How to Get Students to Read the Bible: 10 Practical Ideas for Youth Pastors

One of the most frustrating parts of youth ministry is preaching about the importance of God’s Word, handing students a Bible Reading Plan, talking about it again the next week… and realizing almost nobody did it.

I’ve been there.

Most youth pastors would love to see their students reading Scripture throughout the week. We want students to have a faith that goes beyond Wednesday night or Sunday morning. We want them to learn how to open the Bible on their own, hear from God through His Word, and begin building a faith that can last long after they graduate from our ministries.

But simply telling teenagers, “You should read your Bible more,” usually isn’t enough.

The good news is that there appears to be genuine interest in Scripture among younger generations. According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2025, Scripture engagement among Gen Z adults increased from 11% in 2024 to 15% in 2025. They also found that more than half of Americans wished they read the Bible more.

The desire can be there even when the habit isn’t.

So how do we help students move from knowing they should read the Bible to actually building a rhythm of spending time in God’s Word?

Here are 10 ideas.

1. Give Them Somewhere Specific to Start

“Read your Bible” is incredibly broad.

Imagine if someone who had never exercised asked you how to get in shape and you told them:

“Just go work out.”

Technically, you’re right.

You’re just not very helpful.

Students need a starting point.

Instead of telling them to read the Bible more, give them something specific:

• Read Mark 1 tomorrow.
• Read Philippians with us this month.
• Follow this five-day Bible Reading Plan.
• Read these eight verses and answer this question.
• Spend seven days reading through Jesus’ parables.

Especially for students who are new to the Bible, handing them 66 books and saying “start reading” can be overwhelming.

Give them a next step they can actually take.

2. Start Smaller Than You Think

Sometimes we unintentionally make Bible reading harder than it needs to be.

A teenager doesn’t need to read four chapters every morning at 5:30 a.m. to have a meaningful time with God.

Start with five minutes.

Start with ten verses.

Start with one chapter.

I’d much rather help a student build a consistent five-minute rhythm with Scripture than convince them to attempt a 45-minute quiet time that lasts three days.

Jesus talked about faithfulness in little things.

Small rhythms can become lifelong habits.

3. Connect Bible Reading to What You’re Already Teaching

This is probably one of the easiest changes a youth pastor can make.

Don’t let your sermon end when students leave youth group.

If you preach from Mark 2 about Jesus healing the paralytic, give students passages to read throughout the week that help them continue exploring who Jesus is.

If you’re teaching about prayer, create a five-day Bible Reading Plan around prayer.

If you’re talking about identity, send students into passages about their identity in Christ.

The goal is to create continuity between what students hear at youth group and what they’re doing with God during the week.

We’ve written more about this idea in our guide, What Is Digital Discipleship? A Guide for Youth Pastors, because technology gives ministries an opportunity to continue discipleship long after students leave the building.

Fresh Fire was actually built around this idea. Youth pastors can take what they’re already teaching and turn it into Bible Reading Plans and Challenges students can complete throughout the week.

We also break down how that can save youth pastors time in How Fresh Fire App Saves Youth Pastors Time.

4. Don’t Just Ask Students to Read. Give Them Something to Think About.

There is a big difference between:

Read Luke 15.

and:

Read Luke 15. As you read, pay attention to how the father responds when his son comes home. What does that show you about God?

A good question teaches students how to read Scripture.

Try giving them one or two simple prompts:

• What does this passage teach me about God?
• What stands out to me?
• Is there something here I need to obey?
• What would look different in my life if I actually believed this?
• What questions do I still have?

You don’t need to turn every devotional into a seminary class.

You’re simply helping students slow down enough to engage with what they’re reading.

5. Help Students Connect Scripture to Their Actual Life

Teenagers are asking real questions.

Who am I?

Does God actually care about me?

How should I handle anxiety?

What do I do when my friends are making decisions I don’t agree with?

How should I date?

What does God want me to do with my life?

How do I forgive someone who hurt me?

The Bible isn’t disconnected from those questions.

Help students see that.

When you’re creating Bible Reading Plans or recommending passages, think about the world your students are actually navigating.

Don’t just teach them information about the Bible.

Teach them to go to the Bible when they’re trying to understand life.

6. Let Students Do It Together

We sometimes treat a “quiet time” like it has to be completely private.

But spiritual habits can also grow through community.

Challenge your small groups to complete the same Bible Reading Plan.

Have student leaders read through a book together.

Ask students to share something that stood out to them in the group chat.

Talk about the week’s reading when you meet again.

Have leaders follow up with a student during the week.

The American Bible Society’s research on church engagement and spiritual growth highlights the importance of relationships in spiritual development, including having someone in the church who encourages a person’s spiritual growth.

That shouldn’t surprise us.

Discipleship has always been relational.

We need personal rhythms with God, but those rhythms don’t have to develop in isolation.

7. Give Students Something to Do With What They Read

One danger of Bible reading is turning Christianity into an information-gathering exercise.

Read passage.

Answer question.

Check box.

Done.

James gives us a different picture:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…” — James 1:22

Ask students to take one action based on what they’re reading.

If they’re reading about generosity, challenge them to give something away.

If they’re reading about encouragement, challenge them to encourage three people.

If they’re studying prayer, have them pray for a specific person each day.

If they’re reading about serving, have them find one way to serve someone without being asked.

That’s one reason we built Challenges alongside Bible Reading Plans in Fresh Fire.

We don’t only want students to know what Scripture says.

We want them learning how to live it out.

8. Use the Phone Instead of Constantly Fighting It

There are plenty of reasons to help teenagers build healthy boundaries with technology.

But phones are tools.

And tools can be used for good or bad.

The State of the Bible 2025 found that two-thirds of Bible users accessed Scripture digitally at least some of the time, and Bible apps were the most common digital method.

Our students already carry a device with them almost everywhere they go.

What if that device wasn’t only a distraction from discipleship?

What if we also taught them to use it as a tool for discipleship?

Bible apps.

Reading reminders.

Prayer journals.

Youth group Bible Reading Plans.

Small-group conversations.

Sermon follow-up.

Technology shouldn’t replace Scripture, community, parents, pastors, or the local church.

But it can help extend those relationships and rhythms throughout the rest of the week.

That’s the heart behind what we mean when we talk about digital discipleship.

9. Celebrate Consistency Without Turning It Into a Competition

There is value in recognizing progress.

If a student finishes their first seven-day Bible Reading Plan, celebrate it.

If your youth group collectively reads Scripture 500 times in a month, celebrate that.

If you hear about a student who has started opening the Bible every morning before school, tell them you’re proud of them.

But be careful.

We aren’t trying to create the Christian version of a Snapchat streak where students feel guilty because they missed Tuesday.

The goal isn’t a number.

The goal is knowing Jesus.

Bible reading is a means of spending time in God’s Word, learning His character, hearing His truth, and becoming more like Christ.

Use streaks, reminders, goals, and reading plans as tools.

Just make sure students understand what the tools are pointing toward.

10. Model It

This might be the most important one.

Students can tell when we’re asking them to do something that isn’t important to us.

Talk about what you’re reading.

Tell them what God has been teaching you.

Bring your Bible with you.

Mention a passage that challenged you this week.

Let students see that Scripture isn’t just where youth pastors find sermon material.

It’s where you meet with God too.

You don’t need to pretend you have the perfect quiet time every morning.

In fact, being honest about the struggle to develop spiritual disciplines can help students realize that consistency takes intentionality for everyone.

Show them what a real relationship with God’s Word looks like.

The Goal Isn’t Bible Reading. It’s Discipleship.

Ultimately, I don’t want students to read their Bible simply so we can say we have a youth ministry where students read their Bible.

The goal is bigger than that.

We want students to know Jesus.

We want them to recognize His voice through Scripture.

We want God’s Word shaping how they think, how they make decisions, how they treat people, and how they understand themselves.

We want them building spiritual rhythms that aren’t dependent on a youth pastor creating a great Wednesday night experience.

Because eventually they graduate.

Eventually they leave our youth groups.

And when that happens, one of the greatest wins we can celebrate is a student who knows how to walk with Jesus without us standing in front of them.

That’s what we’re trying to build.

A lasting faith.

How Fresh Fire Can Help

Fresh Fire is a youth ministry communication and discipleship app built to help youth pastors continue ministry throughout the week.

Youth pastors can create custom Bible Reading Plans from their sermon or teaching series, give students practical Challenges to live out what they’re learning, encourage prayer, communicate with students and leaders, and gain visibility into engagement beyond attendance.

The goal isn’t more screen time for the sake of screen time.

It’s using a tool students already have in their pocket to help build the rhythms and relationships of a lasting faith.

If you’re looking for a better way to help your students engage with Scripture beyond youth group, learn more about Fresh Fire App and start a free trial.