Elizabeth Nussbaum worked with young children at Growing Together preschool in Raleigh, N.C. Photo: Mark Wassar

Vol. 2, No. 1 — January 2008
Bible Feud
An intergenerational activity exploring understanding (and misunderstanding) of the Bible
by Andy Brubacher Kaethler

"Family Feud" is a long-standing television game show where two families face off to try and name the most popular answers to questions posed to the public in surveys. "Bible Feud" uses a similar format, with each game involving two teams who try to guess the most popular answers about the Bible posed to people in your congregation. It is a great way to encourage intergenerational interaction and to promote biblical literacy. A church leader could also be involved in the stages of composing the questions and running the game to add additional contact.

Part I – Establish groups
Step 1: Divide youth into two main groups – one group of about three or four to compile the survey questions and set up the game, and another group (potentially much larger) to play the game (in groups of four).

Step 2: Invite one to three groups of adults to play against the group(s) of youth. Adult teams also need four on a team. For example, sponsors could be one group, deacons or elders another, parents a third.

Part II – Conduct a survey
Step 1: You'll need 24-32 good survey questions. The questions need to have four to 12 answers – enough so that there is real choice, but not so many that answering them is unwieldy. For example, “Name a book of the Bible” is too broad. A better question would be “Name a letter that Paul wrote.” Do not ask questions that are too obscure, such as “Name one of the oracles of Balaam." The success of the game depends on the quality of the questions. A list of suggested questions (PDF) is available as a guide.

Step 2: Conduct the survey. You'll need at least 25 people, but 50 or more would be best. Make sure you survey people from a variety of age groups. Surveys should be given face-to-face or by telephone. Do not succumb to the temptation to use e-mail. Do not worry if people give an incorrect answer – that’s part of the game – but they need to answer every question.

Step 3: Compile the answers. If lists are longer than eight or 10, drop the bottom ones. Do not let contestants see the surveys!

Part III – Set up the feud
Step 1: Set up the games. Each game has eight rounds. Each round consists of guessing the survey results to one question. Divide the questions into groups of eight so that there is variety in each round. Also, mix questions with fewer answers and questions with more answers.

Step 2: Set up the scoreboards. Each question needs its own scoreboard. The answers need to be covered so contestants do not see them. Answers will be revealed only when a contestant gets the right answer or everyone strikes out.  Scoreboards need to be large enough so that everyone (contestants and audience) can see, and could be chalkboards, overheads, or large sheets of paper. They will look something like this:

• Emcee: The emcee runs the game. He or she has to know the rules, ask the questions, and decides who slapped the podium first. The emcee begins each round of the face-off by saying something like, "Top X answers on the board, the question is …"
• Scoreboard tender: This person puts the scoreboard up after the question has initially been asked by the emcee, and then uncovers the answers one at a time as they have been correctly given.
• Scorekeeper: Keeps score and times players (15 seconds each, maximum).

Part V – Discuss the game
After each round, have a conversation with the contestants and surveyors about the questions and answers.

• Which questions were hardest? Easiest?
• Which answers surprised you? Why?
• What did you learn?
• Consider specific survey questions, their answers and issues they may raise. For example, with the question on naming the Ten Commandments, ask how does the order compare to the original list? Why is the order different? Does the order matter?

• How well do people know the Bible?
• Do we know the Bible well enough?
• Why do some people know the Bible better than others?
• Why is it important to read the Bible?
• Is there a difference between a "popular" answer and a "right" answer?
• Is there a difference between knowing facts from the Bible, understanding the Bible, and living the Bible?
  

Andy Brubacher Kaethler is the director of !Explore: A Theological Program for High School Youth at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. He has been involved in youth ministry for over 12 years, serving in conference, congregational, and camp settings. He has an M.A. in theology and is a Ph.D. student at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.