I am by no means an expert on this. I have only led a few Bible Studies, but that being said, I struggled with how to start one. I googled for information, but really didn't come up with anything. So I thought I would share with you how I started a Bible study.
A few years ago before we moved to Australia, I went to my pastor and asked him what he thought of having a ladies Bible study for the moms in our church. He said it was a great idea, and to go ahead and start it. Um, me? I had no intention in leading it, I just wanted to attend a Bible study!
With the encouragement of some friends we started a Bible study for moms in our church. I was a bit nervous, I felt the women in the group were far more qualified than I was, but looking back I am so thankful for the experience! We simply used Elizabeth George's Bible study books. I think we ended up doing three of her books.
When we arrived in Australia, I wanted to start a Bible study here, but since I didn't know many people I didn't know where to start.
Where to Begin...
- Pray! Pray! Pray! If it's the Lord's will, He will show you what to do!
- If the Lord leads, post flyers at your supermarket, library, or places like that.
- Talk to your friends about your burden, it is possible they are wanting to attend a Bible study!
- Begin searching for Bible studies. (I will share some links below.)
- Continue to pray for the Lord's leading. A Bible study without the Holy Spirit is pointless!
I prayed about starting a Bible study, and simply asked the Lord that if it was something He wanted me to do that He would open the doors. A few weeks later I was visiting another homeschool family, and as I was talking with the mom she mentioned that she would love to attend a Bible study. I told her it was something I had been wanting to do. She said that if I would lead it she had many friends that would be interested. I came home and prayed about it and discussed it with my husband, and knew this was the Lord opening the door.
How to Start...
- Pray! Pray! Pray! Seek the Lord's direction.
- Choose a Bible study. Seek the Lord's direction.
- Set a date, time, and place. Again, seek the Lord's direction.
- Send out invitations.
- Begin the Bible study yourself.
Once you have chosen your Bible study, the date, time, and place, I'd encourage you to look thoroughly over your curriculum and begin the first lesson a week or so before the actual start date. You want to be familiar with what you are going to be teaching.
Bible Study Schedule...
- Open in prayer
- Introduction...have each lady introduce themselves and tell something about themselves
- Icebreaker game. We played the purse game...this is a good game to get to know each other!
- Explain the Bible study. Go over the schedule, how often you will meet, homework for them to do throughout the week, Bible reading, book reading, etc. Try not to make this overwhelming.
- Ask for questions.
- Give a short devotional pertaining to the lesson. After the first week, you can use this time to go over what you have learned since your last Bible study.
- Prayer Requests
- Closing prayer
- Food and fellowship
Our Bible study meets every other Monday evening at 7:30pm. It normally gets over around 9pm, then everyone stays and chats a little longer.
Please know, this is how it works best for me...these are only suggestions for you!
Bible Study Suggestions...
*Please note, I do not necessarily condone all that these authors have to say. I've learned that there is not perfect Bible study material out there (except God's Word itself), you have to learn to take the good, and skip over the not so good.
- Good Morning Girls (I am currently using their study on the Proverbs 31 Woman. These are helpful because it gives a schedule of verses to read each day. This blog also gives helps on leading a Bible study)
These are just a few that I have used as Bible studies and have enjoyed and learned much from. I'd love to hear your suggestions!
What are your suggestions in starting and leading a ladies Bible study? What study guides do you/have you used?
What are your suggestions in starting and leading a ladies Bible study? What study guides do you/have you used?
I have really enjoyed the MotherWise videos and studies. I've found that when we want to get non-church people involved, it helps to offer something more than Bible study. In this case, it was mothering advice. When it's just for the church, we can more easily just say that we're having a Bible study, please come. :-)
ReplyDelete