PBE and Bible contests

Imagine a world championship where the "game" is knowing a book of the Bible better than anyone. There are teams, weekly practice, qualifying rounds, and a grand final. It exists: it's the Pathfinder Bible Experience, or PBE, the official Bible contest for Pathfinders — and in Brazil it has famous cousins like Bom de Bíblia and Quem Sabe Prova.

🏆What is the PBE, the Pathfinder Bible Experience?

PBE stands for Pathfinder Bible Experience. It's the official Bible study program for Pathfinders (the Adventist Church's club for boys and girls ages 10 to 15) in the North American Division, the church's headquarters for the United States, Canada, and a few territories. There, many people nickname it the Bible Bowl.

The goal isn't to turn kids into verse-memorizing robots. According to the official site, the purpose is to encourage deep study and memorization of the Bible so that understanding of Scripture grows — and friendship with Jesus grows too. Competition is just the seasoning.

In practice, it works like an esports league or a school cup: your club builds a team, trains all season, and climbs through the levels toward the final. Except here the game's "map" is a book of the Bible.

The purpose of PBE is to promote and encourage in-depth study and memorization of the Bible by Pathfinders, so that understanding of Scripture will increase — and their relationship with Christ will grow.Official PBE website, North American Division

🎮How does the PBE competition work?

Each team has 6 Pathfinders from the same club. Every year, the program selects one book of the Bible (or a group of short books), alternating between the Old and New Testaments. The team studies that book in depth for months, memorizing large portions.

Quiz questions come from the book of the year and also from that book's introduction in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary — a set of studies explaining who wrote the book, when, and in what context. In other words: besides knowing the text, the team needs to understand the story behind it.

There are 4 levels: area (a regional club gathering), Conference (the church's administrative headquarters for your region), Union (which brings together several Conferences), and the big Division final.

And here's the best rule: it isn't single elimination. Every team that scores at least 90% of the highest score at its testing site earns 1st place and is invited to the next level. You don't have to beat the club down the street — you have to master the material. Multiple teams can be champions together.

The 4 levels of PBE in the North American Division, according to the official site nadpbe.org.

📚What is the PBE book in 2026 and 2027?

The 2025-2026 season studies Isaiah, chapters 1 through 33. In the 2026-2027 season, the challenge shifts to the New Testament: the Gospel of Mark plus the letters of 1 and 2 Peter and 1, 2, and 3 John. Then, in 2027-2028, the study returns to the Old Testament with Isaiah 34 through 66.

The North American Division final for the 2026-2027 season already has a date: April 23-24, 2027. The location is announced on the official site each season.

Official PBE book cycle (nadpbe.org), alternating between the Old and New Testaments.

🌍Does the PBE exist outside the United States?

Yes. The Trans-European Division (TED), which oversees the church in part of Europe, also runs the PBE for Pathfinders ages 10 to 15, with a Division final each year in a different country — in 2025 it was in Budapest, Hungary, and the 2026 final was set for Poland. The book is the same as the official cycle: Isaiah 1–33 in 2026.

What about languages? The 2025-2026 season materials listed on the North American Division's official site are in English, Spanish, and French. Sources tied to the program also mention materials and quizzes in other languages — including Portuguese — in some regions and seasons, but it's worth confirming on the official site before planning.

What about South America? As far as official channels show, the South American Division (which includes Brazil) doesn't run the PBE in this same format. Here, Bible contests have their own names and rules — that's the subject of the next section.

🇧🇷What are Bible contests like in Brazil?

In Brazil, each Conference (the church's regional office) organizes its own contests through the MDA — the Pathfinder and Adventurer Ministry. That's why the names change from region to region: Bom de Bíblia, Quem Sabe Prova, Bible quizzes at camporees, and MDA contests.

One example: in Paraná, the Central Paraná Conference runs a contest with categories such as music, "bom de nó" (knots), "bom de Bíblia" (Bible), and "bom de livro" (book), with eliminations that climb through levels — club, district, region, and area — up to the Conference final. In November 2021, 48 clubs competed in that final in Curitiba.

In São Paulo, the Pathfinder calendar of the São Paulo Metropolitan Conference has featured the Quem Sabe Prova and Bom de Bíblia quizzes, with the Conference final round in November. And the trend keeps growing: in May 2026, nearly 500 Adventurers and Pathfinders from 24 clubs took part in the first round of the MDA Contest in Campo Grande (MS) — the debut of Bom de Bíblia in that state, alongside public speaking, drama, and drill events.

It's important to be honest here: there is no unified "Brazilian PBE" promoted nationwide. Dates, categories, and rules vary by Conference. The right move is to ask your club's leadership or your region's headquarters.

💪How do you build a champion team in your club?

First step: talk to your club's leadership and your Counselor — your unit's leader. In the PBE format, the team has 6 Pathfinders; in Brazilian contests, team size varies by your Conference's rules.

Then treat studying like soccer practice: consistency beats talent. Split the year's book into weekly chunks, read aloud, quiz each other, and turn chapters into phone quizzes. Reviewing a little every day sticks far better than cramming the night before — just like a school exam.

Tip from competitors: for PBE, also study the book's introduction in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary — author, era, context. Some questions come straight from there, and it's the part many teams forget.

💚Is it really worth taking part?

It's worth it — and not just for the trophy. Anyone who spends a season immersed in a book of the Bible ends up with a study habit similar to the Bible Year, which encourages reading all year long. The difference is that in the contest, you never study alone.

And there's the team side: shared nerves, victories celebrated together, friendships that last. Since PBE's 90% rule rewards everyone who masters the material, the real "opponent" isn't the club down the street — it's laziness.