“The good news is that every day, 100,000s of online searches (Google, Bing, etc.) are conducted for search queries related to the Bible and Christianity. The bad news is that, more often than not, search results for Bible-related queries never connect people back to confessional Presbyterian and Reformed churches — despite our robust commitment to the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God.”
Reformed Churchmen Publications, publisher of The Aquila Report, is announcing a new sister publication, the Bible Answers Project.
The goal of The Aquila Report is to build up the peace and purity of the Church, especially the Reformed and Presbyterian branch.
By contrast, the goal of the Bible Answers Project is to reach the lost, and connect them to Reformed and Presbyterian congregations.
For most of us, connecting with unchurched people is hard
“Fostering connections with unchurched people” is a major problem for most churches and pastors, including confessional Presbyterian and Reformed churches.
Most of us are probably familiar with the growing body of research:

In 2021, Gallup reported: “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time.” As of 2020, only 47% of U.S. adults were members of “a church, synagogue, or mosque”  … down from 70% in 1999. Meanwhile, the National Congregations Study published in 2021 found that “there are now about as many synagogues, mosques, and Buddhist or Hindu temples in the U.S. (9% of all congregations) as there are Catholic parishes (6% of all congregations)” and also that “one quarter (25%) of congregations teach the prosperity gospel – that God gives financial wealth and physical health to those with enough faith.”
In 2022, Lifeway’s “Greatest Needs of Pastors study” reported that the two greatest needs of U.S. pastors were (1) “seeing their churchgoers grow spiritually” and (2) “making connections with those outside of their churches.” They also said that “disciple making and technology are the two areas of skill development they most need to invest in.”
Last year (2023), Jim Davis and Michael Graham (a couple of RTS Orlando alums of the Reformed Baptist persuasion) published their book The Great Dechurching, sharing the results of their path-breaking research study: “As a nation, we’re currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of the United States… About 40 million adults (16 percent) in America today used to go to church but no longer do.” Not to be outdone by our Baptist brethren, the OPC published an important New Horizons cover story entitled “Presbyterians and Nonverts”: “People who once identified with a Christian religious tradition but now identify with none are the fastest growing group in America today.”
Earlier this year (2024), Pew Research reported that “28% of U.S. adults are now religiously unaffiliated” and Gallup reported: “three in 10 U.S. adults attend religious services regularly, led by Mormons at 67%”

The news headlines are dire and daunting for Bible-based, Christ-exalting believers of all denominations – including those of us in the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed camp.
But all is not lost. As our dear brothers on the Larger for Life podcast have recently been reminding us, King Jesus still rules and reigns! Christ has been exalted in his resurrection (WLC Question 51-52) and ascension (WLC Question 53). Christ is exalted in his enthronement at the right hand of God, where he makes intercession for all believers (WLC Questions 54-55). And Christ will be exalted when he comes again to judge the world in righteousness (WLC Question 56).
Answering the most popular search queries about the Bible and Christianity is a massive opportunity for P&R churches
Aaron Renn gave wise counsel at the end of his recent article about “the end of Protestantism”: “Rather than bemoaning the loss of the products of America’s Protestant culture,… perhaps we should instead look at what we can realistically do from here with the pieces that are actually on the board today.”
So … what are some of “the pieces that are actually on the board today”?
There are many things we could mention, not least the personal relationships we have with family, friends, neighbors, schoolmates, colleagues, and co-workers. Each one of these relationships is a treasure to be stewarded for God’s glory and our mutual joy.
What happens online is another one of “the pieces on the board today.” So what is happening online? Here there is good news and bad news.
The bad news is that many of our neighbors spend so much time online that we may literally never cross paths with them offline: “Non-religiosity is highly correlated to spending large portions of one’s social life online” (“Losing Their Religion,” by Benjamin L. Mabry, First Things, August 2023).
The good news is that every day, 100,000s of online searches (Google, Bing, etc.) are conducted for search queries related to the Bible and Christianity.
The bad news is that, more often than not, search results for Bible-related queries don’t connect people back to confessional Presbyterian and Reformed churches — despite our robust commitment to the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God.
For example, consider the following common search queries which each receive 10,000s of searches every year:

“How many books in the Bible?” (40,000+ searches per year). Unless I have missed it, there is no Presbyterian or Reformed website in the top ten search results. And, to make matters worse, uber-skeptic Bart Ehrman’s website shows up near the top.
“Spiritual ringing in the ears in the Bible” (25,000+ searches per year). As you might expect, the search results page for this query is full of false teachings. And there is no Presbyterian or Reformed witness in the top 10 search results. This search query (bizarre as it is) is an example of the hundreds (if not thousands) of popular Bible-related search keywords which are “weird,” “off-the-wall,” and “unhinged.”
“What kind of woman was Esther in the Bible?” (30,000+ searches per year). Again, this popular query does not result in any answers from a P&R source. Maybe there is less uniquely “presbyterian” and “reformed” to say about Esther than about some other topics. But it is nevertheless a very popular search query, and represents a missed opportunity for outreach and engagement.

The good news is that, by working together, we can do something to change this lamentable state of affairs.
This is where the Bible Answers Project comes in.
The confessional Presbyterian and Reformed world is blessed with an abundance of excellent writers and teachers. I have no doubt that we can come up with top-quality, God-honoring, Christ-exalting answers to the most popular questions people are asking about the Bible today. Some of these questions are bizarre: “Does the Bible say anything about spiritual ringing in the ears?” Others are commonplace: “What kind of woman was Esther?” Many are crucial and foundational: “How many books are in the Bible?”
In fact, in many cases, these questions are already being answered by P&R writers and teachers. But they are not showing up at the top of search results. This is because they are being answered in a piecemeal fashion, across multiple tiny websites, without application of the principles of search engine optimization.
As I mentioned above, 100,000s of online searches are conducted for search queries related to the Bible and Christianity on a daily basis. Many of these searches are undoubtedly conducted by Christians who are already members of reformed churches. However, my hypothesis is that the vast majority of them are not. Two reasons: First, we know that the membership of NAPARC churches is less than 0.3% of the total population of the United States. Second, many of the most popular Bible-related search queries are weird and off-the-wall, addressing topics we rarely if ever discuss in our circles: “spiritual ringing in the ears in the Bible” or “meaning of 222 in the Bible” or “Jophiel in the Bible.”
For these reasons, I believe it is safe to say that the majority of Bible-related searches are being conducted by people who are not already part of a presbyterian or reformed church. In many cases, they may not be a part of any church (i.e., unchurched, dechurched, nonvert, etc.). Exactly how many searchers fall into this category is anyone’s guess. But I believe that  we can reasonably assume that some unchurched people occasionally search for Bible-related topics online.
The question is this: When they conduct that Bible-related search, are they going to find a reliable answer? And are they going to be pointed to Jesus Christ and to a Bible-saturated church?
Leveraging search engines to connect unchurched people with P&R churches is simple, but not easy
From a 30,000 foot view, reaching unchurched people by publishing content to the most popular Bible-related search queries is simple:

Research the most popular search keywords
Create the highest quality content
Connect website visitors to P&R churches and pastor

This is the stated methodology of the Bible Answers Project.
It isn’t rocket science. It is a simple and proven methodology. But it is not without challenges.
For one thing, researching popular search keywords requires the use of specialized software. This software has a bit of a learning curve.
For another thing, using a website to convince an unchurched person to step foot into a P&R church will undoubtedly fail without the Lord’s blessing. “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Ps. 127:1).
But the hardest part is creating the highest quality content. It is not impossible, but the online marketplace of ideas is crowded. We should not underestimate the difficulty of standing out in the crowd. It will require wise stewardship of time, money, and talents over a long period of time. This is not an enterprise for the faint of heart. It is a task for “good soldiers,” “athletes,” and “hard-working farmers” of Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1-7).
Despite the toilsome hardships, the journey of creating top-quality, search-optimized content for unchurched people is worthwhile
Yes, the journey will be hard, but it will be worthwhile.
First, God who cannot lie has promised to build his church and gather his elect from the ends of the earth. As URCNA pastor Rev. Michael G. Brown recently wrote: “The Spirit sends us to plant and water in the field that belongs to Christ, and Christ will ensure the increase (1 Cor. 3:6), for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him” (“The Mission of God as the Grounds of Church Planting”). Or, in the words of the apostle Peter: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Second, by stretching yourself to consider the most popular Bible-related search queries, you will be better equipped to build relationships with unchurched people. Every day thousands of people ask thousands of weird questions about the Bible, many of them strongly influenced by skepticism or superstition. But that is the world we live in. These are, in the words of Aaron Renn, “the pieces on the board today.”
Finally, it is my belief that, by engaging in the work of the Bible Answers Project, thousands of unchurched people can be introduced for the first time to Presbyterian and Reformed churches and pastors. If we publish one top-quality article per day, six days a week, 52 weeks a year, optimized for the most popular Bible-related search keywords, it is sure to make a difference!
How you can get involved with the Bible Answers Project
If you want to help the Bible Answers Project specifically, you can:

Pray: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places… Therefore take up the whole armor of God … praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication (Eph. 6:12,13,18).
Give: Our goal is to publish 300 top-quality search-engine-optimized articles over the next year, starting in July. Writing, editing, and publishing these articles with the highest standards of excellence is going to require a lot of time and energy. So we intend to pay our writers and editors competitive market wages. For this reason, our budget for June 2024 to May 2025 is about $300,000, meaning that we need to raise at least $25,000/month for the next 12 months. Click here to learn more about making a donation. Reformed Churchmen Publications, the 501(c)3 organization which publishes The Aquila Report, has adopted the Bible Answers Project, and pledged $30,000 of seed money to get it off the ground.
Write/Edit: We are looking for 40+ writers and four editors. Visit the “Join the Team” page on the Bible Answers Project website to learn more and apply.
Connect: We are probably only two or three degrees of separation from everyone we need to know to make the most of these opportunities. Who do you know who might be interested in writing and/or editing? Giving? Praying? Please connect us with them!

No matter what, you can prepare your heart, your household, and your church to grow in hospitality, outreach, evangelism, and apologetics.
The Bible Answers Project is emphatically not designed to be a replacement for the worship and work of local congregations. It is simply an attempt to steward the collective talents of Presbyterian and Reformed content creators for the purpose of outreach. The local church with her ordinary means of grace is where “the real action” is. That’s the point: To draw unchurched people out of cyberspace into the life of local churches.
Daniel Vos serves, starting 1 June 2024 officially, as Project Manager of The Bible Answers Project. He is also Chief Executive Officer of Five More Talents, a digital agency which equips churches to use technology wisely in obedience to the Great Commission.
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Written by J. Warner Wallace |
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
In spite of intense opposition, the apostles and their disciples entered the temple and preached the truth about Jesus. This courageous stand for the truth often brought them into conflict with the world around them.

The first community of saints reflected the power and nature of God with their lives. The early Church followed their Biblical example (recorded in the Book of Acts) as they emulated the nature and essence of the first disciples. The observations of those who witnessed the early Church should inspire and guide us. If we were to imitate the earliest energized believers, our churches would transform the culture and inspire a new generation. How can we, as Christians today, become more like the Church that changed the world and transformed the Roman Empire? We must learn the truth, strive for unity, live in awe, serve in love, share with courage and overflow with joy. These six important characteristics were held by the earliest congregations:
And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.Acts 2:42-47
Six simple attributes were observed in the earliest believers. These characteristics can serve as a template and guide for those of us who want to restore the passion and impact of the early Church. If we employ them today, we’ll create healthy, vibrant, transformative churches. As grateful Christ followers, our gratitude should motivate us to share the truth with others:
Principle #5: Share with Courage
The Church must live a bold and fearless life surrendered to the cause of Christ:
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Matthew, Mark and Luke see things together (which is why they are often called The Synoptics), John seems to write from ‘Heaven down’ beginning with Christ’s deity and choosing an almost completely different selection of stories to prove his point. Add all four Gospel accounts together and we have a fully-rounded view of the Saviour, his ministry and his message.

Three minutes to go and it was 2-2. As the forward went past the defender, down he went! A moment’s silence then the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. The home side had a penalty to win the game with just seconds remaining! Stood on the terrace behind the goal I was convinced it wasn’t a penalty and went home sure that the three points were undeserved.
Two days later I came across internet footage from the same moment. This time the camera angle was different, taken from the television tower on the side. Now I saw it from a completely different view and the contact was clear. It was a definite penalty! Seeing the incident from a different viewpoint meant spotting things I’d missed first time around.
In one sense it’s a little like that with reading the four Gospels; the written, historical records of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ upon earth. Almost uniquely in terms of the Scriptures we have four accounts which cover much of the same material. That gives us possibilities but also challenges if we are to read them to maximum benefit.
Reading Them Together
What difference does having four accounts make? The four Gospels have many things in common as well as different features that distinguish them. They are all written collections of accounts of the life, ministry, teaching, death and resurrection of the Saviour. All four spend a disproportionately large section (between a quarter and a half) on the events following Palm Sunday, the last week of the life of Jesus. That means they are not biographies as such. They all point us to the centrality of Calvary and of the empty tomb. We do well to read every verse of the Gospels with that in view.
All four are written to point us to who Jesus is – not just an ordinary man, not even just a great prophet or leader like those we have already seen throughout the Old Testament. The titles that are given to him by the Gospel writer himself, from the lips of those whose stories each Gospel records, or even within Jesus’s words themselves, are building up a picture for us so that we might see who he is and believe in him ourselves. It is here that we will see how different writers bring different themes to prominence.
In the first few verses of Luke’s Gospel and the last few of John’s we are assured not only of the reliability of the records in front of us, but also of the purpose for which they were written.
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