They also help build close relationships and friendships in a congregation. Small group Bible studies are excellent opportunities for fellowship in prayer. Consider also a time of corporate prayer at the end of the study. Pray for individuals within the group, especially those who are attending for the first time, or those who might be struggling with the material. Pray that the study would be informative and encouraging for those who attend. Pray before the study for those who will be attending.
This is a vital part of preparation for a Bible study, but I want to give it a separate heading. At an appropriate time, you can draw the group’s attention back to the important points.
All sorts of valuable biblical insights can be found in rabbit holes but as a study leader, you need to know that they are not what this particular Bible study is about. They come up because people are interested in them and they are keen on rushing headlong down the rabbit trail. Side issues can be useful and worth pursuing. Once you have an idea of the important points in the study, you will then be able to bring the discussion back to these as the group works through the material. You should also ask yourself: What perspective did the author of this material have on the subject or Bible passage being studied? Do we agree with this, or is there a viewpoint or an emphasis that needs modification or correction? If the latter is the case, you will need to draw attention to this at some point during the Bible study. If you are using published Bible study material, and I recommend that you do this, 2 work through the material in advance and come to some decisions about the main ideas of the study that need to be brought out in the discussion. For the study to run well, you must do your preparation thoroughly.
You might be thinking by now that if all you have to do is facilitate discussion, you can just “wing it” and do little or no preparation for leading the Bible study. Remember that the Bible study group is not a lecture. You may find it a real temptation to “do all the talking”. You have probably been asked to lead a group because you know quite a bit about the Bible. Your goal as a leader is to facilitate discussion and interaction between the members of your group and help them dig into the Scriptures for themselves rather than simply give people the benefit of all your knowledge. In a small group setting this works well. People come, preferably having done some preparation beforehand, and they have questions that they want to ask, and contributions or thoughts that they want to share with others. 1 But in a Bible study discussion group, people do not come and expect to listen in silence to the leader give a 30 or 40 minute presentation of his or her views. In sermons and in lectures, the speaker does the preparation, knows what he wants to convey and sets about doing that in a public setting, usually without any questions or contributions from the hearers. These have their place, of course, but the place for them is not the local church Bible study group. It is very important that you first understand what a Bible study group is supposed to be and what it is supposed to achieve. I chose the wording of the title for this article quite deliberately. Let’s look at a few principles and suggestions. Hopefully, this article will give you some guidance and some confidence. What’s more, you have been to a few uninspiring Bible studies and you definitely DON’T want your group to end up like that. So, you’ve been asked by a session member to lead one of the Bible study groups in your congregation and you are starting to sweat, because you have never done this before.
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