Orienting With the Word program invites fresh engagement with the Bible
Published: May 27, 2026
By Annette Brill Bergstresser, AMBS
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — In a time when the practice of reading the Bible together has declined in the U.S. and Canada, participants in the Orienting With the Word program are finding joy and excitement in reading the ancient sacred Christian text together.
In the five-month program — overseen by the Faith Formation Collaborative (FFC) of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana — small groups from participating congregations meet weekly in their own setting to share personal stories of their relationship with the Bible, read the Bible together, listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and find meaning in the text as a group. While two representatives from the group attend an in-person Retreat and Training Seminar at the beginning of the program, no other travel is required.
“One of the most common themes we’re seeing in the program evaluations is how much participants are enjoying reading and studying the Bible together in community — and that this surprises them,” said Naomi Wenger, MAR, MA, Orienting With the Word Program Administrator. “Many participants can’t wait to share how they are learning to read and study the Bible with others in their congregations and beyond.”
Since August 2025, the program has served more than 170 participants across 16 congregations or church agencies in seven U.S. states — in two cohorts. Training seminars for the next two cohorts will be held in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Paris, Ontario. The program is offered free of charge to congregations through a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Bible study for ordinary people
According to Wenger, the Orienting With the Word program teaches the practice of “Confessional Bible Study” (CBS) — so named because it’s practiced by those who confess faith in the God of the Bible.
Developed by Mary H. Schertz, PhD, AMBS Professor Emerita of New Testament, the practice integrates spiritual formation with biblical study and is designed to help ordinary people of all ages build meaningful relationships with Scripture. Rather than providing definitive interpretations of the text, it welcomes honest inquiry and encourages discussion, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide the group to a life-changing engagement with the text.
“Confessional Bible Study is built on the premise that as Christians we are called to read the Bible as if our lives of faith depend on it, because they do,” Wenger said. “It begins with the view that the Bible is so expansive and generous that it can speak into the messy complexity of our lives in trustworthy ways.”
This approach to Bible study can be used with adults, youth and even children. It is also easy to adapt for larger groups in congregational worship or weekend retreat settings, she said.
The vision for Orienting With the Word originated with Malinda Elizabeth Berry, PhD, Professor of Peace Theology and FFC Director. Having been mentored by Schertz in CBS, Berry wanted to share the Bible study method with as many people as possible because she saw firsthand how powerful the practice could be.
“I knew that people who joined the program would have a good experience,” Berry said. “What I didn’t expect was how inspiring and healing the practice would be for so many participants.”
Encountering new translations and perspectives
Wenger noted that the program also recognizes that every reading of the biblical text is a translation of the original. Orienting With the Word “Guides” — pastors and ministry professionals who accompany the participating small groups throughout the program — translate the Scripture passages anew from the Bible’s original languages and provide commentary on the new translations.
“The freshness of the language often reveals a new opening to the text rather than closing it down, making a familiar text unfamiliar and enabling the reader to listen to the Spirit,” she said.
During the small group meetings, participants listen to the fresh translations and share with one another what they notice in the text and what questions it brings up for them. They use available study aids to look for answers to their questions and share what they find so that each voice is heard. They then enter a time of “artful response” to the text, which can include copying it word for word as the ancient monks did; copying it with added highlights, doodles or drawings; creating visual projects; dramatizing the story; or writing song lyrics or poetry.
“We encourage any and all ways of making the text come alive during this time of artful response,” Wenger said. “Artful response represents the movement from head to hands to heart as a way of making meaning with the text.”
Throughout their Bible study time, Wenger noted, group members also are reminded that they are in a place and state of worship — beginning each study with a prayer for illumination and concluding with an act of worship inspired by the text.
Wenger said that program leaders have been encouraged to receive consistently positive feedback from participants.
“Some of the questions and ideas that people in my group expressed were not even on the radar for me,” reflected Steven Ramer, who participated in the program through East Goshen (Indiana) Mennonite Church. “If we can stay open to this type of dialogue, it can be a very powerful tool for change and hopefully also for unity in our congregations.”
“The artful response allowed me to work on more of an intuitive level,” said Paula Stoltzfus, Pastor of Parkview Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and a participant in the program. “I often get stuck at an intellectual level when it comes to making meaning from Scripture. To have the artful response acknowledged as meaningful within the Bible study process invited my whole being to show up.”
Upcoming cohorts
The next two cohorts have space for 10 congregations each:
- Cohort Three will run Aug. 1 – Dec. 13, 2026, with the Retreat and Training Seminar to be held Sept. 17–19 at Marillac Retreat and Spirituality Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. Applications are due June 15, 2026.
- Cohort Four will run Feb. 1 – June 13, 2027, with the Retreat and Training Seminar to be held March 11–13 at Five Oaks Centre in Paris, Ontario. Applications are due Nov. 15, 2026.
Learn more or apply: ambs.edu/orienting-with-the-word
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
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