Strengthen your Studies (part 1)

(This is part 1. To read the other adjustments read part 2 here)

Your small groups stink.

That might sound harsh, but come on. The number of students attending has dwindled over the course of the semester. You’ve started to dread recruiting to it each week. And you’ve struggled to avoid the awkward pauses during the discussion.

You know they could be better.

But what if I told you it’s not your fault?

The way you’ve been trained to lead bible studies, in all likelihood, has set you up for failure.

The good news is, you can adjust!

Your small groups don’t have to stink. I’m confident they can be one of the most exciting parts of your week. You can look forward to them because you’ll see the impact the Scriptures are having on the lives of your students.

It’s time to unlearn some of what you’ve been told and make some adjustments.

You’re making people uncomfortable

The conventional training you’ve received to lead studies isn’t bad–it’s just incomplete. If you follow the simple format without adequate thought and preparation it doesn’t naturally lead to a good discussion. In fact, it makes many people feel awkward. 

Most small group leader training will talk about the importance of asking questions. You’ve probably received training on a certain order or structure of questions to help guide the discussion towards a particular objective.

One classic way to train bible study leaders is to teach them to ask 3 types of questions: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.

It would sound like:

• Observation: In v. 3, what does Paul say we are to do?
• Interpretation: What do you think it means to ____?
• Application: How could you live that out this week?

This series of questions might be great for individual study and discerning the meaning of a passage, but they are absolutely terrible for small group discussion.

This model is killing your groups because the questions make your students feel like they are taking a quiz.

Stop giving your students a Quiz

Put yourself in the shoes of a lost student attending this group and re-read those questions.

It feels like they just stepped into a pop quiz and they’ve never studied!

Who wants to come back to that?

Your observation questions sound like fill in the blanks

You are taught to ask these questions because they are supposed to be easy and kickstart discussion. The problem is when everyone knows there is an obvious answer it makes them hesitant to speak up. No one wants to risk getting it wrong. How embarrassing!

You have to eradicate right or wrong answers from your small group discussion.

Some of you know this. So instead you think you need to ask interpretation questions to get people’s opinions. Wrong.

Your interpretation questions are like short essays

These are even worse! Not only is there a right or wrong answer, but it’s an even harder question.

It sounds like you are asking for an opinion, but you aren’t. There is still a clear right or wrong answer. Your students know this…and they hesitate. Or worse, they’ll give some general answer like go to church or preach the word because they think that’s not going to make them look bad.

Think about it! Most of your interpretation questions have entire volumes of theology books written about them because there are complex answers. Just consider the following examples:

• What do you think it means when Jesus says abide?
• How would someone grow in grace?
• Why can’t God ignore our sin?
• What does it mean that the Bible is God-breathed?
• What is eternal life?

How can you expect lost students to know how to answer those!?

A New Filter

If you are experiencing long, awkward pauses in your studies I guarantee you are asking quiz-like questions.

Your students are busy! They don’t have to be at your study! There are plenty of things competing for their time. Making them uncomfortable by giving them a quiz isn’t a great way to keep them coming back.

The next time you lead a small group run your questions through this filter: “Am I giving them a quiz?”

If you are, it’s time to adjust!

The following adjustments will help transform your studies from feeling like quizzes to creating engaging, memorable discussion that will leave your students wanting more. changes

Put it into Practice: Two Adjustments to Sharpen your Studies

(Note: these suggestions are specifically for evangelistic Bible studies. While the tips could be useful in a variety of contexts, the primary aim of these points is for that context).

Adjustment #1 — Summarize before you Ask

Instead of asking obvious observation questions, summarize the passage first before you ask a question.

When God wanted the Gospel to spread, He didn’t send out the message and have people sit around in groups on their own and discuss what they thought it meant. No. He sent His disciples out as ambassadors and witnesses to proclaim the gospel message. You need to assume this responsibility in your studies. That’s your role as the leader and guide.

Most small group trainings will warn against talking too much. I agree. Your evangelistic Bible studies are by no means sermons or lectures, but they do need an element of teaching and explanation in order for the discussion to go well.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say your group is reading 1 Corinthians 15:1-2:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

The typical study might go like this…

Answers like this happen more than you think.

Now what do you do?

You either have to clarify and humiliate the lost guy who just answered because he didn’t quite catch the difference between “Gospel” and “the Gospels” or you have to awkwardly transition to another question.

This type of Bible study is like trying to orchestrate a perfect musical performance with a bunch of guys who don’t know how to play an instrument.

This type of Bible study is like trying to orchestrate a perfect musical performance with a bunch of guys who don’t know how to play an instrument. Click To Tweet

These types of questions MIGHT work with a more advanced group, but not for an evangelistic group.

A Better Way: Summarize!

I know the goal of these groups is often self-discovery, but that’s tough when your group is blind and doesn’t know where they are going.

What your group needs is a little summary teaching before the question to put things in context for them and point them in the right direction.

It could go like this:

Leader: Look at this passage again guys. Paul says the gospel was the most important thing that he ever passed along. This was the message of Jesus – that he died for our sins and rose from the dead. Paul says that message was essential. Look again at v. 2. He says it was important because it’s how people are saved. So we have to get this right! But the problem is, a lot of people don’t get it right. The “gospel” message can be confusing. Let me ask you this, if we were to walk up to people on campus and ask people, “How do you think you could be saved and go to heaven?” What do you think might be some of the answers we would hear?

You’ve essentially accomplished the same thing as the first set of questions, but now you’ve put the group at ease and are allowing them to respond to a question that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer. It’s not a quiz anymore. And you’re still going to process through the gospel.

This is an example of how a teaching summary can lead into a good interpretation style question. Instead of a short answer essay, you’re asking some opinions. But the opinions still relate to the main point of the passage.

Try it next time you lead a study. Don’t ask, “What does Paul say in v. 2?” or “What’s the command in v. 4?” Instead summarize that part and lead into a question.

But you’re not done yet. You need to bring this home to them with the next adjustment.

Adjustment #2 — Ask Illustration Questions

One of the adjustments to help eliminate quiz-like questions is to ask illustration instead of interpretation questions. By summarizing some of the passage for your students, you will be freed up to ask these.

Some examples of illustration questions are:

• “When was a time you felt…”
• “In your life how do you wrestle with…”
• “What are examples of things that have helped you…”
• “Who is someone in your life who….”

Illustration questions are ones that relate to their life or experience. They are open-ended questions that allow students to tell stories or be more vulnerable about their lives. These are the questions you pray for and ask God to help someone set the tone by opening up.

Going back to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 above, after asking what students on campus might say you could bring it into their life.

Leader: If we were to go around asking people on campus, “How can you go to heaven?” we might get all kinds of answers! And while I know we probably don’t think about it on a day-to-day basis, it’s obviously a MAJOR question. When are times in people’s lives when they typically wrestle with that question? (let them answer, then follow up) What about you? Has there been a time when you remember asking that question?

Whatever response you get you need to press into that! This is a chance for people to share. You could follow up, “What were the circumstances of wrestling with it?” “How did you look for answers?” “Who helped you?” “Do you feel like you found a good answer?”

Now you’ve got people sharing! Now they are wrestling with the truth of Scripture and getting to know each other better at the same time. That’s a recipe for a healthy group!

Nothing about that stinks!

Try these two adjustments in your studies and see if it helps. Next week we’ll look at two more adjustments that will continue to strengthen your studies and keep people coming back.

Discuss:

1. How were you trained to lead small groups? What do you think were the positives and limitations of that training?
2. What do you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of your studies right now?
3. Which adjustments will you try? How do you think they could help?