If you’d like to train someone to lead a Bible study, and you’re ready to take the risk, you might just be waiting for a post about what to actually do when you meet with your apprentice. This is your post. There is one thing you must know, and then I’ll share some specifics about how I do it.
First, what you must know: You don’t need to follow a curriculum. The most common question I receive is “What materials do you use in your ministry?” And I don’t want to sound rude, but, ahem, the Bible is enough. You don’t need workbooks or study guides to tell you what question to ask next. Writers of study guides have much to offer, but they will never know as much as you do about you, your apprentice, your situation, or the needs of your small group. So make clear goals and find whatever direction you need. But major on getting to know your apprentice, shepherding his/her character, and discussing what will most help your group.
Now, when I say “you don’t need to follow a curriculum,” please don’t hear me saying you shouldn’t use a curriculum. Sometimes it can help. Sometimes it scratches the right itch. Sometimes.
So here’s what I do with my current apprentice, Jon. The training with my last apprentice looked different, but Jon and I are still early in our relationship, getting to know each other and learning how to encourage each other. Jon and I meet about every 2 weeks, at 8:15 pm on a weeknight (after our children are in bed), for 60-75 minutes.
- “How was your week?”
- “How is your marriage (or parenting) going?” (Insert major life responsibility, or chief character aim here.)
- “How do you think our small group is going? What is good, and what should we work on?” (Questions 1-3 take 30-45 minutes)
- Discuss one chapter of Knowable Word for about 10 minutes. Then we spend 15-20 minutes practicing those skills on the passage we studied at our last small group meeting (making the principles explicit).
- Pray for the group and for each other.
Nathan Rupert (2008), Creative Commons
This meeting is neither an interview nor a lecture, but a conversation. I inject it with as much of my personal life as possible so we can get to know each other. Because I’m not the holy Prophet descending the mountain to convey my wisdom before returning to my contemplation, the relationship goes in both directions.
After we finish Knowable Word, I’ll probably have Jon read Growth Groups by Colin Marshall. But again, the discussion will center on the need of the moment, not the next approved subject. The key is not to follow a plan, but to live life together and offer real-time coaching.
I’d love to hear what else you’ve found effective in training apprentices.
Thank you! Articles like this make me feel stupid. I’ve lead many one-to-few or one-to-many bible studies and I’ve tried teaching the method with varying results. This simple and pastoral outline is helpful in the forehead slap kind of way. Nothing flashy, nothing difficult, but it hits all of the key things that would be involved in learning to lead a bible study. Thanks so much for posting it.
You’re welcome. I’m glad it was helpful, though it was certainly not my intention to make you feel stupid. 🙂
Oh, of course. My self deprecation knows no bounds. No, I just over-think things all the time and usually end up making people do more than they are able at that point. Given time, they usually catch up, but I think this simple, pastoral method is not only more faithful but would also get results faster.
Thanks for your book. I’m reading it again right now. I’m always on the lookout for something genuinely helpful and also readable for most of the people I come into contact with. One of the best books I’ve ever read on the inductive method was Inductive Bible Study by Bauer and Traina, but that is beyond most of the lay people I know. It gets into grad-level hermeneutical questions in part 1 and it’s thoroughness in reviewing all of the different question types almost overwhelms me.