Our Women of the Promise Bible study series includes questions so you can discuss the material with a friend or a small group. As promised, I wanted to add a post with information to help you get started meeting with a friend or small group. My hope is that these 10 tips will benefit you whether you are new to Bible study, or you’ve been a small group champion for decades.

I developed these tips from advice I’ve received from small group pastors, my own mistakes in Bible study leadership and participation, and insights I gained from a seminary course in small group ministry. These 10 items certainly do not cover everything, but I hope they will give you some confidence to begin. Enjoy!

1. Pray. Before you even begin to study Scripture with another person, ask the Lord to guide you along this journey. I promise He will show up in ways that astound you.
2. Invite. Ask one friend or a few acquaintances to meet with you to discuss the questions in a Faithlogue series (or another Bible study, blog, or book of your choosing.) Be brave and be flexible. Your best friend can still love you and not be in the right season to commit time to group Bible study right now. In the same way, your newest acquaintance might just be waiting and hoping for you to ask.
3. Expect. When it comes to building relationships, expect challenges. When it comes to building relationships in the Lord, expect challenges that lead to growth. Don’t expect perfection, expect to grow.
4. Agree. Discussions about faith naturally involve vulnerability, so agree with your study partner(s) to create a mutually safe place for discussion. To do this, I recommend you set and agree upon some guidelines. To get you started, here are the five guidelines set by my current study group:
   • Our goal is to grow in our relationship with God.
   • We value grace and authenticity in a safe environment.
   • We uphold each other’s confidentiality and mutual mercy.
   • We strive to encourage, ennoble, and equip one another to inhabit lives that are transformed by Jesus.
   • To do this, we prepare and make room for the Holy Spirit to lead us.
5. Plan. Set a time and place to meet that works best for you as a duo or group. You might meet in person or virtually, once a week or once a month, etc. In planning, I recommend you favor comfort for the sake of consistency. The frequency and location don’t matter as much as the reliability. Remember, Jesus told us that we were not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for us (Mark 2:27).
6. Prepare. Imagine if you sat down for a meal with no plates for your food. Preparing for Bible study before each meeting is like setting the table. It’s a good thing. However, to extend the metaphor, this doesn’t mean that you always use the good china. In other words, make time to prepare, but also practice grace for the weeks when schedules get crazy. You don’t want to all dig into the casserole dish with your hands at every meal, but sometimes that is exactly what you need to do.
7. Surrender. My first year of leading Bible study was a mess because I was too focused on performing and impressing my peers. Argh! Then, one day, I finally surrendered the whole thing to the Lord. And guess what? I discovered that the Holy Spirit was the One doing the real work the whole time. Set the table with steps 1-6 above and let the Holy Spirit feed you and lead you.
8. Sustain. As you meet and grow together, you will come to rely more on one another. Not in a co-dependent way, but in the way that healthy relationships deepen. This growth might mean that one week, you cry together over a heartbreak instead of discussing the study. Do that. This might mean you show up at the hospital or wedding. Do that. This might mean you encounter a relationship challenge that helps you better love one another. Do that too. Sustain one another as the Lord sustains you. That is love.
9. Celebrate. Take a moment during and in between your meetings to celebrate completing the study, a holiday, birthdays, or just-because days. God created us to enjoy one another. By the way, I’ve discovered that doing step 9 greatly improves my ability to do step 8 well. Relationships need both!
10. Repeat. After you complete your current study, pick something else and keep going. I’m working on more stories to help you, but I’m also happy to offer recommendations. I always enjoy a Lysa TerKeurst study. However, some of my favorite Bible study authors are less well-known, such as Teresa Swanstrom Anderson, Jodie Niznik, and Jackie Roese. Websites such as Proverbs 31 and She Reads Truth also offer many free resources. It’s good to hear from lots of different voices and perspectives. Go explore what God is doing in the lives of others!

To close, I would like to say a deeply felt “thank you” to every friend who ever sat with me at a table to talk about Jesus. Your friendship is an eternal treasure. Thank you for reasoning together with me!

© 2024 Lori Myers Berry