2023 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge

Are you looking for a Christian reading challenge for 2023? Then this post is for you!

It’s HERE! The 2023 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge is ready and boy am I excited to get it into your hands!!

Reading is one of my favorite ways to spend my time, and it’s made even more fun with our reading community here at Intentional By Grace.

Every year since 2018 I’ve released a reading challenge for Christians that will help grow your faith and expand your love for God and others. It is my very favorite thing to put together each year, and with the help of the Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge community, I’ve put together a brand new lineup of reading challenge categories that are sure to challenge you and help you grow in your faith this year!

The Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge is meant to be a challenge. I want you to stretch yourself. I want you to reach outside your comfort zone and go a little deeper in your walk with the Lord.

I love what this participant had to say about a past Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge!

I completed Level 2! At the beginning of the year I was thinking I might be able to finish Level one (because while I am a reader I’ve never been a very diverse one and I’ve only recently gotten into nonfiction) but I’ve read more this year than I ever have before! This challenge has led me to many great books that I would have never chosen myself. Can’t wait til next year’s challenge!-Sarah O.

This testimony truly captures why I put this reading challenge together each year.

How does the Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge work?

It’s super simple to participate.

You just need to pop your email address into the box below to sign up for the 2023 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge. Everything you need to know to make the most of the 2023 Reading Challenge will be sent straight to your inbox.

Sign Up for the 2023 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge

Download the Reading Challenge Printable Pack

Once you confirm your email address, you will be able to download the reading challenge printable pack, as well as gain access to our private Facebook community group.

Included in the Reading Challenge Printable Pack:

2023 Reading Challenge Printable with Levels and Categories
Blank 2023 Reading Challenge Printable for recording books read (or you can use it to create your own categories!)
Reading log for each level of the challenge
Printable bookmarks for each level
Book Review page to help keep track of the books in more detail
and more!

Choose Your Challenge Level

This is my second year to do the reading challenge for Christian women. Last year I read maybe 6 books. This year I have pretty much completed Level 1 (13 books)! I must say that I have loved many of the things I have read, but this one has transformed how I listen to what God is saying. I am super excited about His word in a new way!
-Joannah

The 2023 Christian Reading Challenge is composed of 3 different book lists, which you are meant to move through progressively. This means you will need to set your goal at the beginning of the year, and then set your pace accordingly.

Level 1 consists of 13 books which set a pace of 1 book every 4 weeks.
Level 2 consists of 26 books which set a pace of 1 book every 2 weeks.
Level 3 consists of 52 books which set a pace of 1 book every week.

When setting your reading goals for the challenge, be sure to actually… well, challenge yourself.

Even if you don’t actually reach the goal you set, set your goal high so you make the investment and challenge yourself to read more. You may surprise yourself like Joannah and read more than you thought you could.

Brainstorm Your Books and Get to Reading

You’ll notice that this reading challenge is made up of various book categories.

Start with Level 1.

Choose a book for each category in this level, and read them in any order, checking them off as you complete them.

Once you complete Level 1, move on to Level 2. So on and so forth.

Again, set your reading goal at the beginning of the year, so you can pace yourself throughout the year.

You’ll notice as you dive into the reading challenge that this reading challenge includes “a book of the Bible you’ve never read or haven’t in a while” and “a book from the Pentateuch.” I wanted to include these as reading categories because I think there is value in simply reading the Bible. Sure, we should study His word, but sometimes, we should just curl up with a cup of tea or coffee and just BE with Him.

So, these are two categories that I hope you’re as excited about as I am. Plus, there are plenty of other categories that you can use the actual Bible to fill in with (e.g. “a book of poetry” could be the Psalms or “a book with gospel in the title” could be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

New to the 2023 Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge

Each year I mix up the categories, adding new ones, deleting others, rearranging the categories among the levels, etc. This year is no different. This challenge is brand new, full of faith growing and love deepening categories just like years past.

One of the biggest changes I did make though (based on feedback from last year’s reading challenge takers) was to create more categories to take you deeper into understanding who God is and how to study the Bible. Many of you are looking to understand your faith a bit more, but don’t necessarily want to go to seminary. I added categories to this year’s reading challenge to help you dig a little deeper into various areas of the Christian faith that sometimes get overlooked (e.g., Christian theology, church history, or how the Bible came to be).

With that said, I want to take a second to say that this is a reading challenge that NO ONE is keeping tabs on for you. If there is a category that you know you’re not interested in, then change it out for a category that fits your needs. Feel free to make the challenge what YOU NEED.

How Has the Reading Challenge Impacted You?

Here are some testimonies from those who have taken the Intentional By Grace Reading Challenge.

I teach full time and have two boys, and used to read all the time. I figured that I’d get back into it more when my kids were older. I am so glad I stumbled onto this challenge- I realized I had a ton of time to read, but wasn’t using it wisely. This has been a huge eye opener!
– Kristin

What I am loving most about this challenge is that it is forcing me to read books I would not normally be drawn to read. I tend to get in a rut and read the same kinds of books all the time.
-Jeanne

I just finished my 32nd book for the year! My goal was just 13 books. I’m so happy I’ve discovered new to me authors and categories I would not have normally pursued. Thank you for this challenge!
-Sunshyne

I completed my 13 books for Level 1. This was my first year and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I look forward to next year and maybe progressing to Level 2. We’ll see.
-Pat

Psssst! If you’re one of those that say, “But I don’t have any TIME to read,” I’ve got 15 ways to make more time for reading here just for you. Go ahead and read it then come back. I’ll wait.

Connect with other readers in our Facebook Group

Once you sign up, you can join our private Facebook group. Joining the discussion with other like-minded women who love reading and want to encourage one another will definitely help you be more successful in completing the 2023 Reading Challenge

This is a great place to get book recommendations, as well as share what you are reading to inspire others.

I want to thank you all for all the book recommendations! My “to read” list has grown by leaps and bounds! I am looking forward to next year and hope that I can do a better job sharing what I have read to add to some of your lists! Blessings!
-Nicole

Book Suggestions

Need some help getting started? I’ve got a ton of book collection posts to help you with ideas on what books you should read. These are books I have read along with books recommended by friends of the challenge.

Click here to access them all, or choose one of the direct links to a topic of choice below.

Books to Help You Grow in Your Spiritual Life