From Bible Novices to Bible Scholars in Just Four Years
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
“The modern church is biblically illiterate.” – Dr. James M. Boice
In the summertime, our small church averages between 12 and 22 people in attendance. Once the “snowbirds” arrive in the fall and winter months, our attendance grows exponentially to between 30 and 40.
As our guests and regular attendees enter the clubhouse where we meet, the first thing they encounter is a literature table on the left that is full of free books, devotionals, study guides, pens, highlighters, and assorted other “goodies”. And directly in front of them is another table with our church bulletin, the hymnal we use, and a stack of NKJV Bibles.
Some of our attendees bring their own Bibles but others avail themselves of the lender Bibles we provide. After all, I find it helpful if everyone is using the same translation because we spend A LOT of time reading and studying God’s Word every Sunday morning.
We recently completed a study of the Book of Daniel and we are now in the Gospel of Luke. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t consult other passages of Scripture. In fact, one of my guiding principles is to “compare Scripture to Scripture” to ascertain a common theme rather than to take one isolated verse out of context and build a faulty doctrine on that.
When we planted Midway Bible Church in April 2022, many of our people were novices as far as the Bible was concerned. By that I mean they would have trouble finding the various books of the Bible let alone the verses I was citing. However, four years later, when I ask them to turn to a particular passage, sometimes they get there before I do… and that makes me burst with pride as their pastor.
I fear that Dr. Boice, who pastored Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for 32 years, may have been correct when he made his statement about biblical illiteracy. However, I can assure you that he wasn’t referring to the fine folks at Midway Bible Fellowship, who have become true Bible scholars.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
