How do you lead a bible study? Well, actually, you don't. The best bible study "leader" is better described as a facilitator. If you happen to be like most people who lead a group, your best skill is in asking good questions. One of the biggest mistakes new small group leaders makes is spending weeks developing a "lecture" that they intend to give to their new group. Have you ever attended a small group where one person talked the whole hour. Taking about painful! We live in an interactive culture where people are programmed for thirty second listening. If you're planning to speak for the entire hour, be prepared for some blank stares about ten minutes into your presentation. Beyond that point, you could get up and go to the bathroom and your "audience" wouldn't know. The best way to lead a bible study group is to have some good questions prepared. Certainly, you will be the one to introduce some thoughts and topics. But the most important part of your study is the questions. The best, first, question is an ice-breaker. Typically, you want to start with something light-hearted that will warm up your group. Ideally, it would relate to your topic of the day. But the point is to get everyone to loosen up! After everyone is warmed up, you're ready to dive into your first topic. You may want to prepare a paragraph or two of introductory comments. Another method is to give a very short overview of your topic of the day, then talk for a few minutes about "part one" of your topic. Your job here is to get everyone thinking on the "same page." Once you've accomplished that task then toss out your first question. Before we move on, let me address how you will ask questions. A good question is something that will generate conversation. Beyond that, you'll want to ask your question and then "repeat" the question a couple of times in different words. This is the skill of a great interviewer. Sometime, listen to an interview on the radio or television. A really good interviewer will ask the same question several different ways. Or he or she may ask a series of questions that all ask basically the same thing. Doing this gives your attendants a clear understanding of what you're asking. Now, the really important part: ask the question.... then be quiet. Or as I tell my leaders, ask the question and shut up!!! Every amateur leader is so nervous when they ask the question that they answer it themselves! Three seconds feels like an hour when you're alone in front of the group as the leader. What you don't realize is that your group members are thinking! Give them some time to think! They'll come up with an answer if you don't try to answer it yourself. Here's a little trick I use. I ask the question, look around the room, then look down at my study book or bible. Then, I count to twenty seconds. You'll be amazed how the group will respond. Now, if you have a new group and everyone is really nervous, you may not get the answers you want. If you don't, be patient. Don't get flustered. And most importantly, don't look up at your group with a panicked look on your face, that deer in the headlights look. Make sure you're calm and have a pleasant, patient smile. Calm..... Calm.... Calm.... You might even want to ask the question again, this time, very slowly. Give it some time. When your group members get comfortable, they'll start talking. Now, a little more on questions. If you're planning to meet for an hour, you should only be able to cover about five questions. You may want to have eight or nine questions on hand, just in case. But generally, in my twenty years of leading men's bible studies, we usually only cover five questions in an hour. Does that not seem possible? It is because if you have several people in your group and everyone has a chance to respond, you'll easily spend ten to fifteen minutes on each question. Another tip on questions is: you don't have to ask them all! This is a problem with men! We want to finish! Women are very comfortable asking one or two questions, chasing several rabbits, taking a detour or two and not worrying about the unanswered questions. This is really funny and really different when you're talking about men. I have a few men who lead our group that have an "engineering" mindset. Every question must be asked, even if it's not answered! You know the drill, check all the boxes! I always know when we are running out of time that my leader will start rushing. I've even watched them just "read all the questions" just because all the questions needed to be asked! I'm glad we have perfectionists in the world, especially when I'm driving across a bridge! You may ask, "what if I can't create good questions?" Good question. If you're new to leading a small group, keep things simple and use a small group study guide. My favorite series is the "Life Lessons with Max Lucado" published by Thomas Nelson. This is an outstanding series and it makes leading a group so easy! It offers more content for each study than you'll have time to cover so you'll have plenty of material on hand for each lesson. Try it, you'll like it. Once you've covered your topic for the day, leave a few minutes for some prayer time and comments. And, please, finish on time! Your group may be all warm and fuzzy and having a great time together, but let me assure you, people won't come back if you don't finish on time. That's a non-negotiable of leading a group. And, with that in mind, it's time I close and send you on your way. God bless you and I hope you have a blessed time leading (or better, facilitating) your group!
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how to lead a bible study |
