Extreme Bible Sword Drill Variations

If you’ve ever felt like traditional Bible sword drills are getting a bit stale, these fun and challenging twists will breathe new life into your youth group or Sunday school game time. Here are 8 creative variations to try out!

Gameplay

  • 6+ Players 👥

  • 5-7 Minutes ⏱️

Variation #1: Reverse Sword Drills

Instead of calling out the reference, you read a verse aloud — and players must locate the reference.

Example: Quote “Jesus wept.” Players must find John 11:35, stand up, and say the correct reference.

Variation #2: Number Sword Drill

Replace the book name with its number in the Bible.

Example: Leviticus is book 3, so call out “3 - 17 - 11” for Leviticus 17:11.
For added challenge, call out a fourth number (e.g., “3 - 17 - 11 - 2”), and they must find and read the 2nd word of the verse.

Variation #3: Find the Word

  • Call out a word like “Mary,” “righteous,” or “holy.”

  • Players race to find any verse with that word, stand up, and read it aloud.

Variation: Call out the name of a book (e.g., “First person to find Exodus”) and they must locate it quickly.

Variation #4: Find the Word

  • Place a variety of physical objects (e.g., a rock, leaves, a blanket, essential oils) on a table.

  • Read a pre-selected verse that mentions one of those objects.

  • Players find the verse, identify the object, and race to grab it and hold it up. First to do so wins the round.

Variation #5: Pass it Up

  • Pre-select verses that mention common items (like money, shoes, bread).

  • After reading the verse, players must find that object within their team (e.g., someone’s wallet) and pass it up to the front.

  • First team to bring the correct item wins the round.

Variation #6: Elimination Sword Drill

  • When someone correctly finds and reads the verse, they get to eliminate one person from the opposing team.

  • Continue until a set number of players are eliminated (e.g., 5 per team), or until only one team remains.

Variation #7: Add it Up

  • Use verses that contain numbers (e.g., “10,000,” “300”).

  • Each team looks up the entire list of verses, then adds up all the numbers.

  • The team that gives the correct total first wins.

Variation #8: Classic Bible Sword Drill

  • Of course, you can always fall back on the classic.

  • Call out a reference.

  • The first player to locate it, stand up, and read it wins the round.

Want access to another FREE newsletter? This one features a hub of online resources for pastors, church leaders and ministry workers–tips and tools! Check it out below!

Ministry DepotMinistry Depot is a premier online resource for pastors, church leaders, and ministry workers.

Keywords: Bible sword drill, Bible word search, Scripture search, Bible find it,

Transparency: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site.