I would love to partner with you to help folks in your church or organization learn how to study the Bible.
The Opportunity
If you would like to:
- equip your people to study the Bible for themselves,
- motivate them to read the Bible on their own,
- train them to understand what they read,
- teach them to use study tools and commentaries as useful supplements and not as their sole devotional diet,
- see your ministry multiply wildly beyond you, as people learn to teach and disciple their families, neighbors, coworkers, and children,
and you simply need some help to get moving in the right direction; then perhaps I can help.
The funny thing about helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible is that it doesn’t work to have an expert parachute in, impress everyone with his mad skillz, and suddenly extract himself while his audience returns to life as usual. Studying the Bible is like physical training, requiring coaching, practice, and ongoing encouragement.
So while I love to preach God’s word, my life’s goal is not to be the expert everyone relies on to teach the Scripture to them. For example, at my church, I’m the lead preaching pastor—but we define that role to mean I lead a team of preachers and preachers-in-training. I preach about only a third of the time.
But if your group could use some encouragement to get going in the right direction, I’m at your service.
Potential Topics
- How to study the Bible
- How to lead a Bible study
- Teach your children to study the Bible
What to Expect
My approach to Bible study training covers four bases:
- Inspiring ordinary people with a vision for not only reading but also studying the Bible.
- Instructing them in the basic principles of OIA Bible study.
- Modeling OIA Bible study for them (I want to show and not just tell).
- Guiding them as they practice the skills themselves.
My objective for a day or weekend of training is that folks will gain both the confidence to get started and the information they need to succeed. Though this involves some lecture, I’ve found it crucial to have time for discussion and guided practice as well.
To hear a sample opening session, (right click to) download this mp3 of an Intro to Bible Study.
Here’s a sample of my speaking style:
I love preaching to large groups, and I love training small groups of people where we can go deep in the text together. If you have a larger group, you may want to consider also breaking into smaller groups for practice sessions.
Whatever your size or experience, however, I want to work with you to shape a training workshop that will best meet your needs.
