BIBLE STUDY FACILITATOR’S GUIDE
For the best experience…
Pray Ephesians 1:17-18 for your group, that God will open their hearts to His Word and that they will get to know Him better as a result of the study.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…
As the facilitator, there are a few things you many want to do to prepare for each meeting:
* Read through the lesson: This will help you to become familiar with the content and know how to structure the discussion times.
* Pray for your group: Pray for your group members by name throughout the week and ask God to lead them as they study His Word.
* Bring extra supplies to your meeting: The group members should bring their own pens for writing notes, but it’s a good idea to have extras available for those who forget. You may also want to bring additional paper and Bibles.
Leading a group is highly rewarding, but that doesn’t mean you will not encounter any challenges along the way. Discussions can get off track. Group members may not be sensitive to the ideas of others. Some may express comments that result in disagreements. To help ease this strain on you and the group, consider the following ground rules:
* Off topic: When someone raises a question or comment that is off the main topic, suggest you deal with it another time, or, if you feel led to go in that direction, let the group know you will be spending some time discussing it.
* Don’t know the answer: If someone asks a question you don’t know how to answer, admit it and move on. At your discretion, feel free to invite group members to comment on questions that call for personal experience.
* Dominating discussion: If you find one or two people are dominating the discussion time, direct questions to others in the group. Outside the group time, ask the more dominating members to help you draw out the quieter ones. Work to make them a part of the solution instead of the problem.
* Disagreements: When a disagreement occurs, encourage group members to process the matter in love. Have those on opposite sides restate what they heard the other side say about the matter, and then invite each side to evaluate if that perception is accurate. It’s most important that the answers given are based on the passages of Scripture studied.
When these situations arise, guide your group to follow the words from the Bible: “Love one another” (John 13:34), “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), and “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).
For all of our studies, Session 1 will be the Bible Study Workshop. Before turning on the video share the following with your group:
INTRODUCTION/OPENING PRAYER
Take a few moments as this opening session begins to introduce yourself to anyone in the group you do not know and give your contact information. If it can be done quickly, ask the participants to introduce themselves. It may be helpful in a larger group to provide nametags. To save time, you can have the nametags pre-printed with their names on one side, and your name and contact information on the other side. Ensure the participants have a copy of the study guide. Pray that God would use the coming hour to help everyone present to become more effective students and doers of His Word.
EXPLANATION OF BIBLE STUDY WORKSHOP
Explain that this first session is unique, as Anne (and Rachel-Ruth) will describe a method for studying the Bible that they will use during their personal quiet time throughout the study. During this opening session, which will be approximately 90 minutes in length, the group members will watch the video and complete the work found on the pages for session one.
VIDEO TEACHING AND GROUP WORK
Show the video, following the instructions given during the session. Note that you will be stopping the video periodically for the participants to complete each of the steps.
REVIEW OF PERSONAL STUDY
Begin by having several different members share the following:
* The lessons they learned from each verse to Step 3
* The most meaningful question they wrote out in response to Step 4, citing the verse on which the question was based
* Their outstanding takeaway in Step 5
VIDEO TEACHING
Watch the teaching video for each Session. Refer the group members to the page where there is space to take notes.
WRAP-UP, PRAYER, AND RESPOND
Share as a group reflections on the topics presented during the video teaching, any personal encouragement, challenge, or inspiration they received as they watched. Respond with a personal declaration.
Conclude by praying over your group. Review the next week’s schedule. Remind them to complete the personal studies before the next session.
