Is your Bible study group what it should be?

Posted August 23rd @ 3:03 pm by Andy Print This Post

Is your Bible study group an empowering, supportive force in your spiritual life? Or is it just a glorified social visit that doesn’t really mean much to the participants? There’s a good article over at Christianity Today with some ways to help your Bible study or small group evolve beyond the “shallow social visit” stage.

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2 Comments

Bryon Buck
August 24, 2007 at 22:37

Our Thursday night Bible study was starting to deteriorate into a social time. We were sharing and enjoying the fellowship, but we all would leave hungry for the Word. We did two things:

1. Bible study would start promptly at 7 PM, instead of dragging out fellowshipping and talking.
2. Prayer requests and praises were shared AFTER Bible study was done. Again, this was to keep down the chatter and off-topic subjects.

Indirectly, a change in curriculum helped as well. We had been using material that encouraged you to relate Bible truths to your life and your past, which really encouraged us to tell stories during Bible study. We now use a much more academic book, which focuses on truths without extrabiblical stories.
REB
August 30, 2007 at 22:45

This past spring I finished a 7-year Bible study with BSF. It’s a very structured study and ministry. Some would say it requires too much discipline, but it is very engaging as a result. It is was a blessing to me and has been instrumental in building me up in the faith.

Bible study at my church, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. It is not engaging, and it does not require anything of the participants. I found the prayer time to be lacking as well. I don’t bother going on Wednesday nights anymore.

I think BSF is hard to beat for serious Bible study.