Immersing Students and Faculty in God’s Story
On a recent zoom call with NYC pastors, one pastor asked, “How is the coronavirus discipling you?” At a time when media intake is at an all-time high, it is worth considering what narratives are shaping us. As ministers in the university context, one of our primary roles is to invite students and faculty to be shaped by the story of God rather than by the narratives of the university or the culture at large. In a recent Veritas Forum, David Brooks, New York Times columnist and faculty at Yale remarked, “Without a narrative of redemption, it’s impossible to have hope in the midst of suffering.” Such a statement prompts us to consider - how do our ministry practices invite students and faculty to immerse themselves in the hope-filled, redemptive narrative of scripture?
In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul urges Timothy, “devote yourself to the public reading of scripture.” Reading scripture publicly was a common practice from the time of Moses to the early church. This practice was intended to reorient God’s people to his story – to remind them of where they came from, who they were, and the future they were called to live into as a people.
In an effort to recover this ancient practice and to encourage students and faculty to situate themselves within God’s story, 11 of our GFM colleagues piloted “The Public Reading of Scripture Project” on 10 campuses over the past year. We found that this simple practice of gathering students and faculty regularly to hear scripture read aloud in community was truly transformative – and even a helpful planting tool for campuses without a witnessing community.
What is PRS (The Public Reading of Scripture)?
The Public Reading of Scripture is a practice of gathering students and faculty to hear longer portions of scripture read aloud. Typical readings last from 20-60 min and include an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and a Psalm. Some groups have chosen to go through one book of the Bible. Participants “just show up” to hear scripture from an audio recording or a live reader without commentary, allowing the text to speak for itself. Some groups allow time for response or prayer during these gatherings. The intention is to create space for participants to be immersed in the “forest” of scripture over time rather than looking at individual “trees.” In GFM, we see PRS not as a replacement for manuscript Bible study, but as another tool in our scripture engagement toolkit to help students and faculty experience the breadth of scripture and to find themselves within God’s story.
Ed Black in Denver reported: “I teamed up with an undergrad staff colleague for a public reading of scripture on the Auraria campus in Denver, which is shared by three schools. Although attendance at the public reading was small, one young man joined the undergrad chapter in the following weeks. The faculty who attended commented that they really appreciated the opportunity to connect with God mid-day.”
How can I start PRS on my campus?
While there are many ways to implement PRS on your campus, it may be helpful to start by reading the guidebook published by The Grace and Mercy Foundation. This guidebook provides step by step instructions on how to start PRS on your campus as well as reading plans. You can also download the PRS app on any Apple/Android device:
- Open the App store and search “Public Reading of Scripture” (iTunes/Android)
- Download app
- Click “Create New”
- Enter email, create a user ID, and create a password (password must be 6 letters in length)
- Enter “Organization ID”: PRSCAMPUS
- Sign in with email and password credentials
GFM has incentive grants available for staff who want to try PRS on their campus. For more information about the availability of these grants, contact me, Chelsea Whitfield.
We hope and pray that reading scripture publicly will be a gift to you, your students, and faculty as you reorient yourselves to the story of God during these tumultuous times.
Chelsea Whitfield
ISM Team Leader, GFM Metro NYC
