Board Game Bible Study Creates Intergenerational Ministry Opportunities
Sherwood Oaks Christian Church tried a new summer midweek program built around Tom Ellsworth’s It’s Your Move books. The approach connected popular board games with Bible study, discussion, and real-life application while drawing families, newer members, and people looking for a church home.
- Sherwood Oaks Christian Church used board games as an entry point for Bible study and conversation.
- The gatherings became informal, intergenerational evenings for parents, children, grandparents, and newer attendees.
- Tom Ellsworth said the approach helped people connect with the church and its leadership in a relaxed setting.
By Jennifer Taylor
Sherwood Oaks Christian Church (Bloomington, Indiana) doesn’t usually offer midweek programming during the summer, but this year it tried something new—and discovered a program adaptable to any church at any time of the year.
SOCC developed the approach around Tom Ellsworth’s new It’s Your Move books, which connect the fun of popular board games to Bible study and real-life application. Ellsworth, senior minister at the church, wrote the books for small group use but found the material translated well to a larger gathering.
Board Games and Bible Study
“We spent the first half hour or so playing the game together around tables; then I led a brief devotion based on the application lesson,” he says. “We followed this with discussion. The crowd grew every week as word got out about the fun we had!”
He also notes several advantages the church hadn’t anticipated.
A Welcoming Intergenerational Gathering
“Parents brought their children, grandparents attended, and these became great intergenerational evenings,” he says. “We also discovered the informality of this approach drew our newer members and people looking for a church home. One family attended a game night before they attended a weekend worship service. One young couple moving from a smaller church—and convinced they’d never even meet the minister at a bigger church like Sherwood Oaks—ended up at my table. We had a great conversation, and I was able to introduce them to my kids who are about their age.”
(Visit www.standardpub.com to learn more about the It’s Your Move series.)
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www.christianstandard.com.
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