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Help Your Small Group Members Ask Good Questions

May 19, 2025 By Ryan Higginbottom

group

Greta Schölderle Møller (2016), public domain

Most of the small group Bible studies I’ve attended have a familiar format.

First, the group leader introduces the passage and asks someone to read it aloud. Then, either the leader talks about the passage, pointing out interesting or important details and connections, or the leader asks the group questions to spark discussion. Hopefully the conversation turns to application before it ends.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this structure. I’d much rather someone attend a Bible study like this than not be involved in any small group. But this model leaves group members mostly passive. Everything centers on the leader, and group members act as an audience. As a result, group members leave the group with more knowledge about one Bible passage but no greater Bible study skills.

There’s a better way.

Small Groups for Training

At this blog we’re passionate about helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible. This learning can happen in all sorts of venues, including small groups!

One way to make this happen is to design the group explicitly as a Bible study training group. In other words, advertise the group as one in which you’ll learn and practice Bible study skills. After all, learning the basics of Bible study doesn’t take long, and for those who are new to the custom, a group setting is a great way to practice.

Alternatively, you can build this training into the normal rhythms of your small group.

Training Along the Way

One key to good Bible study is learning to ask good questions of the text.

When observing the text, ask about the genre, the grammar, and the structure. When interpreting, ask questions about your observations; seek out the main point of the passage. And when applying, ask what this all means; press the main point of the passage into all the corners of your life.

In the course of a regular Bible study, a leader can train group members to get better at asking these kinds of questions. These are skills that members can then use in their personal Bible study.

De-center the Small Group

Small group discussions that revolve around the leader can have unintended consequences. I’m afraid that a byproduct of such groups is that group members rarely study the Bible outside of small group meetings.

We need to dispel the lie that Bible study is just for the experts. I’ve been in lots of small groups where everyone looked to the leader to answer all questions and resolve all difficulties. But everyone can study the Bible! Bible study is not a task to be left to the academics (and leaders) with everyone else picking up stray crumbs that drop from the table.

How to Train for Good Questions

Here are five ways to help your small group members grow in their OIA skills and ask better questions.

  1. Be transparent. Don’t hide what you’re doing—no one likes to be manipulated or to fall victim to a sneak attack. Explain why learning Bible study skills is important for everyone and describe what you’ll be doing.
  2. Teach mini-lessons. Decide on a few small group meetings where, as part of the conversation, you’ll offer brief instruction on one aspect of Bible study. The group can practice that particular skill immediately after the explanation. This way, group members can pick up OIA training over the course of several meetings.
  3. Use worksheets. We have some excellent worksheets available on our resources page. Make copies and pass them out with your instruction. Encourage your group members to use them for personal study.
  4. Leave space for questions. After you’ve had a chance to take your group through the different aspects of Bible study, involve your group more centrally in future discussions. Allow time during the conversation for observations and interpretive questions. Instead of asking application questions yourself, call on the group to produce them.
  5. Be imitable. If we’re doing it well, our group members should be able to imitate our teaching. That is, they should be able to arrive at the same conclusions we do. The key here is simply showing your work. Explain your process and your thinking. Minimize your appeals to experts and commentaries; focus on the text of the Bible and what you can draw from it.

Equipping the Saints

Leading a leader-centered small group can be nice for the ego, but it rarely builds skills in group members. It has no multiplying effect.

When you help your small group members learn Bible study skills, you equip them for a consistent, deeper relationship with God. They won’t rely on you to understand the Bible, they’ll be able to interpret and apply God’s word themselves.

And that’s something anyone would want to pass along!

Note: This post is a small attempt to restate portions of Peter’s excellent, earlier post.

This post was originally published in 2018.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Questions, Small Groups, Training

How to Develop a Culture of Bible Study in Your Church

June 21, 2023 By Peter Krol

The Logos Word by Word blog recently published a piece I wrote entitled “How to Develop a Culture of Bible Study in Your Church.” In the post, I encourage church leaders to have a method, train a few, raise their expectations, set them loose, check in, and reproduce.

Here’s a taste:

There is one question I receive more than any other when Christians discover I’m involved in a collegiate discipleship ministry: What materials or resources do you use?

I appreciate the eagerness behind the question, as folks generally aim to improve their own efforts to make disciples of Christ. But sadly, my answer doesn’t usually satisfy the inquirer.

The Bible. We use the Bible to make disciples.

Check it out!

Filed Under: Check it Out Tagged With: Church, Leadership, Training

Keep in Touch

May 27, 2016 By Peter Krol

When we train apprentices or delegate tasks, sometimes we’re too slow to hand things off. I’ve written about this danger over the last few weeks, but we must consider another danger as well: being too quick to hand things off.

Yee Leng (2009), Creative Commons

Yee Leng (2009), Creative Commons

When we hit stage 4 for training new Bible study leaders (“You do; I watch”), we may feel tempted to simply send them out and commend their souls to God. We might even be relieved to have someone to take on some of our responsibility. We have complete trust in the person to serve and full confidence in God to work. But sending out new leaders must not flick like a standard light switch, on or off. It should transition more like a dimmer switch with increasing shades of brightness.

So when you send out your apprentice to lead a new group, you’re not yet finished as a trainer. You still should check in with that person from time to time to see how things are going. You’ll want to encourage the leader with evidence of God’s grace. You’ll want to expose areas of potential blindness. You’ll want to stimulate the leader’s thinking about ways to excel. And you’ll want to make sure the new leader considers finding his or her own apprentice to train and launch.

We can see this approach in the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. Paul’s chief aim on his first missionary journey was to appoint and train leaders for fledgling churches: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23). But he didn’t merely set them up and forget about them. Notice the impetus behind his second missionary journey: “And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:36). That second trip covered the same ground before going farther and deeper into Rome’s empire. His third trip then revisited the same places as the second trip.

He kept visiting the same places to strengthen and correct the leaders. He didn’t control them or take those churches back over. He let the leaders lead, but he made sure to check in and offer help. There’s much for us to learn from this approach.

First, don’t forget your apprentices, even after they’ve gone to lead their own groups.

Second, you don’t need a curriculum or detailed training agenda. Just visit occasionally to “see how they are.” You might want to ask about what’s going well and what could be better. You may also want to make your own observations.

Third, decrease your involvement as they continue to develop.

Fourth, make sure your former apprentices take note of potential new apprentices they can train.

Fifth, rejoice in the Lord, who is multiplying your ministry and your influence before your eyes. Keep those eyes fixed on Christ so you can represent him well.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Acts, Apprentices, Discipleship, Small Groups, Training

The 3 Laws of Launching New Leaders

May 20, 2016 By Peter Krol

Fighter Jet LaunchIn the life of every Bible study apprentice, there comes a time for independence. A time when trails must be blazed and sunsets must be ridden off into. New small groups must be formed, and new leaders must be set loose to form them. And when this time comes, three laws will inevitably take effect.

The Apprentice Will Not Be Ready

Nobody perfects a skill without first trying and failing. And an apprentice who stays close to the trainer, who is eager and capable to correct every misstep, can’t really fail. The goal, of course, is not merely to fail, but to fail in the right direction. Like major league sluggers, we need to be okay with high volumes of strikeouts. Each one teaches something about timing, bat speed, or pitch count expectations. Few apprentices will ever feel ready to lead their own groups, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying.

The Trainer Will Not Be Ready

Nobody likes to see a protege struggle. No decent Bible teacher wants a short-term decrease in ministry effectiveness. But eyes of faith see dormant glory. This mustard seed will become the greatest of all garden plants. This bit of leaven will penetrate the doughy lump. This jar of clay proclaims the surpassing power of God to grow his church. And this frail limb may eventually become a mighty oak of righteousness.

The World Will Not Be Ready

Do you remember how Hebrews speaks of our faith heroes, that the world was not worthy of them (Heb 11:38)? Then remember also that those folks, though commended, didn’t receive what was promised. God provided something better for us: Jesus, seated at God’s right hand (Heb 12:1-2). But before he took his seat, Jesus committed to sending his Spirit to empower his followers to do greater works than Jesus himself had done (John 14:12-14). So we ought to expect generation upon generation of new heroes who proclaim faith in Christ and trust in no other. The world cannot handle such titans.

In training your Bible study apprentice, perhaps you had a part in shaping one of these heroes.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Bible Study, Discipleship, Small Groups, Training

Give Them Freedom to Fail

May 6, 2016 By Peter Krol

What causes that sinking feeling when a parent watches his freshly-licensed teenager drive off alone for the first time? Why do field trips require chaperones? What tempts a supervisor to micromanage? Why do I gasp every time my 17-month-old hurls herself down a sliding board?

https://www.knowableword.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Slider.mp4

I’ve already covered one possible answer. When I wrote about the “I do, You help” stage of training a Bible study apprentice, I explained why it’s hard to delegate responsibility, and I challenged leaders to find the courage to let them try. The chief obstacle I focused on was fear of failure.

But now that we’ve hit the “You do, I watch” stage of training, we ought to consider another possible answer: We believe it will go better if we’re with them. And we’re right, after a fashion. It will go better. For now.

Don’t Launch the Apprentice

Finn Frode (2014), Creative Commons

Finn Frode (2014), Creative Commons

Here are 3 reasons why you should not launch an apprentice to start a new group without you.

1. Group members will receive better teaching.

We’re here for the people, right? We can give them $10 Bible studies, or we can give them 50-cent Bible studies. Let’s give them the best. Why send people to start a new group, when the teaching will be weaker, the main points will be less clear, and the application won’t be as specific or transformative?

2. The apprentice will have less pain.

There is a lot of pressure involved in leading a small group. You’re used to that pressure by now, but your apprentice is not. It might really serve this person not to have to take that burden when you carry it so competently.

3. You will have greater peace of mind.

When you keep your apprentice close, you’ll have a better perspective on how you can help. You’ll know what’s going on and how you can support the work. You can provide quality control, mature discernment, and immediate responsiveness. You won’t have to worry about mission drift or incremental cynicism.

Launch the Apprentice

However, consider your situation. If you want it to go better now, it will never change then. You can bury that shiny talent right in the ground. Don’t worry; you’ll still have it when your master returns. Then you can give it back to him and be done with it (Matt 25:24-25).

Or you can take some risks. You can trade with your talent to produce more. Send that apprentice out. Start a new Bible study, inferior to the old one. Over time, that inferior apprentice-led Bible study might actually surpass the quality of your own. It might grow faster than you could have grown it. It might reach some people you never could have reached.

And someday, without your help, your “apprentice” will launch another new apprentice. What will your Master have to say to you then? Are you ready to enter his joy (Matt 25:20-23)?

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Delegation, Matthew, Small Groups, Training

5 Signs They’re Ready to Fly

April 29, 2016 By Peter Krol

As you train a new Bible study leader, how do you know when the person is ready to lead a separate group? When should you move an apprentice from the “You do, I help” to the “You do, I watch” stage of training? If we advance people too quickly, they may burn out and give up. If we move them too slowly, the training could become stagnant and lifeless. What are the signs of a good balance?

Rick Bolin (2011), Creative Commons

Rick Bolin (2011), Creative Commons

1. When they don’t need your direction to prepare

Of course, no leader matures beyond the need for continuing education. But over time, apprentices should become increasingly self-sufficient. They should be able to figure out the main point of a passage. They should be able to develop good questions. They should be able to launch a study well. They should find greater comfort in studying the word and greater ease in teaching it to others. Your 1-1 meetings should focus more on shepherding the people in the group and less on the mechanics of leading the group.

2. When they don’t need your help to succeed

Of course, no leader matures beyond the need for assistance and feedback. But over time, apprentices should become increasingly effective. They should be able to observe group dynamics and shift their plan according to the needs of the moment. They should be able to hear what people say and ask good follow-up questions. They should have built strong trust with regulars, and they should know how to welcome newcomers. They should model good Bible study skills and teach them to others. Your presence at small group meetings becomes less about helping the apprentice see the obvious and master the basics; it becomes more about observing—so you can later reflect to the apprentice—the extreme or unusual situations.

3. When they don’t need your charisma to inspire

Of course, no leader matures beyond the need for refreshment and reminder. But over time, apprentices should become increasingly self-motivated. And their motivation should increasingly inspire others. They should be able to articulate a clear vision for the group. They should be able to instruct, remind, encourage, and inspire others to Christlikeness. They should rely more on the Lord than on the trainer to relieve their stress, strengthen them with grace, and to move others to action. You can continue coaching, even from afar, but the life of this leader and this group must not depend on your ability to cast a compelling vision.

4. When they don’t need your encouragement to persevere

Of course, no leader matures beyond the need for comfort and encouragement. But over time, apprentices should become tougher and more committed to the cause. They should be able to face some opposition or setbacks without crumbling. They should know to get enough rest and nourishment to enliven them through tiredness. They should know why they believe the Scriptures to be worth studying, so they can press on when it feels tedious. They should find some creativity to freshen up routine, boredom, or persistent unresponsiveness with group members.

5. When they ask for more

I gave this as a sign for when they’re ready to help, and for when they’re ready to lead. I keep it on this list, because it’s so crucial for any training. If your apprentice has no ambition to reach people, grow people, serve people, improve things, influence outcomes, honor God, or move forward—you should ask some hard questions, of both the apprentice and yourself. But when a godly drive for more compels the apprentice to launch a new group, God be praised. His kingdom is not dependent on you, and the Lord of the harvest is sending more laborers to work his fields.

I hope your training has this end in sight: Preparing apprentices to fly on their own. Too few parents have this vision for their kids. Too few supervisors encourage this ambition with their employees. And too many Christian leaders, busy keeping themselves at the center of their ministries, fail to launch more warriors into the foray.

When the time comes, may we find the courage and influence to launch the next generation of leaders.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Apprentices, Delegation, Evaluation, Small Groups, Training

How to Train a Bible Study Apprentice

April 8, 2016 By Peter Krol

For a few months, I’ve written about how to train a Bible study apprentice. Some of you may have picked up on the method to my madness, but I imagine many have not.

So I’ve created a table of contents page for the series, which outlines the training model and links to each post. There is no better way to grow a small group ministry than to continually train apprentices to launch new groups. If you’d like to see the big picture and get a glimpse of where the rest of the series will go, check it out!

Filed Under: Check it Out Tagged With: Small Groups, Training

How to Give Effective After-the-Fact Feedback to a Trainee

April 1, 2016 By Peter Krol

I’ve written about how to coach a Bible study apprentice before and during a small group Bible study meeting. Once the meeting is over and you meet to debrief, what should you cover?

The Dangers

First, don’t be afraid to speak truth. You are coaching this apprentice, after all. Of course you should share evidences of God’s grace and highlight what went well. But don’t avoid sharing what could improve for the future.

Second, avoid the urge to criticize everything that went wrong, even if you’ve got an exceptionally teachable apprentice who asks you to speak frankly. Don’t do this to your apprentice because God doesn’t do it to you. Imagine how you’d feel if God revealed every weakness, sin, and failure of yours at one time. Even if you just sang, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee,” the Lord is merciful and compassionate. He instructs us piecemeal over the course of a lifetime. Take the same approach with your apprentice.

Third, avoid the tendency to nitpick. Keep in mind that there are some things your apprentice can never go back and fix. Once they’re done, they’re done; you can help the apprentice to move on by not highlighting all the things that should have been different. Just focus on the things that will help this person to improve.

Gabriela Grosseck (2010), Creative Commons

Gabriela Grosseck (2010), Creative Commons

My Approach

  1. Highlight many things that went well.
  2. Mention one or two patterns for improvement.
  3. End with more positives, focusing on the good results God brought about.

I’ve read some who ridicule this “criticism sandwich” approach (positive-negative-positive) because it can certainly be done in a trite and patronizing way. But when it comes out of love and has real substance to it, this approach helps leaders build influence. Would you prefer for your apprentice to come to your meetings dreading the laundry list of failures to be aired once again, and expecting to be labelled as weak if offense is taken? Or would you prefer for the apprentice to come with delight and eagerness, knowing that much profit and encouragement will come from the feedback offered?

Let me explain the process a bit further:

  • Be as specific as possible with the encouragement. Don’t settle for “it went well.” Be ready to show the apprentice what went well. For example, “The way you transitioned us from mingling to the beginning of the study was really clear. Everyone knew what to expect.” Or, “I know that Sam can be overly talkative. When he went off on his uncle’s latest surgery, you did a great job hearing him with compassion while also drawing his attention back to the topic at hand.”
  • Notice that point #2 is about mentioning patterns for improvement. If a single mistake was made, let it go. Perhaps the apprentice already noticed it and will self-correct. But if a pattern of the same mistake kept occurring, talk about it. And pick just one or two of these patterns to reflect and ask the apprentice to work on the next time.
  • Make sure you end by making much of God, not the apprentice. In part 3 of the feedback, focus on the tangible results you saw from the apprentice’s leadership of the meeting. For example, “When you asked your final application question, Robert really perked up. I think the Lord was working in him, and he used your question to get Robert’s attention!”

Not My Approach

I can’t take credit for this threefold approach to offering after-the-fact feedback. I learned it from others, and we can see it in the Scripture. For example, look at John’s approach to offering feedback in his third letter. John wrote a prior letter to a congregation of Christians (2 John), but this letter was ill received by some. John has some feedback for one of the leaders to help him address these issues for the good of the church.

  • 3 John 1-8: John gets very specific about what has gone well. Fellow believers have testified to Gaius’s firmness in the truth (3 John 3). Gaius stands firm also in love (3 John 5), shown by his welcoming of missionaries and sending them out refreshed (3 John 6-8).
  • 3 John 9-10: John highlights a persistent pattern that must be addressed. Diotrephes, presumably another leader in the church, promotes himself, disregards John’s apostolic authority, and speaks slanderous nonsense. He doesn’t welcome missionaries, and he coerces others to shun those who do. Something must be done. John will deal with it when he comes, but perhaps his letter seeks to embolden Gaius to steadfastly oppose this wrongdoing in the meantime.
  • 3 John 11-15: John closes with evidences of God’s grace within the church. Another man named Demetrius has a strong reputation for goodness and truth. John affirms this reputation, possibly suggesting Demetrius as a replacement for Diotrephes on the elder board. Regardless, an in-person meeting will take place between John and Gaius, and many greetings are sent Gaius’s way. Though the problems may not be ignored, Gaius has much to be encouraged about.

Developing Laborers

In training Bible study apprentices, we strive to raise more laborers for the harvest. We aim to encourage and strengthen them in their labor. And we want to keep them aware of one or two things they can practice for improvement. Such clarity in our training will root them in the gospel, motivate them to lay down their lives, and enable them to overcome adversity. And with such personal training, the Kingdom of God advances in the earth.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Apprentices, Delegation, Evaluation, Small Groups, Training

How to Coach a New Bible Study Leader During the Meeting

March 18, 2016 By Peter Krol

I’ve encouraged you to be a coach, not a lifeguard, when your apprentice begins leading Bible studies. Last week, I explained how to do this when helping the apprentice prepare for the meeting. But what does it look like to do this at the meeting itself?

John C. Baker (2013), Creative Commons

John C. Baker (2013), Creative Commons

A lifeguard looks for failure; a coach encourages success.

A lifeguard is vigilant, on edge; a coach inspires.

A lifeguard demands attention; a coach demands excellence.

A lifeguard rescues; a coach stays on the sidelines.

What does this mean for you, the coach, during the Bible study?

1. Follow the Leader

Let the apprentice decide when to make transitions (for example, from mingling to beginning the discussion). If the apprentice looks to you to signal a transition, just sit there patiently looking back. Respond quickly to the apprentice’s leadership; don’t drag your feet if you would have done it differently.

2. Plug Some Gaps

If the apprentice asks a question that meets with silence, suggest a possible answer. Don’t revert to “teaching mode”; just offer an answer to help reignite discussion. Don’t sit there like a sack of potatoes; take part just like everyone else.

3. Clarify When Necessary

If the apprentice asks a confusing question, respond respectfully with a clarifying question. “When you ask how this applies to our lives, are you asking about Jesus’ parable or the disciples’ response to it?”

4. Be Okay with Silence

Participate, but don’t dominate. If the apprentice asks a poor question, and the discussion falls flat, don’t rephrase the question or ask a different one. Let the silence sit, and let the apprentice figure out how to recover. Moments of awkward silence generate terrific coaching opportunities later when you meet to evaluate the meeting.

5. Act Normal

It’s okay if group members know you are coaching the apprentice. But they shouldn’t feel excluded, as though you and the apprentice have a secret, non-verbal code between you. Avoid too much body language or conspiratorial collusion in the corner of the room. Just act normal; you’ll have plenty of time to evaluate and instruct when you meet with the apprentice one-on-one.

If you want the apprentice to learn to lead, you must give the apprentice room to lead. Go ahead and call the plays in advance. But once it’s game time, you get to watch your team do its thing. You could be the sort of coach who shouts and gets mad during the game, but why would you want to? Better to simply let the games reveal what to work on in practice.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Apprentices, Delegation, Small Groups, Training

How to Help Someone Plan a Bible Study

March 11, 2016 By Peter Krol

Studying the Bible and leading a Bible study are not the same thing. Though they’re composed of the same raw materials, the order of events makes all the difference.

When I study the Bible on my own I follow the steps (roughly) in order:

  1. Observe
  2. Interpret
    1. Ask questions
    2. Answer questions
    3. Determine the main point
  3. Connect the main point to Jesus
  4. Apply

Of course, it’s organic and cyclical. But the workflow generally moves in order through these steps (see the OIA infographic).

Workflow

Ian Ruotsala (2010), Creative Commons

But when I lead a Bible study, I arrange the same steps in a different order:

  1. Launching question introduces the main point.
  2. Opening application.
  3. Observation and interpretation questions are all mixed up.
  4. Determine the main point.
  5. Connect the main point to Jesus.
  6. Application questions.

When Bible study apprentices are ready to begin leading studies (the “You do; I help” stage of training), I make sure to help them see the difference. In our private study, we begin with a blank page. But in public teaching (including small group discussions), we begin with a nudge in the right direction. In all settings, public or private, we listen to the text and don’t presume upon it. And as leaders, we can help group members also to listen carefully to the text.

So when I meet with an apprentice to prepare the next Bible study, I have a few goals. The preparation meeting usually follows this agenda:

  1. Study the passage together and reach agreement about its main point.
  2. Come up with specific applications for ourselves.
  3. Come up with some application questions for the group.
  4. List a few observation and interpretation questions that will help the group reach the main point.
  5. Craft a strong launching question that will plant the seeds of the main point in the study’s opening minutes.

By the end of the meeting, I want the apprentice to have enough material to create a set of leader’s notes. I offer much direction to make this happen. But after doing this for a few months, the workflow passes through a series of phases:

Phase 1 (should have happened by now): I create the leader’s notes, but we meet to discuss them before the study.

Phase 2: Apprentice and I meet to create the leader’s notes together.

Phase 3: Apprentice creates the leader’s notes without me, but then we meet to discuss them.

Phase 4: Apprentice creates the leader’s notes without me, but emails them to me for feedback before the study. In this phase, my regular meeting with the apprentice focuses on shepherding the people (discussing how they’re doing, next steps, etc.).

Phase 5: Apprentice leads the study, and I never see the notes. I now give feedback on the study itself, only after the fact.

The point here is for the apprentice to have a steady increase in responsibility, along with a steady decrease in oversight. The details may look different for each person, but the key is to keep moving forward. And this movement should be gradual. If you go right from Phase 1 to Phase 5, most apprentices will feel abandoned and disheartened.

As the apprentice masters each phase of responsibility, we move into the next one. Such visible progress inspires and builds trust.

Filed Under: Leading Tagged With: Apprentices, Delegation, Small Groups, Training

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