Churches Taking the Challenge

Top things to consider when implementing with a congregation:

Make the call to participate INVITATIONAL, not mandatory.
Accept that NOW is not the right time for everyone in the congregation to do the reading. That said, the non-readers can still benefit from accompanying sermons, the focus of those participating, or just the tenor of the organization as it works through the reading and program. Be sure that those who can't participate in the reading are affirmed to attend church etc. If a lesson from last week's reading is being preached from the pulpit, be sure that the non-readers are given some context for the message.

Give EXTRA ENCOURAGEMENT to those who ARE participating.
When groups are formed for the exclusive purpose of reading through the entire Bible, participants are surrounded at least weekly by those with a common aim. This is an important support group. Conversely, congregation-wide efforts mean that participants and non-participants will likely be interspersed within a crowd. Be sure to continue to stress the importance and value of what the participants are doing.

Invite participants to give public testimonies throughout the 90 days.
Perhaps every other week or so in worship service, a different participant could speak for a minute or two about how his or her life is being impacted by this process.

Accountability is even more important in large groups than small ones.
A congregation-wide effort has the opportunity to transform a church in a way that few other programs can. Ted Cooper stated, “The first few times my church held the program, people chuckled that the biblical literacy increased by 1000%.” While that's probably exaggeration, the principle holds. From both a "knowledge" and a "relational" standpoint, the impact was truly significant.