How to Host a Bible Quiz Night
For a 90-minute night, write five rounds of ten questions, put four to six people on each team, name one Bible translation as the referee, and keep three closest-number tie-breakers in your pocket. Below: the timing arithmetic for any length of night, five round types with examples, the check every question should pass, the rules to read out, and a host sheet to print.
- Count the minutes, then the questions. About one minute per question, three minutes of marking per round, and 25 minutes for welcome, break and results.
- Teams of four to six, mixed by age. Under eight people in the room: play as individuals.
- One translation decides. Say which at the start. Disputes are settled by reading that verse aloud.
- Every question has a reference on your sheet, checked against that translation before the night.
- Ties go to a closest-number question, never a sudden-death question two teams can both get right.
How many questions fit your night
Most of a quiz night is not questions. It is people arriving, finding a team, marking, tea and the results. Plan the fixed parts first. These are our working figures, the same pace as our youth group quiz (about ten minutes for a round of ten):
- Per question: about 1 minute. Read it and the options twice, allow 20 to 30 seconds, read the answer and its verse.
- Per round: about 3 minutes to collect slips, mark and read the scores.
- Fixed: 10 minutes of welcome and teams, 10 minutes of break, 5 minutes for the final scores, the prize and a closing prayer.
So: minutes = questions + 3 × rounds + 25. Work it backwards from the time you have.
| Time you have | Rounds | Questions | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 minutes | 3 of 8 | 24 | 24 + 9 + 25 = 58 |
| 90 minutes | 5 of 10 | 50 | 50 + 15 + 25 = 90 |
| 2 hours (with a meal) | 6 of 10 | 60 | 60 + 18 + 25 = 103, plus 15 to eat |
Write three spare questions per round as well. You will need them when a question turns out to be wrong at the table, or when the night runs fast.
Five round types that work
Change the type each round so the same three people do not win every one. Each example below was checked against the World English Bible (WEB), which is public domain.
1. Multiple choice (start here)
Easiest to mark: teams write A, B, C or D.
How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? A 75 · B 90 · C 100 · D 120. Answer: C, one hundred (Genesis 21:5).
2. Who said it?
Read the words; teams name the speaker.
"Here I am. Send me!" Answer: Isaiah, when he heard the Lord ask "Whom shall I send?" (Isaiah 6:8).
3. Finish the verse
Read the first half; accept the meaning, not one translation's exact words.
"He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly…" Answer: "to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).
4. True or false: what the Bible actually says
Good after the break: everyone has an opinion.
- "The Bible says money is the root of all evil." False. It says "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
- "Jonah was swallowed by a whale." False as worded. The text says "a great fish" (Jonah 1:17).
- "The Bible says there were three wise men." False. It names three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, not a number of men (Matthew 2:11).
5. Closest number (final round, double points)
Teams write a number; closest scores. It keeps every team in it to the end.
How many years did God say Israel's children would wander in the wilderness? Answer: forty (Numbers 14:33).
If you would rather not write the questions yourself, our 150 Jeopardy-style questions and the 40 youth group questions all carry their references; mix rounds from both.
The check every question must pass
A wrong answer read out with confidence is the thing people remember. Before the night, put each question through these five tests, with the Bible open:
- One answer only. "Who went up a mountain?" has dozens of answers. "Who received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai?" has one: Moses (Exodus 31:18).
- The answer is in the text. "What fruit did Eve eat?" fails: Genesis 3:6 says only "its fruit". Popular memory says apple; the verse does not.
- The reference is written next to it, and you have read that verse in the translation you named, not remembered it.
- The wording does not depend on one translation. If one version says "great fish" and a team remembers "whale", decide before the night what you will accept.
- No question about a disputed doctrine. A quiz is the wrong place to settle baptism or the end times. Keep to what the text says happened and who said what.
The rules to read out (under a minute)
Read this word for word at the start. It heads off most arguments later.
"Five rounds, ten questions each. Write your team name on every slip. Phones away and Bibles closed until I say otherwise. One point a question; the last round counts double. Our referee tonight is the World English Bible: if you think I have got an answer wrong, put your hand up after the round and I will read the verse aloud. The verse wins, not me and not you. Ties are settled by a closest-number question. Have fun, and be kind to the marker."
Roles
| Role | Does |
|---|---|
| Host | Reads questions and answers, keeps time, rules on disputes using the verse. |
| Marker (one per 6 teams) | Collects slips at the end of each round, marks against the answer sheet. |
| Scorekeeper | Keeps the running totals on a whiteboard or screen everyone can see. |
With fewer than 20 people the host can mark too; it adds about two minutes a round.
Keeping it fair
- Mix the teams yourself. Number people off as they arrive rather than letting friends sit together. Put the minister and the Bible-college student on different tables.
- Mark round by round. Slips handed in after each round cannot be corrected once the answers are read.
- Accept the meaning. In "finish the verse", any translation's wording scores. You are testing knowledge of Scripture, not one edition.
- Disputes after the round, not during. Answer them by reading the verse. If the verse genuinely allows both answers, give the point to everyone who gave either.
Host sheet
Print this page; this section is the part to have in your hand on the night.
The week before
- Time worked out with the table above; rounds and questions counted
- Every question checked against the five tests, reference written beside it
- Three spare questions per round and three tie-breakers written
- Answer slips printed: one per team per round, plus spares
- Marker and scorekeeper asked and briefed
On the night
- Bible in the named translation on the host's table
- Pens on every table, whiteboard and marker for the scores
- Rules read out; teams named and written up
- Prize ready; closing prayer chosen
Tie-breakers (closest wins)
- How many people were on Paul's ship before it ran aground? 276 (Acts 27:37).
- How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? 100 (Genesis 21:5), if you did not use it in a round.
- How many men did God tell Gideon to keep, the ones who lapped the water? 300 (Judges 7:7).
Scores
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 (×2) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Running it on the TV instead of slips
Paper works for any size of room and never needs Wi-Fi. If you would rather not mark slips, BibleLiveQuiz puts each question on the projector and players answer from their own phones by typing a five-digit code or scanning a QR code; nobody installs anything. The host picks 5 to 25 questions and 15 to 60 seconds per question, and can score individuals or teams. The free plan is sized for 10 players; a bigger room still plays, and the host is asked afterwards whether to upgrade. Keep a printed round in reserve in case the Wi-Fi fails.
When this is not the right page
If you want a whole evening of different games rather than a quiz, the church game night plan has eight games and a 90-minute run sheet. For a seasonal night, the Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving quizzes each give 15 questions ready to read. If most of the players are young children, use shorter rounds of five picture or true-or-false questions and drop the double-points final. If the quiz is a fundraiser, check your church's and your local area's rules before selling tickets or running a raffle alongside it.
Verses are quoted from the World English Bible, checked against bible-api.com on 7 November 2026. The timings are our recommendations, from the pace of the quizzes on this site; adjust after your first round if your room is faster or slower. App details are from the current BibleLiveQuiz event set-up screen.
Questions go on your projector, everyone answers from their phone, and the scoreboard keeps itself. Players join with a code or a QR code.
See how it works