The IFCA Bible Quizzing Ministry exists as a means for encouraging young people to study God’s Word in depth and to commit Scripture to memory. We believe that the ministry of quiz coaches and the hiding of God’s Word in the heart, together with an intellectual grasp of Scripture, will bring about spiritual growth in our youth. Furthermore, this ministry lays a foundation of Biblical knowledge and understanding upon which the Holy Spirit will build for years to come.

Memorizing God’s Word, especially in the context of a large section of the Bible, is extremely valuable for life, discernment, and in-depth study and understanding. God’s Word changes lives. Bible Quizzing provides a great discipleship tool with which caring adults can minister to students (2 Tim 2:2) and share love and concern. Students have often shown improvement in their understanding of grammar, their study habits, overall academic grades, teamwork, and perseverance.

The “quiz year” is the same as the typical “school year.” Starting dates for memorizing the Bible passages chosen for the year vary among churches, but usually start mid-August. The memorization is usually completed by the beginning of May which leaves about a month to prepare for the national championship tournament. The national championship tournament takes place as part of the IFCA National Youth Convention and is typically the last week of June at a college campus of varying locations.

We use the New King James version.

IFCA Bible Quizzing is designed for youth from 7th grade and age 12 up to age 18. Quizzers can also participate after high school graduation until they are age 19 on the January 1st of the current academic year. These official rules apply to competing at the national level, but younger students are welcome to join in regional events and all are welcome to memorize the Word with us.

Churches from all over the USA participate in IFCA Bible Quizzing including, but not limited to, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, and Washington.

There is an 8-year rotation of selected passages: They are:

1. 1. John
   2. Ephesians and 1-2 Thessalonians
   3. Romans
   4. James and 1-2 Peter
   5. Philippians and Galatians
   6. Colossians and 1-2 Timothy
   7. 1 Corinthians
   8. Hebrews

For some of the longer books, we memorize substantial portions rather than the entire book. See “Quizzing Material” for the passages we are currently memorizing.

No, schools or homeschool groups can also participate in IFCA Bible Quizzing. A group that would like to participate in IFCA Bible Quizzing needs to have some affiliation to the IFCA. This could be fulfilled by their church or school being a member of IFCA International or by a Pastor or lay person who is an IFCA member.

The ideal team is 3-6 individuals. One or two member teams can also compete. The maximum number of members on a team is 7 at the regional level and 6 at Nationals. If a church has more quizzers, they can bring more than one team, as space allows in the tournament.

Novices memorize approximately 180 verses and Seniors, approximately 270 verses each year. Although our memorization schedules vary, this comes out to Novice memorizing about 5 verses/week and Senior memorizing 7 verses/week, while continuing to review previously memorized verses.

Bible Quizzing has two divisions. A student can be in the novice division for the first two years that they participate in quizzing at the national level. After that they must move up to the Senior division. Exception: years before 7th grade do not count as participation. So, a student who starts quizzing in 5th grade could be a novice quizzer for 4 years.

A senior division quizzer is a student who is in his 3rd year of participation and beyond at the national level. See exception under Novice Division Quizzer. A student may also opt to be a senior division quizzer in his or her first or second year of quizzing.

No, each division is quizzed over a different number of verses, so a team either quizzes in the novice division or the senior division.

A quiz consists of 20 questions that have been written objectively to be taken right from Scripture. If a student knows what the verse says, they should be able to figure out the answer to the question. Included in each quiz are 3 questions that involve quoting a verse word perfect. Quizzers are given 30 seconds to complete their answer. Quizzers often buzz before the question is completed, and in that case, they must complete the question before giving the answer.

No. Quizzers memorize the text of Scripture, not the questions.

Yes! It looks quite intimidating during a quiz, but if a student has the Bible verses memorized, he/she will be able to answer the questions. Bible memory takes diligence, but if the personal discipline is there to spend 15-20 min a day, it is completely achievable!

Students sit in a line at a table and use a Game show style quiz box that has buzzers with lights and controls for the quiz master. There are several assorted styles that are used by quiz teams. The IFCA may have a set that a new team can borrow to get started.

Each church has their own unique method of quiz practice. Some churches meet on Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, or Sunday afternoon. Most practices feature a short devotional in the Scripture being memorized, time for quizzers to quote and review Scripture, and of course, a quiz. Games using the quiz material are also helpful and, of course, food!  

Yes! Throughout the year, several churches will meet at quiz invitationals for fellowship together and to quiz over God’s Word. These are great opportunities for students to make friends and develop relationships over the Word of God.

The way to achieve a large goal is to work at it in small chunks. Developing habits to spend time memorizing every day will reap great benefits. Over time, one verse a day adds up to knowing many. Many have found when you work at memorizing that it gets easier, and it takes less time to lock the verses into memory.

Ideas for Memorizing: Visual learners can memorize by reading the verse several times over to themselves then repeating it or drawing pictures of their verses. Auditory learners find success in listening to an audio Bible and reviewing it from there. Some have found success with the Bible Memory App https://biblememory.com/. Some memorize aloud while doing “mindless” activities (i.e. coloring or puzzles). Doing physical activity while memorizing can be helpful as well. Some learn verses while walking on a treadmill, elliptical, walking, running, or pacing. It can also be helpful if you have someone to help you practice, by stating the verse and making you repeat it after them.

Go to http://ifcayouth.org/quizzing-material/ and click on “Generate Quizzes.” This will take you to a web page where you can download quizzes for a verse range of your choice.

There is an annual resource fee of $52.50 per church (or school) to cover costs. We ask that you pay the fee before downloading the current year’s material. The Fee is waived for the first year of a team’s existence. If teams participate in the national championship tournament, there is a fee of $25 per team registered.

Please contact the Quiz Chairperson Karen Johnson at quizzing@ifcayouth.org and let her know you are interested in Bible Quizzing. She will help you get started and will get you in contact with any teams that may be near you. There are many people willing to help via phone calls, video calls, emails, or visits to help you start a new quiz program.

Yes, the document of the official rules is available at ifcayouth.org/quizzing. The rules have been carefully written in detail to provide a fair and equitable experience for all.

There is no official memorization pace. It is left up to each team leader’s discretion. If quizzers memorize from August to May, it will take approximately 5 verses a week for Novice and 7 verses a week for Senior to finish memorizing all the material. Coaches of other teams may be willing to share their pace with other teams.

Competition drives people to do their best. The opportunity of an upcoming quiz tournament serves as motivation for students to study well. During competitions, fellowship, good sportsmanship, and love for others are emphasized. Great lessons can be learned as students learn to deal with disappointment when they lose a quiz and humility when they win.