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You are here: Home / How to Lead a Bible Study

How to Lead a Bible Study

To develop and foster good OIA Bible study skills, few things are as effective as frequent practice with a group of people. This page serves as a table of contents to my series of posts on how to lead such groups. Pick any post that interests you, and you can click through the rest of the series from there. If you would like to train more people to lead such groups, see my series on how to train a Bible study apprentice.

Overview

How to Lead a Great Bible Study

Why Lead Bible Studies?

What is a Bible study?
Why have Bible studies?
10 Good (But Not Great) Reasons to Join a Bible Study
Is Your Bible Study Group-Centered or Christ-Centered?
What Kind of Bible Study Should You Lead?
Another Way to Think About Bible Studies

Getting the Group Started

How to Start a Bible Study
It’s Okay to Recruit People to Your Bible Study
What Do You Expect of Your Bible Study Group?

Preparing to Lead

5 Practices for Preparing Effective Bible Studies
Sample Bible Study Leader’s Notes
How I Prepare a Bible Study

Practice #1: Depend on the Lord

Please Don’t Try to Be Profound

Practice #2: Figure out what God has said

Not Creation But Discovery
Dependence vs. Diligence

Practice #3: Allow the message to change you

Beware Sanitized Hypocrisy
Why Vulnerability is So Hard

Practice #4: Decide how to lead your group toward what God has said

Same Truth, Different Audience
5 Things to Consider When Framing a Bible Study

Practice #5: Consider the Beginning

Be Sure to Begin Well
Sample Launching Questions
Does Your Bible Teaching Hijack Your Bible Learning?

To Prompt or Not to Prompt?

Leading the Meeting

Ask Good Observation Questions
Ask Good Interpretive Questions
Ask Good Application Questions

6 Bad Habits to Avoid
Different People are…Different
8 Effects of a Wise Leader’s Words
3 Disciplines to Develop Wise Speech
Keep the Context Front and Center
Move the Group Toward the Main Point
How to Encourage Heart-Oriented Application
Praying in Bible Studies

Outside the Meeting

One Vital Behavior Determines the Success of Your Teaching Ministry
It’s Worth It to Know Your People
Community-Building is Not Optional
Community-Building Ideas for Your Bible Study
How to Know Whether Your Bible Study was a Success
How to Tell if Someone Knows God

Training Others to Lead

The Best Way to Grow Your Bible Study Group

NEXT SERIES: How to Train a Bible Study Apprentice

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