Leading a Bible study: Part 4

Today I thought I’d post the fourth part of my five-part series on leading a Bible study. In the earlier posts (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3) I discussed some Do’s and Don’ts of preparation, beginning the meeting and starting the discussion. Today I would now like to continue to discuss some suggested Do’s and Don’ts of guiding the discussion…

DON’T: Sit inappropriately close. It’s kinda creepy 😉

DO: Look out for the quiet ones
Keep an eye out for those quieter members of the group. If they’re about to speak, make sure that they’re not cut off by a more confident member.

DO: Encourage questions
It’s worthwhile to periodically say something like:

“Are there any questions about this passage? Are there words you don’t know or sentences you don’t quite understand? If there is something here you are unsure of, I’m sure someone else will have the same question as well”

DON’T: Always answer the questions yourself
If someone asks a question such as “So who were the Pharisees?”, don’t immediately answer it yourself, even if the question is directed towards you. This is a wonderful opportunity to nurture discussion. Always give the group an opportunity to respond first: “Does anyone know? Can anyone answer that?”.

DO: Encourage those responding
If you are leading a Bible study, then chances are that you’re reasonably comfortable with speaking in a group. However, for some people this is a very stressful activity and outside their comfort zone. Therefore encouraging nods, smiles, an “uh-huh”, the occasional “Great question!” and “Great point!” can go a long way to drawing out the shyer members of the group.

DO: Ask follow-up questions
Follow-up questions are a great way to keep the conversation flowing. Also, if someone in the group is talking and mentions a word or concept which some people may not understand, ask them to clarify. For example, when we were studying the Gospel Reading for Pentecost someone said:

“What’s happen at Pentecost is a reversal of the Tower of Babel”

…to which I responded:

“Would you like to elaborate? What happened at the Tower of Babel?”

We’ll consider some more Do’s and Don’ts on Thursday. Until then, do you agree or disagree with my suggestions? What tips do you think I’ve missed?