Leading a Bible Study

What a privilege it is to lead a Bible study! And what joy and excitement await you as you delve into the Word of God and help others to discover its life-changing truths. If God has called you to lead a Bible study group, I know you’ll be spending much time in prayer and planning and giving much thought to being an effective leader. I also know that taking the time to read through the following tips will help you to navigate the challenges of leading a Bible study discussion group and enjoying the effort and opportunity.

The Leader’s Roles
As a Bible study group leader, you’ll find your role changing back and forth from expert to cheerleader to lover to referee during the course of a session.

Since you’re the leader, group members will look to you to be the expert guiding them through the material. So be well prepared. In fact, be over-prepared so that you know the material better than any group member does. Start your study early in the week and let its message simmer all week long. (You might even work several lessons ahead so that you have in mind the big picture and the overall direction of the study.) Be ready to share some additional gems that your group members wouldn’t have discovered on their own. That extra insight from your study time?or that comment from a wise Bible teacher or scholar, that clever saying, that keen observation from another believer, and even an appropriate joke?adds an element of fun and keeps Bible study from becoming routine, monotonous, and dry.

Next, be ready to be the group’s cheerleader. Your energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand can be contagious. It can also stimulate people to get more involved in their personal study as well as in the group discussion.

Third, be the lover, the one who shows a genuine concern for the members of the group. You’re the one who will establish the atmosphere of the group. If you laugh and have fun, the group members will laugh and have fun. If you hug, they will hug. If you care, they will care. If you share, they will share. If you love, they will love. So pray every day to love the women God has placed in your group. Ask Him to show you how to love them with His love.

Finally, as the leader, you’ll need to be the referee on occasion. That means making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to speak. That’s easier to do when you operate under the assumption that every member of the group has something worthwhile to contribute. So, trusting that the Lord has taught each person during the week, act on that assumption.

Expert, cheerleader, lover, and referee?these four roles of the leader may make the task seem overwhelming. But that’s not bad if it keeps you on your knees praying for your group.

A Good Start

Beginning on time, greeting people warmly, and opening in prayer gets the study off to a good start. Know what you want to have happen during your time together and make sure those things get done. That kind of order means comfort for those involved.