Let Them See You Do It

My grandfather used to do a magic trick for children where he would remove half of his finger and make it float in mid-air. I thought he was a wizard, until he showed me how to do it. His revelation inspired me to perform the same trick whenever I’m around young children, and I now think I’m destined to become like my Pop-pop: a crazy old feller who gets his kicks off making children laugh at him.

Did you catch the turning point in my tale? He showed me how to do it. Training a new Bible study leader works the same way.

Following Jesus’ Example

Jesus got his first disciples on John the Baptist’s recommendation. John’s men trusted him when he told them to behold the Lamb of God (John 1:35-36). They went to check Jesus out, and Jesus didn’t commit too quickly. He merely invited them to “Come and see” (John 1:38-39). (Presumably, it was sometime after this that Jesus called them to make a clean break with their life direction and follow him – Mark 1:16-20.)

Jesus took these disciples along when he performed his first miracle (John 1:2) and cleared out the temple (John 1:22). He had them watch for a little while (Mark 3:13-6:6) before he gave them much to do themselves (Mark 6:7-8:30).

Jesus knew they wouldn’t know what to do unless they first saw him do it.

What to Show Them

As you begin training new Bible study leaders, first let them in and then let them see you do it. But what should we show them?

• Show them how you study the Bible. Practice Bible study together. Work through the observation, interpretation, and application as a team. Label things as you go so they can see why you’re doing what you’re doing.
• Show them how you prepare to lead a Bible study. Doing it and leading it are different skills. The former begins with a blank notebook and a clean text, the latter begins with a main point and suggested applications. Some people will intuit the difference; others need to be shown.
• Show them how you think about caring for the Bible study’s members. Meet with your apprentice and discuss how people are doing. Share your insights about how to encourage and challenge these folks.
• Show them how you set up the meeting. Talk about the schedule, room set up, greetings, and dismissal. Don’t just make these decisions yourself or feel your way through it. Let your apprentice know why you’ve made the choices you’ve made.
• Show them how you pray. If you need the Lord’s mercy for the Bible study to succeed (and you do), your apprentice should see you begging for this mercy. Don’t be too respectable to beg.

If you had a mentor who showed you these things, you understand how helpful it was. If you didn’t have such a mentor, you can help others avoid the mistakes you made. This will get them farther faster.

The first phase of training apprentices is “I do, you watch.” This involves letting them in and letting them see you do it. Don’t just tell them how to do it; show them.