Start with a goal. Let’s say you want to increase biblical literacy among adults in your congregation. Your goal might be to encourage 75 percent of them to complete a specific Bible study within the next five years.
- Take the number of adults that 75 percent represents, and divide that by the number of people you would like to have in each group.
- Take the number of groups required and divide by five to get the number of groups you will want to offer the course to each year over the next five years.
The formula would look like this: 75 % of adults in congregation = total # groups required
ideal # in each group
total # groups required = # groups/leaders required
5 years each year
Now it is a matter of determining which material you are going to use, scheduling a variety of times and places throughout the week for the study to be held to assure every opportunity for participants to attend, and, finally, recruiting leaders for each of those groups.
Every church will have its own reasons for choosing what study will be the first one offered. That is where The KERYGMA Program of adult Bible studies can be of great help, for there are so many excellent options. One church in central Florida decided that it would use KERYGMA’s God Calls Leaders. The congregation knew its goal for increased biblical literacy was tied to church members recognizing themselves as leaders. A church in New Hampshire started with KERYGMA’s Your Bible: The Study Begins. The members discerned that everyone could benefit from a solid orientation to what is found in the Bible and how it might best be studied. They also wanted to consider as a group the place of scripture in their lives today. A church in California decided to make biblical literacy its focus for a whole year. All of its small groups agreed to use KERYGMA: Discovering the Bible as their study resource. The pastor preaches on a scripture passage featured in the week’s study lesson. Imagine how five hundred people studying the Bible together for a year will change a church!
Each of these churches has started with different resources but the same goal. These churches share something else: knowing what comes next, and next, and next . . . One thing is certain: When great Bible study is experienced, there will be a thirst for more. Long-range planning needs to count on that!
The KERYGMA Program currently offers over ten academic years of excellent, in-depth studies of the Bible, providing many choices for where your study group might start and go next. Forget flying by the seat of your pants! Move up to first-class planning with KERYGMA resources! |
