St Aidan's Presbyterian Church, South Wagga Wagga

Roster Role: Ten30 Bible Reading 1

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Who does this? 

A Bible reader is confident to speak in front of a crowd; a clear speaker, able to engage people and direct them to focus. 

At its heart, a Bible reader is a clear reader who understands the passage; nothing less, and nothing more. 

Being a Bible reader involves:

Preparation

  • DO check the roster for the reference for the reading
  • DO pray—asking God to help you to make his Word clear in the reading.
  • DO prepare thoroughly by reading over the passage several times, note the big ideas and structure of the passage. The big idea of the sermon will be included in the email that goes out on Thursdays.
  • DO consider using a printed out (larger font) and mark up any words you want to emphasise or places to pause.
  • DO check tricky words, an audio bible is a great way to do this e.g. biblegateway.com
  • DO practice the reading aloud. It’s only when we actually speak it out loud that we’re genuinely practicing

Presentation

  • DO pray again—asking God to help you to make his Word clear in the reading.
  • DO arrive early for church
  • DO be ready by the end of the previous item, rather than creating a distracting pause as you walk to the front. Follow on the run sheet that you will be given on your way in.
  • DO make sure that the microphone is well positioned for your reading posture so that we can hear you loudly and clearly.
  • DO announce the reading and page number of the passage in the church Bibles (if you are using a printout be careful to have this info on hand).
    Giving the briefest introduction. It might at times mean reading a heading, such as a lyrical note at the start of a psalm. It is not an opportunity to give a mini-sermon, or describe the contextual background. The Scripture supports itself, or else it is amplified by the preacher.
  • DON’T dive straight in. DO allow people time to find the passage. DO repeat the reference so people get a second chance to be in the right spot and ready to follow along with you once they’ve found the actual page.
  • DO read the bible reading carefully as you prepared it, (e.g. not rushing because you are nervous, or pulling back from things like emphasis because it feels silly!). DON‟T slip into a strange holy voice (special Bible reading voices are just distracting). Read as yourself but with meaning as you prepared it.
  • Do keep going. If you do stumble, don’t apologise, just keep going