inspires them with regard to the Bible. Furthermore, it must be kept in mind that the Bible engagement is often embedded in a larger context, for example a Bible engagement in the form of a sermon could be in the context of a church service.
RELEVANCE
The middle of the model has it all. That is one of the points on which we are still working and which, therefore, is still poorly explained in the brochure on the model, which was published in early 2019.
Relevance has always been key in how content is perceived. But what is constantly changing is the way in which something becomes relevant, and our ability to discern what is relevant.
We can observe this clearly in the exterior design of Bibles: Bibles used to appeal and sell because of their appearance of seriousness and authority. Fifty years ago, almost every Bible had a black cover, with gold letters reading “Holy Scripture.” No question: such a book must be relevant.
Today, however, it is difficult to find such a Bible. Even traditional and rather literal translations such as the Elberfeld Bible are offered with photo motifs on the cover.
The Luther Bible in turn was presented on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with a colourful jewellery thrust.
Obviously, today it is “closeness to life” that bears witness to the relevance of the Bible and its message.
When considering relevance, we must bear in mind the abundance of messages that compete for our attention. Information, news, and advertising pounce on us from all sides, and as a result we have all developed our own unique systems to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant. Only what we perceive as personally relevant to us, we allow to approach. Everything else is ignored. And it has to be ignored, because we could not handle it all. It should also be remembered that in the course of a day, depending on situation and mood, we classify different things as “relevant.” If you are looking for entertainment, you will find different content and impulses relevant, compared to someone who is doing research on the internet.
It is subjective, and how we establish relevance is immediately apparent. We can see it every day in our own lives. For providers of content, however, this means that there is no objective way to define relevance for people in general. Relevance is always personal, for each individual, for me.
In relation to the Bible, this means that statements from the height of theology about the Bible as Holy Scripture do not help the question of relevance any further.
Bible publishers have already felt this, clearly seen in the shift in the design of Bibles. Only when the Bible becomes “God’s word for me” does engagement with God happen, and encounters with the Bible succeed.
The Bible Engagement Model can again be split into two groups. On the right side, relevance can be much more basic, much less explicitly theological. This is especially true when it comes to first encounters with the Bible. When an impulse encounter first occurs, it does not necessarily mean that the encounter is recognised as referring to the Bible. Here, for example, the Luther Bible can work effectively through the familiarity of many phrases that still belong to the general vocabulary. Relevance can then emerge through the combination of a seemingly familiar saying and an original graphic design.
The described subjectivity of relevance means that it cannot be methodically generated, and above all cannot be guaranteed. We can only try to make it possible. To do this, we can reduce obstacles, and give our target group an offer they can’t refuse. In order for this to succeed, we first have to ask and listen: what moves the people for whom we want to encounter the Bible? What situation are they in, where will they be if they want to explore more after an impulse encounter? What do they know about God and the Bible? What interest do they bring on their own? Are there perhaps current events that can be spoken into?
These various considerations can be summarised well by a quote from Michael Domsgen, Professor of Religious Education in Halle (Germany): “There is no such thing as relevance. It is not a characteristic that adheres to content, institutions or statements per se, but a subjective and situational variable that is also carried out in the form of assessment. . . . Relevance cannot be methodically produced, argumentatively induced or controllably generated, because it only occurs at the level of the individual.” But at the same time, “Beyond the subjective, more and more general relevance structures can be identified.”
When these considerations of relevance are taken into account, the chances of a successful encounter with the Bible increase.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
The model is based on the assumption that, in principle, it can be profitable for people with very different backgrounds to encounter the Bible and its message.
It shows how different intensities of the Bible encounter can be brought about and supported by different media. However, it remains to be seen which of these encounters are desirable for certain (possibly previously described) target groups in individual cases.
These questions must be decided by the users of the model themselves. Here, the model can above all contribute to reflecting on one’s own approach, and to supporting strategic planning.
The model seeks to collect experiences from Bible-related journalistic and practical work in a structured way. However, this does not mean that there cannot be completely different experiences that are not covered by this model. It is possible that a person without any previous Bible encounters picks up a Luther Bible, begins to read it, and doesn’t stop. That can happen - even if it is unlikely. Therefore, no strategy can be derived from such individual cases. Here the old insight applies: exceptions confirm the rule.
Pastor Dr. Christian Brenner
German Bible Society, Executive Board (Bible Program and Communications)
PhD in Theology at the University of Bonn in 2002. From 2003 to 2006 working for the German Bible Society in Stuttgart, being an editor and responsible for developing a Bible translation concept for young people (BasisBibel). From 2007–2015 National Director of Scripture Union Germany. From 2015–2016 working as one of four CEOs in a communications agency, being responsible for “strategic and organisational development” consulting companies and non-profit organisations. In 2016 returning to GBS being today part of the leadership team.
The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
German Bible Society
A not-for-profit religious foundation. It is engaged in translation of the Scriptures, the development and dissemination of innovative Bible editions, and in giving all people access to the message of the Bible. It bears international responsibility for scholarly Bible editions in the original languages. Through its international programs, in collaboration with other members of the United Bible Societies, it supports translation and distribution of the Bible worldwide, so that everyone can read the Bible in their own language.
