In the late 1980's, my wife and I lived in an outlying area near San Antonio, Texas. Having felt the need to be part of a bible study group, I drove a half-hour drive into the big city once a week to be part of a men's bible study there. It was an excellent group with good leadership but the commute, bible study, and fellowship time added up to a two and a half our commitment on Thursday mornings. While the value of the study made it worthwhile, I simply couldn't take the time off from work every week. The thought had crossed my mind to see if some other fellows in my area had the same problem and would want to form our own group in our community. So, one evening, with phone book in hand, I started calling. I made it my goal to simply talk to ten men about the idea. I would invite each man and challenge them to invite one other man. Most importantly, I prayed that God would send some men who I could study the scriptures with. I set a time for our first meeting and prepared for five or six men to show up. I was more than surprised when fourteen guys walked in our front door on a Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m.! That was the humble beginnings of the Garden Ridge Men's Bible study that is still meeting some twenty years later. My advise to someone wanting to start a men's bible study is to quit talking about it and "just do it." If God is for it, who could stand against it! People worry and fret over all the details: who will lead? what if I expose my lack of knowledge? I don't know enough about the bible. Let me put all those fears to rest. You don't need to be a bible scholar to study lead a bible study. You simply need a willing heart. We jokingly describe our men's group as "pooled ignorance." We don't have any bible "scholars" who attend and we don't want them. There's a very important reason why. One common mistake bible study groups makes is in feeling the need to have an "expert" as part of the group. But in reality, this educated person destroys much of the fellowship that you can experience. Any time, the group gets stumped, everyone looks to the "expert" for the answer. As such, the dynamics of the study changes. Suddenly the expert is doing all the talking, leading all the lessons, dominating all the interaction. That's a recipe for disaster in a small group. If you're looking for an expert, listen to Charles Swindoll on the radio or just attend church. There is a longing in people to share and discuss their faith. Churches and Sunday School classes are all "one-way" communication. You sit and listen. And that's a valuable way to learn. But there is also a need for people to share their experiences, their longings, struggle with scripture in a more relaxed format. And there's a lot to learn from the average guy who is wrestling with applying scripture to his life. So, try not to fall prey to the "we must have an expert" syndrome. The second thing you should focus on is simplicity. Keep things simple! It's best to start your study with the help of a bible study guide. I've listed some excellent bible study resources on a page on this site. In particular, consider the Life Lessons series by Max Lucado. This is a perfect resource for a new group. Don't try to create your own bible studies at first. Just rely on a guide book to help you out. Now, who will lead the group? Let me share with you what happened with my men's bible study. At first, we wanted the "best" leaders to lead all the lessons. Three of the guys took turns facilitating the study. But soon, we found ourselves struggling with too much preparation. Along about that time, God spoke very clearly to me by saying, "Every man is a leader." I really hadn't considered the idea, but yes, every man in that study could "lead" a lesson. At first, there was a lot of resistance to the idea. Several guys volunteered right away but others had a hard time getting used to the idea of leading a bible study. Slowly over the years, every man did become a leader, though. For some, it was a little awkward at first. But as time went by, it was amazing how every man improved. As the men developed, we experienced a fun, new problem. We had so many leaders, we didn't have enough lessons to go around! Another great aspect of having so many leaders was that it brought a great amount of creativity and variety to the study. Every man and every personality brings a fresh approach to each lesson. Plus, when a guy has several months to prepare a lesson, he can really bring a lot of value to the one study he leads. It's been a huge blessing to share the leadership among the group. And that is the primary reason why we're still going strong after twenty years. The study never gets old and you never get tired of hearing the same guy, week in, week out. Finally, keep in mind that someone needs to be in charge of refreshments and setting up your meeting space. I simply randomly assign every man to bring the goodies for at least one morning. That's really simple. Now a few other "rules" of small group ministry: 1) Always start and finish on time. 2) Take a break. We meet for fourteen weeks in the spring and fourteen weeks in the fall. We take a long break in the summer and a shorter break at Christmas. They guys always beg for us to keep meeting, but let me assure you, it's important to give it a rest every now and then. 3) Make sure the "leaders" know they are actually the "facilitator". I've written much about this elsewhere. The group leader's most important job is simply asking the questions, not delivering an hour long lecture. 4) What said in the group, stays in the group. Confidentiality is vital. 5) Always leave time for prayer. Always be faithful in praying for one another. So, there it is. Get started, keep it simple, share the leadership, and obey the rules. And be ready for God to do a mighty work in the men of your group!
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How to Start a Bible Study Group |
