Leading Bible Study: Part 1

This year in the JP2 Group, more and more people have been stepping up to lead Bible study. This has been wonderful, and has brought with it a number of benefits.

Firstly, the variation in leadership has added some real diversity and insight to our Bible study sessions and helped keep the group fresh.

Secondly, in our community we often have people who attend JP2 for some time and then move on to another city. It is my hope that, by having led at JP2, these people will have the confidence at their new parish to support similar ministries or, if such ministries do not exist, then start them!

Finally, as the number of leaders in a group increases, the group becomes more self-sustaining, reducing the pressure on the group’s original leader, thus freeing him or her up to spend more time crocheting and playing the banjo…

Mistakes, I’ve made a few…

I’ve led Bible studies, in some form or another, since about 2004. In doing so, I’ve made all kinds of mistakes. Seriously, name a mistake, I’ve done it. In fact, not only will I have done it, I’m pretty sure I’d have done it in far more spectacular fashion than you! :-p

Therefore, drawing upon my vast wealth of mistakes, in an effort to help those readers who are also involved in leadership, I’ve compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts for leading Bible Study.

Do’s and Don’ts of Preparation

I’ve divided my Do’s and Don’ts list into a few parts. Today’s section focuses on the preparation prior to the meeting itself.

DO: Study
If you’ve been charged with leading a Bible study, you have been given an extremely important responsibility.

It kills me when I visit a Bible study and it is clear that the person leading hasn’t looked at the text beforehand and is unable to answer even the most basic questions asked by the group.

Instead, you should do justice to the responsibility given to you. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to become St. Jerome, or become fluent in Greek and Hebrew. What it simply means is that you should set apart some time in advance to do some preparation prior to leading the group:

Do you understand all the words in the passage?
Look up troublesome words in a dictionary and/or Bible dictionary.

Do you understand the context of the passage?
Look at the surrounding text in the Bible and the introduction to that Book of the Bible.

Do you understand the meaning of the text?
Read a commentary or two.

I was also suggest that you make good use of the Catena Aurea, which is the commentary on the Gospels written by the earliest theologians and Church Fathers. It really is a wonderful resource, containing explanations of tricky texts and enlightening, thoughtful reflections. It is available online here.

Above all, you should prayerfully read through the passages asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

DON’T: Worry
…having said that, don’t worry! People get awfully uptight the first time they lead Bible study, thinking of a 1,001 reasons as to why they will be inadequate leaders. Stop fretting! The Holy Spirit is in charge, not you. You are not called to be the world’s most renowned orator or greatest Biblical scholar. You are simply called to do your best. Do your best to engage the group with text of Scripture. The rest is up to God.

DO: Set a goal
Identify a goal for the evening. What is the main message you want to impart? As you prayerfully read through the Readings, ask the Holy Spirit what is it that your Bible study group needs to hear. Having this in mind during the evening can really help you maintain focus during the discussion.

DON’T: Get overly fixated on the goal
…having said that, the Holy Spirit is really the one in charge and He is always free to hijack the study group as He pleases to take things in an unexpected direction! Be ready to be flexible.

DO: Prepare Questions
In case the discussion drys up, prepare some questions beforehand which you can draw upon if necessary. The easiest way to prepare some questions is to ask yourself “What in this passage needs to be understood in order to interpret its meaning?”:

• Who wrote this book? When? Why?
• What is the context for this passage?
• What does the word “…” mean?
• What is the literal meaning of this passage? What is it describing?
• What is the spiritual meaning of this passage? What lessons can we learn from it? How does this passage point to Christ, the Church or Heaven?
• If you are studying the Sunday Mass Readings, how does the current Reading relate to the other Readings?

You may not need to ask these questions. Often they will be naturally answered as people begin to share, but it’s always good to have them in your back pocket just in case.

DON’T: Turn it into the Spanish Inquisition
…having said that, don’t overdo it! What you’re trying to do here is foster discussion, not administer a reading comprehension exam! This is something I know I fail with a lot. When too many questions are asked, some people feel threatened. Instead, ask questions to get things going and use questions to guide the conversation.

That’ll do for today. Next time we’ll look at the Bible study itself. Until then, what “Do’s and don’ts” would you add to the above list?