How Should A Group Bible Study Be Conducted?

How Should A

Group Bible Study

Be Conducted?

The aim of the group Bible Study is to involve every participant at the table of the Lord in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This  means that every individual should be given the opportunity to comment on every portion of scripture in the study. Therefore a Bible Study should be opened in prayer and the Holy Spirit should be invited to anoint the participants hearts and minds and tongues.

In a number of group Bible Study meetings that I have attended, the pastor or leader has asked participants to read a section of scripture, or the scriptures that are to be considered in the study, by getting every member of the group to read a portion each at the beginning of the study.  Unfortunately, this tended to create a number of problems.

One problem occurred because everybody had read the passages of scripture that were to be discussed at the beginning of the meeting and these passages had been forgotten; consequently, they had to be read again, which proved an ineffective use of time.

Another problem was that people had different translations, and it became difficult to follow the person reading out the text, especially when the person was reading a paraphrased translation. Frequently, the next person who was to read their portion of the text had to ask where we were up to, even though they knew we were to read two or three or four scriptures each. This would detract from the reading of the text because it interrupted the flow of the narrative. This is resolved, of course, when everybody has the same version. However, this is not always the case, and when people have different versions, reading out the text to be covered at the meeting proves to be an unproductive time waster and creates confusion.

The best practice is to work through the Bible Study one scripture or portion of text at a time and discuss it there and then, before moving on to the next text. In doing this, each person takes a turn in reading the text to be discussed after the previous text has been discussed to the satisfaction of every person within the group. This enables people with different versions to listen to the person reading out the text, and if they feel the version of the Bible they are reading from has something different to offer which clarifies a point, they can make a valid contribution at that time for the benefit of all, without creating any confusion.

By working clockwise or anti-clockwise each person reads a text and then the text is discussed. The person who reads the text is given the first opportunity to contribute to the discussion. This is extremely beneficial for encouraging people who otherwise are disinclined to contribute. It is easier for the person to make a contribution to the discussion if they have just read out the text to be discussed.

In one Bible Study that I was participating in, there was a person who suffered from a number of disabilities, one being a reading difficulty. In this Bible Study there were seven people, and the fact that members were willing to wait for this man (in his early thirties) to read out the scriptures and even help him with pronunciation, encouraged him to even make a comment. Amazingly, this person, whom most people would think was dumb, began to discover that he was appreciated and loved, and was encouraged to believe that he was capable of more than even he thought possible, let alone anyone else. This is what Bible Study in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is all about: helping people discover who they are in God and that others are as important to our Heavenly Father as we are ourselves.

The importance of giving each member of the group an opportunity to read and comment on what they read cannot be overstated. A group Bible Study should be conducted so that every person is able to make a contribution, feel they are appreciated, and be encouraged on a path of self-discovery with Jesus Christ as Lord.

The road to self-discovery in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit is made easier when people are given the opportunity to express themselves. When people read one scripture and that is considered sufficient contribution to the Bible Study, this is a restrictive means of sharing in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Sharing also means respect, which means it is always advisable to start and finish a group Bible Study at the designated time. Of course, when finishing, we  always close with prayer.