How to Choose a Bible Study
We talk a lot about Bile study here at InspiritEncourage. There are several step-by-step methods that we have discussed to complete studies, particularly on our own. However, there are times when we choose to utilize published resources for study. This is often the case for group study, but also for those of us who simply want a guide.
1 – Topic
The main question to ask is about the topic of the study. The topic question begins with a decision to consider a book of the Bible, character, or theme. The choice is usually based on interest, but the underlying question should always be about our spiritual need or interest during this time.
The participant or participants may have identified a spiritual need. During the pandemic, and even now in coming out of it, anxiety has been a frequent need to address in a study. At other times, it may be interest that guides us, as we seek to understand the Israelite journey and what we can learn from it, so we study Exodus; or we may want to understand how joy impacts the Christian walk so we study Philippians. Interest or spiritual need will drive the topic question. Closely related to this is the group of participants.
2 – Participants
The next consideration, and not necessarily second in consideration of order, is the participant. This may be an individual or a group. As a group, the participants may be male or female, they may be parents or not, they may have any number of characteristics. These should be considered when choosing a topic.
My church uses the phrase ‘age and stage’ to mean the literal age of participants and the spiritual development stage that one may be at, new believer, mature, etcetera. So, when thinking about the participants, what ‘age and stage’ is the participant and what might their spiritual needs or interests be?
3 – Preferences
Once these two points, topic and participant, have been thoroughly considered, the others come down to preference and yet are also related to the participant needs and desires for a study as well.
Style of Study – Some studies have accompanying videos; others are heavily text laden. A choice of study should consider the kind and quality of the questions as well as the focus of the questions, on me, on the Bible, on the text, and on God. Each of these points may be appropriate given the audience, the purpose of the study and the requests of the participants.
Time Commitment – Closely related to the style is the amount of time that the participants intend to set aside for the study. Some Bible studies include daily assignments or just weekly assignments. Some of the videos are quite long while others are optional. All of this will change the amount f time that is required to successfully participate in the study.
Author – When considering which study to do, it is important to consider the beliefs of the author, as well as the credentials they present. Not having published before may be a point against them, but the preparation behind it and the beliefs shown in the study are a strong guide to the quality. Also, consider the tone of the author, some are approachable and conversational while others are more formal and instructional. It may be the option of a group to choose a familiar or favorite author.
Choosing a Bible Study
The group that I study with weekly has recently chosen a study. We began by identifying what spiritual needs we have, and anxiety was quickly identified as the topic. We have all committed to completing assignments once per week in addition to the weekly meeting, and from there we just looked at what options there were and who the authors were as well as the comments from those who had already completed the study.
If you aren’t certain of the participant need, just ask. I had a colleague who once said ‘I may not care, but I have an opinion’ (ha!! right?!?). We do have opinions, all of us, and to be spiritually enriched, we would appreciate being involved with the study design. So, just ask. The who of the study is so important in the choice - maybe it should have been first? What do you think - topic or participant first? Let us know in the comments.
The choice of a study needs to focus on the purpose of the study time – the personal or spiritual needs of that particular audience. Once these have been well identified, the choice comes down to preference of time, author, and style.
