Rutherford County Bible Bowl
2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

What to Expect

Bible Bowl competitions are conducted in the same format each month.  Understanding this format will help your team feel comfortable and be ready to succeed.  Here is what to expect:

First, remember, these are all Christians, or children from Christian homes and we all have a common desire to learn more about God's word.  Many enjoy meeting and greeting friends and having wonderful fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Bible Bowl (BB) competitions take place in the cafeteria of Middle Tennessee Christian School in Murfreesboro.  

BB starts at 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday night of each month from October through April.  If Rutherford County schools or Middle TN Christian School is closed on that day, Bible Bowl will be the following Monday.  See the schedule here.

The basic time frame for the BB is as follows:
     7:00 - 7:15  -  Devotional
                              Led by Youth of the Host congregation - Prayer, Song & Scripture Reading (from BB text)
     7:15 - 7:40  -  BB Teams dismissed with Proctors to take written test (in classrooms of MTCS)
                         -  Adults remain in Cafeteria for a short talk from an adult chosen by the Host Congregation
     7:40 - 8:00  -  Children return to Cafeteria as they finish their tests
                         -  Dinner is served to everyone
     8:00 - 8:30  -  BB 'Buzzer' Competition Round
                              Teams in 3rd, 4th & 5th place after the written test compete
                                  with 10 multiple-choice questions
                              The winner of the first 'Buzzers' and the Teams in 2nd and 1st from the written test
                                  now compete in the second 'Buzzer' round
                                  to decide 1st-3rd place for the overall competition
     8:30  -  Award Ribbons handed out as competition ends

BB ends at 8:30 p.m. each time.  We try to be consistent about this, as it is a weeknight and children need to be home.  Though some stay and fellowship, most leave quickly and the building is usually closed soon after 8:30.

Written tests are given to the children from each congregation as a team.  They will go to a classroom with one proctor (an adult from another congregation) and they will have 20 minutes to answer as many questions as they can.  The tests are comprised of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank and short-answer questions from monthly chapters of the Bible (see the home-page of this website for the chapters studied for any particular month).  The test is specific to the New King James version of the Bible (you can see the text online in this website as well by clicking the chapters on the home page).

The 'Buzzer' Rounds of the competition are taken in the cafeteria in front of the entire group.  Three teams go at a time and five players from each team at a time.  Players can be switched out half-way through the test and between rounds (if your congregation is in both rounds).  Questions are shown on the big screen and each player has a hand-held device that allows them to put in their answer (usually multiple-choice).  After all 15 players have chosen an answer, the correct answer is given and a tally is shown of how many on each team answered correctly.  Points are given for the team(s) that have the most correct answers.  Note: It is not shown who on each team got right and wrong answers.

The age range for the BB is any 'school age child'.  Some congregations have more older or younger students, but most have a good mix.  Each congregation is allowed to set their own guidelines, with-in the school age range, as to which ages they will include.

A meal is provided at the BB for all participants and guests.  This is usually pizza and cookies and sodas.  There is a time set aside for eating, but many continue/finish eating while the competition is going on.

At the end of the competition, ribbons are awarded to everyone on the team of the 1st-5th places.  A larger ribbon is given to the congregation corresponding to their place.

If you are interested in Hosting a month at the BB, you would be expected to have three young men to conduct the devotional and an adult man to speak to the adults while the children take their written tests.  You would also be responsible for providing dinner for approximately 200 people and for general clean-up of the cafeteria and kitchen areas.  All participating congregations are expected to host from time-to-time.  Several larger groups host every year.  Some of the smaller groups combine with other small groups to share in hosting responsibilities.  (See more details here)

This is a fun and exciting evening for everyone in attendance.  If you have never been to a BB competition and would like to know more, please visit a BB and ask for a member of the Steering Committee.  There is usually someone sitting at a table in the center of the room near the food side.