Optional Lectio Divina Prayer
- Read Psalm 1:1–6.
- Meditate on the words.
- Speak to Christ about this passage.
- Rest and listen in God’s presence.
- Discuss together.
God’s Word is powerful.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.”
Discuss: Have you experienced the power of Scripture in your own life? Why is it significant that Scripture still has the power to transform us today, thousands of years after it was written?
GOALS FOR BIBLE STUDY
Divine Intimacy: The purpose of a Bible study is not simply to learn information or be part of a club, but to facilitate a deeper encounter with God that changes people’s lives. Authentic Friendship: Your participants can learn about God’s Word by themselves. The power of a small group is the experience of learning from one another. The friendships formed within a Bible study are crucial for transformation and accountability, and the insights shared between participants can uncover even deeper understanding. The Little Way of Evangelization: Bible studies also provide a setting to guide others to become missionary disciples themselves. As good as it is to form friendships and grow closer to God, don’t let your study stop there; be on the lookout for others whom God may be calling you to form as missionary disciples who will go on to evangelize and lead other small groups of their own.
“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
Discuss: What has been your experience of small groups or Bible studies? Did your group live out any of these habits well? In what ways? As you prepare to lead a study, how can you keep these three goals in mind?
THREE ASPECTS OF LEADING A GREAT STUDY
PREPARATION
“For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them.”
Discuss: What would it look like for you to prepare well each week for Bible study? Are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary — particularly with your time — to prepare well?
SKILLS
Various skills are also necessary for leading transformative Bible studies. Let’s look at a few key skills that will allow you to lead well.
- Find an accessible and informal location that can be used or reserved each week. Ask yourself, “What is the easiest location for my group to access? Where will they feel most comfortable?”
- Provide food and refreshments, especially during the first few weeks. People love food! It also gives the participants something natural to do as they begin to arrive and chat with one another. As your group grows, consider getting others more involved by rotating this responsibility. The more others are engaged, the better.
- Consider using your first night of study just to get to know one another, begin to form friendships and briefly preview what you’ll be studying. Make this night fun and lighthearted, since this will encourage your members to come back!
- Build up relationships in your study. Ask good questions that allow your members to share their lives. Use your knowledge of various members to connect them with one another and to uncover common interests.
- Finally, find a length of time for your study that works and stick to it. Some Bible study members will fall off if you aren’t consistent. Begin and end on time. Even if you have to start late, respect your group’s time by ending on time.
- Use great questions to draw out the conversation. How can you use questions that lead the group to reflect on their own experiences and on what the Scriptures are revealing?
- Allow other members of the group to answer questions. Just because someone asks a question doesn’t mean you need to be the one to answer it. Present the question to the entire group, and allow several people to contribute to an answer. Afterward, you can clarify, if necessary.
Generating an Engaging Conversation — Three Roles: Within your study, you have three key roles for developing a great discussion: the trail guide, the traffic cop and the cheerleader:
- Trail Guide: If you’ve ever gone hiking, you know how helpful it can be to have a guide who has been on the trail before. They know which way to go, when to stop and where all the good views are. With your Bible study, you need to be a trail guide — someone who has been through the material before and who knows where to go to make the discussion great.
- Traffic Cop: Have you ever watched a traffic cop in action? Their ability is almost an art form as they smoothly direct people and cars with just the power of their hands and a whistle. Numerous obstacles and traffic jams can prevent your study from flowing properly. Like a traffic cop, you may need to stop certain discussions or tangents. At the same time, you may need to encourage shy members of the group to speak up and share. Be mindful of the conversation to make sure everyone is participating and direct the discussion toward topics that will build up your group.
- Cheerleader: Even when their team is struggling, a great cheerleader watches the games, cheers loudly and wears their team’s gear. As the leader of a Bible study, you need to cheer on your study. Smile, encourage participation and create an environment where people know you are supportive of them and interested in what they have to say. Give some positive affirmation when someone contributes, even if their comments are not perfectly on point. When people know they are cared about and appreciated, they are more likely to engage in the discussion.
You can know you are facilitating a study well when your study looks like a good volleyball game: The conversation should go back and forth “over the net,” involving a variety of participants. As the leader, you serve the ball by asking a good question. Then someone answers, setting the ball up for someone else in the group to comment, who then passes it along to another. When the volley is over, you serve up another question.
Discuss: What skills do you need to grow in as a Bible study leader? How can you grow in these skills? Where might you need help from someone else?
PERSONAL INVESTMENT
- Spend some time with them outside of study. Jesus didn’t spend time with his disciples only once a week in a class or during moments of formal teaching; he shared life with them through his interest in them and the time he spent with them during everyday moments of life.
- Make invitations to other events and activities. How else can you spend time with your participants? What other activities will help them grow?
- Witness a life well-lived. Ask yourself, “Am I reinforcing the truths I am teaching in Bible study by the way I live?” As leaders, our lives should reflect what we are teaching. If we don’t witness to the truths we are teaching, the members of our Bible study likely won’t accept what is being taught. We need to live the truths we are teaching.
Discuss: How can you make a deeper investment in the members (or potential members) of your Bible study?
Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
TAKE ACTION
- First, pray that the Lord leads you to the people he wants for your study.
- Brainstorm potential members of your Bible study, being careful not to limit yourself. Whom does God want you to invite?
- Pray that God would open the hearts of these people to attend the study.
- Make time to invite each person personally. When Jesus invited the disciples to follow him, he didn’t post a scroll in the town square or leave messages at their houses. Instead, he approached each one individually and invited them personally.
- Follow up with everyone and make sure they have all the details for the first study.
- Take time to prayerfully prepare your study material or the activities you will use to get to know one another. Intercede for the members of your group.
- Send reminders to everyone on the day of your study or the day before. People forget sometimes. Don’t let that get in the way of a great study.
- Especially for the first study, take extra time to allow the group to get to know each other. Forming these bonds is a critical component for keeping people interested.
- Finally, be persistent. A great study may require several invitations or an additional investment of time and energy. Put in the extra work to make your study great. Keep praying, keep making invitations and keep working on your Bible study skills.
Discuss: Do you have any fears about leading a Bible study? What would help you overcome those fears? What steps do you need to take to develop a great Bible study?