Prayer and Bible Study Accompaniment
It's all about prayer.
It's all about the Bible.
It's about fellowship.
I want to end this series where it all begins: with Scripture. With prayer. With the practices that are supposed to be the foundation of everything we do in our lives of faith exploration.
Here's something that came up in one of our listening sessions that I haven't been able to shake:
"It's all about prayer, it's all about the Bible. It's about fellowship and worship. And if you don't have those components in your church, I'm not sure what we truly have."
They are so right… and yet…
Many ministry leaders tell us they struggle to bridge their theological training with engaging spiritual practices. We know prayer and Bible study matter deeply… but fostering a personal prayer life and reading Scripture devotionally can feel difficult, even for seasoned leaders.
Isn't that strange?
We spend years in seminary learning about the Bible. We can parse Greek verbs and debate the historical context of Paul's letters. But when it comes to actually leading a Bible study that connects with people's everyday lives… When it comes to our own spiritual practices… the ones that feed us, that keep us grounded, that sustain us through the long seasons of ministry…
Well, that’s a lot harder it seems. And we don't always talk about it.
One of our Knox faculty members put it provocatively:
"I think what will “save the Church” is if people gather around Scripture, by which I mean actually gathering around Scripture, not using resources. I think we're way too resource heavy. We need to teach people how to read the Bibles."
Another faculty member built on this comment by adding that in a PCC context, we need to connect this to a “LivingFaith”. They expressed it this way:
“It's not just reading the Bible. It's knowing how to read the Bible, and even sometimes distinguishing between how we read it and how other traditions read it."
And then there's this, from a professor we talked to who's been teaching Bible to seminarians for over twenty years:
Former students have said to me, 'I have a really hard time finding resources that I can share with adult study groups. Can you point me to something?' They're not expecting me to build their curriculum. But they need help bridging what they learned with the context where they are providing leadership."
That gap — between what we learned and what we lead — is exactly what this initiative is about.
Introducing: Prayer and Bible Study Accompaniment
We're not trying to replace the Bible studies happening in your congregation. One minister in our listening sessions was clear about that: "Bible study is one of the few opportunities outside of Sunday worship where I get to interact with my congregation in a small group setting. That time is precious."
We heard that. And we agree.
What we are trying to do is resource you and through you, your congregation… so that engagement with Scripture and prayer can flourish in whatever form makes sense for your context.
Here's what we’ve been imagining and we can’t wait to get started on:
Canadian Resources by Canadian Experts
We're recruiting a cohort of ecumenical subject matter experts — practitioners and academics — to support a model for spiritual formation that doesn’t rely on a set curriculum but imagines this experience as a practice of the gathered community. It will be specific to the Canadian context. Not American resources with a maple leaf slapped on. Resources that understand our reflect an ecumenical form of engagement, our geography, and our realities.Multiple Formats for Multiple Contexts
In-person. Hybrid. Virtual. On-demand. We heard clearly that one size doesn't fit all. A rural congregation with spotty internet has different needs than an urban church with a packed program calendar. We're building for all of it.Regional Pop-Up Labs
We're piloting weekend gatherings in different regions where leaders can experience dynamic Bible Study and spiritual practices firsthand, give immediate feedback, and connect with others doing this work. These aren't conferences where you sit and listen. They're labs where we learn together.A National Gathering
Within the grant timeframe, we'll bring people together from across Canada to share what's working, wrestle with what's not, and strengthen the network of leaders who are passionate about scriptural engagement.E-Learning on CHURCHx
Developing e-learning opportunities on our CHURCHx platform, so you can access training whenever it works for your schedule. Because we know you may not always have time to add another meeting to your week.Print Resources for When the Internet Fails
We heard this one loud and clear. Not everyone has reliable connectivity. Sometimes you just need something you can hold in your hands. We're creating workbooks, curriculum guides, and participant materials in print.Facilitator Training
Using a train-the-trainer approach, we'll equip leaders to guide others. Because the goal isn't for Ministry Forum to run all these activities. That just isn’t sustainable. The goal is for you to feel confident leading them — and for your congregation to have people who can do this work long after any grant funding runs out.
To “catch” a glimpse of what we are imagining and meet one of our passionate Canadian Biblical Scholars whom we will be partnering with… check out this past episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast where we talked with Dr. Derek Suderman from Conrad Grebel University College about the art of dynamic Bible Study.
Why does this matter?
Because when leaders feel confident in prayer and Scripture, their communities flourish.
Because fewer congregations are hosting regular Bible studies, and that's a loss we can't afford.
Because there's a growing hunger for accessible and meaningful spiritual formation and we believe today’s ministry leaders need help to meet this need.
And because ministry leaders deserve to be fed too. We hope that this initiative will not only help leaders carry the load along the way but it might be something that nurtures their spirits as well.
This initiative exists because we believe the people who lead others in spiritual practices shouldn't be running on empty themselves. We want to create experiences that feed you resources that feed you — not just tools for your congregation, but nourishment for your own soul.
Scripture remains central to our faith. It's The Story. It’s OUR STORY too. And it is grounded in prayer… praying on our own and praying in community. When everything seems like shifting sand, it is prayer grounded in the Word where we will find our firm foundation.
Let's gather around it together.