The Bible has long been valued and esteemed as the primary text for Christians all over the world. It tells the story of God and of the Christian faith and it provides guidance for Christians on how to live faithfully for Jesus Christ. Thus, one would expect a knowledge and understanding of the Bible to be a high priority--of utmost importance--for Christians. Yet, many Christians know little of its contents. In spite of the Bible's centrality to understanding the Christian faith, far too many pastors have not fared well in encouraging biblical literacy among the members of their congregations. The purpose of this study was to discover how lead pastors can become more effective in increasing biblical literacy in the church. Using eight semi-structured interviews with pastors, eight focus groups with lay people, and an online survey of pastors, this study compared lead pastors' assessments with lay people's assessments of the role and influence of lead pastors in encouraging biblical literacy in the church. The findings suggest that, while pastors view biblical literacy as highly important, there is a discrepancy between their stated beliefs and actual practices when it comes to promoting and encouraging biblical literacy among the members of their congregations. They also reveal the importance of small groups, children's ministries, and pastoral influence and accessibility for promoting and encouraging biblical literacy among members of local congregations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]