Leaders
of adult Bible study groups have many, many decisions to make
as they prepare. Sometimes we make decisions without much forethought.
Other times we make intentional decisions to help us guide the
group in their exploration of the Bible. What follows is a short
list of some of the important, intentional decisions that leaders
must make in order to have a successful, engaging Bible study
session.
1. What is the central point of the lesson?
Every leader must prepare to teach the lesson of the week. When
churches have purchased curriculum to use in a class, leaders
are responsible for using that curriculum as effectively as
possible. Every lesson is the product of collaborative efforts
on the part of an editorial team, a project editor, and one
or more writers. No lesson is perfect, but every lesson is useful
and adaptable. The task of the leader is to read carefully the
Bible passage(s), the participant’s study resource, and
the leader’s guide. After reading these resources the
leader must ask, “What is the central point the author
intends for me to present in this lesson?” It is important
to have this point in mind when preparing the rest of the lesson.
2. What is the key truth I would like to
communicate in this lesson?
In addition to identifying the central point in the lesson it
is important for the leader to think through the content of
the biblical and theological material for the lesson in order
to articulate in her or his own words what truth she or he desires
to communicate. The lesson will not come alive and have meaning
for the participants if the leader has not first gained a clear
understanding of the key concepts to be shared.
3. How will I begin the lesson?
In the opening five minutes of the session the leader seeks
to “hook” the class members into active interest
and participation. The opening can go in a number of directions
through a participatory prayer, a provocative question, visual
displays on the wall, music playing in the background, a relevant
artifact to focus attention, or a challenging statement. The
important thing is to use a variety of techniques and resources
for sparking the participants’ interest week after week.
4. How will I engage the participants
in a meaningful exploration of Scripture?
In addition to gaining some mastery of the content of the lesson
it is equally important for the leader to decide on some ways
to engage the participants in the search for meaning in the
biblical and theological material of the session. It is a good
idea to use a variety of methods and materials that employ several
senses and different intelligences. Working in small groups,
conducting debates, brainstorming, leading guided meditations,
singing hymns, using Bible study tools, and asking analytical
and personal questions are all ways to actively engage participants.
5. How will I respond after someone makes
a contribution?
If you want to encourage participation by all group members
it is very important to affirm people who offer responses. Affirmation
should be varied over the course of a given session. Examples
include: smiling, nodding the head, saying “thank you,”
building on what the person has said, following up with a probing
question, asking for others to build on the individual’s
contribution, making a connection between what that person said
and a point made by someone else, and agreeing with what was
said. Even when someone has made a statement that you disagree
with you can respond in an affirming way by saying, “That
is another point of view,“ or “I never thought of
it that way,” or “You have given me something to
think about.”
6. How will I help the participants make
connections between the Bible and their lives?
One of the goals of Bible study is to assist participants in
relating the truths of the Bible to their faith and life today.
The leader must utilize ways to encourage application of the
Scripture to their own lives. Several ways to do this are asking
personalized questions, using materials from the media as illustrations,
leading the group in a guided meditation, inviting them to write
creative expressions of what they think and believe, and asking
persons to give examples from their own life experiences. |
