Bible bingo is a super fun game played by some Christian groups and churches to help make studying the Bible more engaging and fun. It is becoming more popular lately! 7 holy things to know about bible bingo:
7 Fun Facts about Bible Bingo Played in Churches
- It’s similar to regular bingo, but instead of numbers, the bingo cards contain words, phrases, names, books, etc. from the Bible.
- The caller reads out scripture passages or verses. Players have to locate the matching items from their bible bingo card and mark them off.
- The first person to get 5 in a row (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) and yell “Bingo!” wins. Some versions require filling the whole card.
- Cards come pre-made with random bible terms, or players can make customized cards with teacher/leader’s guidance.
- It’s often played by Sunday school classes, youth groups, bible study groups, etc.
- Prizes are sometimes given to the winner, like bible bookmarks, crosses, candy, etc.
- Some create bible bingo cards based on particular books of the bible or biblical themes.
So in summary, it’s a light-hearted game adaptation of bingo that helps reinforce biblical literacy and makes bible study more engaging. It’s commonly played in church settings and bible groups.
Example Bible Bingo Questions (And Answers!)
Easy Bible Bingo Questions:
- This man built an ark (Noah)
- This prophet was swallowed by a great fish (Jonah)
- This man killed Goliath (David)
- This woman became a pillar of salt (Lot’s wife)
- This man received the 10 Commandments (Moses)
- This man denied Jesus 3 times (Peter)
- This book comes after Galatians (Ephesians)
- This man was known for his coat of many colors (Joseph)
- This number of apostles did Jesus have (Twelve)
- This man was eaten by lions (Daniel)
- This woman agreed to marry Boaz (Ruth)
- This prophet’s name means “salvation of God” (Hosea)
Medium Level Bible Bingo Questions:
- This man was the first murderer (Cain)
- This man was told to build an ark (Noah)
- This woman turned into a pillar of salt (Lot’s wife)
- This man killed Goliath with a slingshot (David)
- These two women were wives of Jacob (Rachel and Leah)
- This food did God provide for the Israelites in the desert (Manna)
- This man denied Jesus 3 times (Peter)
- This number of commandments did God give Moses (Ten)
- This man was thrown into the lions’ den (Daniel)
- This book comes after Acts in the New Testament (Romans)
Difficult Bible Bingo Questions:
- How many days and nights did Jonah spend in the belly of the great fish? (3)
- Who wrote the book of Hebrews? (Unknown)
- What was the name of Abraham’s wife? (Sarah)
- Who was the youngest son of Jacob? (Benjamin)
- What was the name of the sea that Moses parted? (Red Sea)
- Who was Saul’s armor bearer when he died? (Abimelech)
- What was the name of Lot’s daughters? (Ruth and Orpah)
- How many baskets of leftovers were collected after Jesus fed the 5000? (12)
- What was the name of the high priest who questioned Jesus? (Caiaphas)
- Who was the king of Gerar that took Abraham’s wife Sarah? (Abimelech)
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What is the history of Bible Bingo and Churches in America?
- The exact origins of bible bingo are unclear, but it seems to have emerged in Sunday School classrooms and bible camps in the early-to-mid 1900s.
- It grew in popularity as a way to engage children and youth in bible study and memorization in a fun way. The game format added excitement.
- Many credit Catholic churches and parochial schools for spreading the use of bible bingo as a religious education tool.
- By the 1950s and 60s, bible bingo was commonplace in many Protestant and Catholic church settings as well.
- Originally, bible bingo used homemade cards and boards. Commercially produced bible bingo games entered the market around the 1960s.
- Modern bible bingo sets feature colorful designs, bible trivia, computer programming, and multimedia elements to increase engagement.
- While quite popular historically, some churches avoided bible bingo for perceiving it as gambling or diminishing biblical reverence.
- But most have utilized it as an effective means of reinforcing knowledge of bible facts and stories, especially for kids and youth groups.
- Today bible bingo remains a beloved tradition in many churches and camps, now also played online or using church apps. It provides fun bible review.
It seems that bible bingo emerged around the early 20th century and grew steadily in Protestant and Catholic churches as a creative bible learning activity, particularly for younger participants.
What Variations are there for Bible Bingo played in Churches?
Churches seem to have 3 types of bible bingo games – below we break down all three bible bingo variations:
Bible Book Version:
This bible bingo version focuses on a single book of the Bible. All the bingo items come from that specific book.
- Instructions: Create bingo cards using only people, places, events, phrases, etc. found in the target book, like Genesis or Luke. The caller reads verses and chapters from the book. Players mark off matching items on their cards. First to 5 in a row wins.
Themed Boards:
These bingo boards have bible topics or stories as themes, like Christmas, miracles, parables, etc. The bingo items relate to the theme.
- Instructions: Make bingo cards reflecting a chosen bible theme. For example, for a Moses board, items could include burning bush, 10 plagues, Red Sea, 10 Commandments. The caller reads relevant bible verses. First to complete their themed card wins.
Traveling Bible Bingo:
With traveling bingo, players move around to different stations to complete bible bingo boards.
- Instructions: Set up 6-8 stations around a room with different themed bible bingo boards and verses at each. Players travel station to station, completing the bible bingo boards until they get a bingo. Prizes go to the first person to visit every station and win bingo.
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Bible Bingo – Popular Products in 2024:
Now that bible bingo is surging in popularity in 2024, we can confidently show you this list of popular and well-known bible bingo products:
- Bible Bingo from Christian Publishers – One of the most popular versions, with different themed boards like “Genesis” or “Life of Jesus” and bright illustrations.
- Catholic Bible Bingo from Twin Sisters – Features bingo boards with Catholic-focused content on the Mass, sacraments, saints, etc.
- Bibleopoly – Combines bible bingo on one side with a bible trivia game on the other. Published by CPH.
- Bible Bingo for Kids from Christian Art Gifts – Colorful bingo boards with simple bible stories and vocabulary for children.
- Bible Bingo & Trivia from Group Publishing – Includes themed bible bingo boards and over 200 bible trivia cards with fun facts.
- Super Bible Bingo from Standard Publishing – Features 96 bible bingo boards with characters, books, stories, and facts. Extensive variety.
- Bible Bingo Anthem Game from pcBigIdeas – A computer bible game with animated bingo caller and sound effects.
- Bible Bingo App from Ancient Faith Ministries – An app that provides digital bible bingo games for mobile play.
- Make-Your-Own boards – Many churches create their own themed bible bingo boards for classes. Templates are available online.