How to Lead a Small Group Bible Study in 7 Easy Steps
Reading Together
Time apart during the pandemic has taught me how important and life-giving time together is for followers of Jesus, especially when that time is centered on God’s Word. I don’t want to take for granted the opportunities I have to meet and grow with brothers and sisters in Christ. To help make the most of the Christian community in which God has placed us, the church I serve is encouraging attendees to meet with a few people and read the Bible together, and I want to invite you into this journey.
To get started, invite a few friends to meet you at a park or for coffee and to study a passage of scripture together. Of course, you can use this guide for your personal study, but I think reading the Bible in community opens us up to greater understanding and to deeper accountability to its truths.
Once you and your friends have a time and place, use the 7 steps below to guide your time together. These are based on the “Inductive Bible Study Method,” which I highly recommend. If these work for you, great! If not, you’re welcome to free style. The important thing is time together that is centered in God’s Word.
When you meet…
1. Check-in
Set aside time at the top to check-in and catch up. The goal is to grow together in God. Spending time (re)connecting is an important part of growing together and can make conversation about Scripture come more easily.
2. Pray
Before digging into the passage, ask God to reveal the Word to you as you commit to studying together.
3. Read
Read aloud this week’s passage.
If you are not sure where to start, considering reading through a book of the Bible together discussing a section each time you meet. You can break it up by chapter or follow the headings found in most translations of the Bible. For those who are just getting started, I recommend beginning with either the Gospel of Mark or the epistle of James. Neither are very long, both are to the point and easily applicable.
4. Observe
After reading, note what the passages says. For this step, you are playing detective. It can be helpful to answer these questions:
- Who are the characters, speakers, addressees and setting of this passage?
- What actions are taking place and how do those actions drive the narrative?
- What instructions are given?
These may seem obvious or feel simple, but answering these out loud provides an easy way to begin conversation about the passage. It also creates the opportunity to see things that we might have missed before.
5. Interpret
After observing the who, what, when, where, and why, discuss what this passage may mean. These questions can get you started:
- What does this passage teach us about God?
- What does this passage teach us about humanity?
- What in this passage surprised you?
- How might the setting impact the meaning of this passage?
- How might the passages that come immediately before or after illuminate the meaning of this text? What about this passage do you find interesting or surprising?
- What other parts of Scripture does this make you think of?
6. Apply
This is an important one! Now that you read, observed, and interpreted the passage, it’s time to apply the truths to your life. Here, ask, how should my life change in light of this passage? To further explore that, ask these questions:
- How does the truth communicated in this passage encourage or challenge you?
- In what ways can you identify with the characters in this passage?
- What is one step you can will take in this next week to live more in line with what God is saying here?
While you may not encounter new information each time you read Scripture, there are always new ways you can apply the simple truths of the Bible to your life.
7. Pray
Conclude your time together with prayer. Take a few moments to share needs and concerns before your pray. Be sure to pray specifically that God would help you to live out the truth you discovered in your time together.
While these steps will get you started, they will certainly not answer all your questions. In fact, I hope this process leads you into even more questions, better questions.
If you ever run into something you are not sure about or a question arises that you cannot resolve, it is okay. This may indicate an area that you need to explore further. If you get stuck, I suggest consulting with your pastor as a place to start. As a pastor, I love when people come to me with questions that have come out of their own study of Scripture. Asking questions is how we learn, without them we do not grow.
May God enlighten your mind and stir your heart as your commit to reading God’s Word.
Additional Resources
- The Bible Project’s “How to Read the Bible” Series
- You Version Bible App
- “How to Read the Bible: 3 Tips, Methods, and Resources to Help You Get Started”
