Frequently Asked Questions

National Bible Bowl is a youth Bible quizzing program. When Bible Bowl was created, a variety of quizzing “bowls” were modeled after a popular game show. Students in Christian colleges across the country thought it would be a great idea, instead of academic quiz bowl games, to have “Bible Bowl,” and eventually they took it to the youth ministries they were working with, and it caught on quickly from there. Over 60 years later, Bible Bowl is still around.

The grade ranges* for Bible Bowl players are as follows:

• Beginner: grades 3-5
• Teen: grades 6-12

Participating players should be able to do the following:

• Clearly and vocally answer questions pertaining to knowledge obtained from studying the text
• Press a buzzer button to answer questions
• Interact with other players as a member of a team
• Understand and follow the rules of the game

Teams are comprised of 3-5 players, but a maximum of 4 players can play at a time. If one of the players “buzzes out,” the 5th player may sub in.

*Your local program may allow for some flexibility within those ranges; however, playing outside of official ranges could affect eligibility at Teen Nationals or the Beginner Main Game Event. More information may be found in our Rules and Procedures, located here.

Traditionally, Bible Bowl had 1 season per year (corresponding to the traditional school calendar). However, we are now organized into 2 seasons per school year, the Fall Season and the Spring Season.

League meets for the Fall Season-

• Block 1- September
• Block 2- October
• Block 3- November (teen only)

League meets for the Spring Season-

• Block 1- March
• Block 2- April
• Block 3- May (teen only)

Optional End of Season Events:

For those who wish to participate, National Bible Bowl offers end of season tournaments covering the entire text that occur in the following months:

Fall-

• Beginner Main Game Event- early November, one day, at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
• Teen Nationals- early December, 3 days, at various locations

Spring-

• Beginner Main Game Event- late April, one day, at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
• Teen Nationals- early/mid June, 3 days, at various locations

Daily:

Some (but not all) students study daily. We recommend a minimum average of 15-20 minutes of study per day. Players who wish to play more competitively may find that they need to study more; the amount of time a player puts into daily study will depend on the abilities and motivation of each player.

Weekly:

We recommend a weekly team practice of at least 1-1.5 hours.

Monthly:

There are 3 local meets per season, usually meeting on a Saturday (and in a few cases, Sunday after church). The length of these league meets varies by location, and could be from 3 to 5 hours. Check with your league coordinator for more details.

The resources and costs listed below are what we recommend as “must haves” at a group, sponsor, and player level. Please confirm listed prices at the Bible Quiz Shop, as they may be subject to change.

Group Level (used by all participants):

Question Pro Software (purchased once for the whole group, not per player)

• Teen– $50/season
• Beginner– $30/season

Buzzer Board-

$355 (third party vendor information may be found here.)

Loaner boards may be available on a first come, first served basis; they are available for a limited amount of time, until your group can arrange to purchase a board. Contact office@biblebowl.org for more information. Although not ideal for in-person practices, due to the inconsistency of data speeds of devices and service providers, a free online buzzer is available at biblequizshop.net.

Sponsor (Adult Leader):

• Teen- Study Guide, $12.50
• Beginner- Leader Guide Value Pack, $27

Players:

Study Materials-

• Teen- Study Guide, $12.50
• Beginner- Beginner Study Guide, $11.50

Registration with National Bible Bowl-

• Teen- $23/player/season
• Beginner- $20/player/season

PLEASE REMEMBER:

• If you are joining an existing program, check with your local sponsor before purchasing any resources, since a number of programs include items within their own registration fees.
• If your program chooses to participate in a league, check with your league director for any fees your league may charge to cover facility rental, awards, etc.
• If your team chooses to participate in national level tournaments, there are additional registration fees for those. (Participation in league and national competition, while recommended, is OPTIONAL.)

The resources suggested above are just what we recommend for getting started. Please visit the Bible Quiz Shop to see additional resources available!

Please contact office@biblebowl.org to see if there are any teams in your area which have availability. Depending upon the sponsoring entity, some groups allow students to participate who are not associated with the sponsoring entity, and some do not.

If there are currently no Bible Bowl groups in your area, start one! It’s never been easier to get a group going, and it will be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done. Find out more at our Start a Team page HERE.

If you’re joining an existing program, please ask your group sponsor where and when practices are held.

Teams practice in a variety of locations, including:

• churches
• Christian schools
• homeschool co-ops
• homes

All questions used in Bible Bowl are based on the Scripture text in the official Study Guide published by Bible Quiz Shop, which uses the Christian Standard Bible, published by Lifeway Christian Resources. It is imperative that all players use the official Study Guide in their study as it is the only thing used to judge correctness of answers in competition.

Bible Bowl was started in the 1960’s by colleges and universities affiliated with the non-denominational Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ of what is officially known as the American Restoration Movement. The leadership of Bible Bowl is still affiliated with these churches; however, Bible Bowl teams and participants are not required to be affiliated with any specific denomination or fellowship of churches.

Current participants: Always ask your local sponsor and league director first! National Bible Bowl is unable to answer questions specific to your group or league.

Contact office@biblebowl.org if you are new to the program, don’t know who your local director is, or if you have a question that your local sponsor/director is unable to answer.

Please do NOT send questions via direct message to our social media accounts, unless you have a question specifically about a current social media challenge/campaign. All questions and submissions to social media may also be sent to media@biblebowl.org.