The Bible is being largely neglected by 40% of our attenders and our people are weaker for it. If you don’t shift any of your practices your church may continue in the status quo of Bible neglect. Your rhythms of church life and leadership may even reinforce it. But if you shift your practice your people will begin to read more frequently, be nourished spiritually, be stronger in speaking God’s Word to others, and the God of the Word will be glorified.

Eat your salad. The greens are good for you. You can’t leave the table until you finish your vegetables.

These phrases horrified my 7-year-old self. I believed they were good for me, but the bad taste outweighed the benefit. Over three decades later I enjoy eating my spinach salads and kale-filled protein shakes (though kale requires extra peanut butter and honey).

What changed? Two things. First, my body felt better when I ate healthier. Second, my wife’s habits and exhortations slowly, eventually, and effectively, changed my habits and values.

According to Lifeway Research, more than 1 in 4 Protestant church attenders fail to read their Bible at least once a week. Less than half say they read their Bible more than once a week. In our society of literacy and Bible accessibility, this Bible neglect is concerning.

The more our people neglect their Bibles the less they will know, obey, and enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ. Less Bible means the body of Christ embodies him less faithfully, less joyfully, and less effectively.

Even though Bible reading is not specifically commanded meditating on it is commanded and commended (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2, Colossians 3:16). It’s through the Word of God that we grow in learning and godly living (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible renews one’s life, makes the inexperienced wise, makes the heart glad, and lights up our eyes (Psalm 19:7-8).

Meditating on Scripture establishes us and causes us to flourish (Psalm 1:2-3). It is through hearing the truth with faith that we receive the Spirit (Galatians 3:2) and are increasingly filled by him (Ephesians 5:18).

Many church leaders are discouraged by the lack of spiritual fervor in their congregations. Trials burden our people. And many of us lack the spiritual resources to joyfully endure or spiritually encourage others with a timely word from the Bible.

We pastors need encouragement to move forward. While 40% of those attending our churches won’t read their Bibles more than once a week, it doesn’t have to be this way. Your church can be different.

As a pastor I’ve been faced the difficulty of leading people with dusty Bibles and outdated phone apps. By God’s grace through some church practices our church has enjoyed a culture of Bible reading in the home and with one another.

One of these practices might help you shift your church’s culture to read the Bible more. Raise their expectations, seize your Sundays, and practice what you preach.

1. Raise Their Expectations

We must raise the expectations of our people. Do they expect to grow spiritually? Do they feel the responsibility to serve others the way a parent feels the responsibility to care for their children?

Parents eat and sleep because they know they need to serve. It seems many Christians don’t feel the need to serve others spiritually. Consequently, the regret of neglecting their Bible is minimized.

Christians who gather on Sunday should expect themselves to be spiritual providers for their fellow members and neighbors. How do we raise their expectations?

Remind them that they are a community.

The members of the church are a community of believers mutually committed to one another’s discipleship. If pastors disciple members to understand their mutual responsibility for the discipling of all the other members of the church, then the members will begin to feel an appropriate pressure.

Clarify who is a member of the church and who is a valued guest. Teach them to love each person appropriately while understanding the categorical distinction.

Clarifying both whom we’re mutually responsible for and what our responsibilities are raises the people’s expectations. They understand they each contribute to the collective responsibility of each church member (Matthew 18:17, 1 Corinthians 5).

Make the responsibilities explicit. We tell members they are responsible to care for other members, influence them toward Jesus (discipleship), gospelize them and their neighbors, attend Sundays and members’ meetings, and support the church and leadership.

Encourage them to continue caring for each other.

Christians already have a God-given love for one another (1 John 4:7-8). As they feel the weight of collective accountability before God their concern for one another shifts to spiritual health.

They ask more intentional questions about how they are doing. People volunteer more information. They are willing to be more vulnerable. Sharing burdens adds to the pressure to help. They long to say something helpful.

Challenge them to communicate the Bible to one another.

This is where Bible reading becomes crucial—when concern to say something spiritually helpful arises the desire to communicate the Bible. Even normal conversations take on a new significance where they want to make a spiritual deposit in the lives of their community.

Therefore, you should encourage your church to read the Bible together. There are several methods of reading the Bible together and leaders should empower their people to do it.

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