That is, we’ll look at how to write a good small-group Bible study, as well as how to lead one.
In our Christian experience, there’re few things more satisfying and profitable than a good small-group Bible study . . . and perhaps few things more boring and frustrating than a bad one. We’ve probably all been in some of the latter category, and hopefully, some of the first.
So here are a few tips and concepts for writing and leading a good Bible study group.
First, a good Bible study must actually study the Bible, not just some book from the local book store about Christian issues, or whatever the latest fad is. There are also some good Bible study booklets with relevant questions that point us to Bible verses and passages.
Second, writing a good Bible study means selecting a passage or topic which has interest and application for the intended group. For example, a study on the biblical principles of child-rearing would be great for couples with young children, but less relevant for singles.
Third, the key to writing a good Bible study is for you—the writer—to consider the passage / topic carefully and come up with good questions. A small-group Bible study should never be a lecture or sermon by the leader. It should be an interactive discussion that results in self-discovery—by the group members— of Biblical truths that can be applied to real life.
Let’s quickly go through preparing the small group Bible study based on your own study of the passage or topic. In one sense, all Bible study is topical, even when we’re looking at a particular passage. By that I mean that as we go through a passage of Scripture—say James, chapter 1—we invariably note issues or mini-topics in the text. That’s why the Bible writer wrote it. So as we work through the passage, we are really seeing issues the author brings up, and we are then asking questions about those issues.
Okay, let’s say we’re going to lead a Bible study on James 1:1–8. I’m going to use the NASB version.
“James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. (2) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (4) And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (5) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, (8) being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Please keep in mind that we’re not trying to do a definitive theological exegesis of the passage. We’re working to write a clear, accurate, applicable study to help people in our small group gain joy and victory in their daily lives.
As you get going on your Bible study preparation, it’s enjoyable and helpful if you have another person from your small group join you during this preparation time. Discussing the Bible passage together has some huge benefits: it generates excitement as you and your friend think of other relevant verses and questions and it’s great training for the other person in preparing the study and, later on, leading a small group of his/her own.
The key to leading a good Bible study is to prepare well and write good questions. Guide, but don’t monopolize, the discussion. So before we come up with a good Bible study on this passage, let me suggest 3 “do’s” and 4 “don’t’s” to keep in mind about leading a small group Bible study:
Do’s
Do a good Bible study on this passage yourself. If you do the work of really going through and thinking about a passage of Scripture, you will be excited about the Scripture, and this excitement will communicate to your small group. If you rely on, for example, a booklet from the local Christian bookstore that someone else has written, you defeat the purpose of “self-discovery” for yourself and the others in the group. True enough, there are some excellent Bible study helps available, but your excitement about the Bible study that you have personally done increases the probability they will actually study the Word for themselves. I have observed too often Bible study groups who go year after year “re-chewing” what someone else encountered in God’s word. This gets pretty old after a while.
Do come up with some good thought-provoking questions which will generate discussion, then have some “follow-up” questions to guide the discussion.
Do have a clear, applicable conclusion. Yes, we want the small group to interact and discuss the topic, but the leader can and should give a brief, concise summation at the end of the study. The conclusion could suggest a few possible applications for people to consider. We’ll see how this sounds as we go through a hypothetical Bible study.
Do Not’s
Don’t you talk too much! Nothing kills a good discussion faster and more fatally than the leader monopolizing the conversation. Sadly, this is an all-too-common problem in small groups. What should be a great opportunity to interact and hear others’ views can become just another 40 minute sermon. I used to somewhat facetiously recommend the 17% rule for leaders; that is, if the whole group meeting were recorded, the leader’s voice would not be heard more than 17% of the time.
Don’t ask obvious or “yes/no” questions. This takes a little thinking about. There’s an old joke about the little boy in a Sunday school class whose teacher asked questions to which the answer was usually “Jesus,” as in “Who loves you the most?” Well, one day, the teacher said, “Okay, kids, what has a bushy tail, lives in a tree, chatters, and eats nuts?” The little boy said, “Well, it sounds like a squirrel, but I know it’s Jesus.” The point is, if your questions are too simple or obvious, discussion will quickly die.
Don’t pick too many topics for a 40 minute Bible study. Limit the scope of the Bible study to one key topic—or at most two, related, topics—and concentrate on that. And by the way, stick ferociously to the 40 minute time limit. It’s far better to have people leave a little hungry than stuffed. Plus, it’s so unusual to end anything on time, that the novelty alone will be pleasing.
Don’t have surprise, or mysterious, conclusions to your study.
Surprise twist endings are great for Agatha Christie mysteries, but not for Bible studies. Interest in the topic is generated by the truth itself, and the application to our lives, not by a tricky revelation at the end of the Bible study.
Doing the Bible study on James 1:1–8
Verse 1 – James . . . to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad . . . Okay, it would be an interesting study to investigate who this “James” is, why the “twelve tribes” are dispersed, and where . . . but probably not for a typical Bible study group. Save an intensive study of these issues for your own Bible study, or for a paper for a seminary class you may be taking.
Verse 2 – Now we’ve come to a applicable statement: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials . . . What questions can you ask about this statement?
What kind of trials do people encounter?
How can people be joyful when difficult things happen?
Is this some special kind of joy? Different from happiness?
Will Christians pretend to be joyful with trials even if they’re not?
Is this phony?
Verses 3, . . . . . knowing that the testing
