Church on a Hill

Ready to get to know people and study the Bible with others, I joined a Wednesday night group. The group was advertised as a Bible Study, but in my first week, I discovered they were reading a contemporary book about the Bible instead. The class leader repeatedly emphasized that he was not a teacher, but the staff had asked him to lead a group, and he was happy to help us study this book. I followed the leader's instructions to read the first two chapters before our second meeting. I looked forward to discussing its contents. I didn’t agree with everything in the book and wondered what the other class members thought about it.

The second week, we opened our books, and the leader began to read aloud the same chapters we had already read individually during the week. The class sat silently and followed along. I stared at the pages, confused and shocked. Was he going to read both chapters? Out loud to us? As if we haven’t read it? As if we are second graders?

I prayed, “Please, Lord, if it is your will, let me dissolve into the floor. I can’t. Please help. Amen.”

Then, when he finished, he spoke individually with two class members about retirement and travel, and the rest of the class sat quietly listening. Finally, it was over, and I could not be more pleased. This was a waste of everyone’s time.

Church by the Park

The pastor told us that the church had just one small group and admitted he had struggled to engage the nearly 200 regular attendees in small group study. The group's hosts warmly invited us to join them in their home for the bi-weekly gathering. When we arrived, we were surprised at the size. This group was not small—close to 20 adults and more than 20 children attended.

After most of the kids scattered to another room to watch a movie, we opened our Bibles and read 1 Peter 1:1-2:12 aloud, each reading a few verses. Once we finished reading it, people began to share thoughts and general ideas. We didn't discuss the context first, nor did anyone attempt to break the wide-ranging passage into smaller, more manageable sections. Within five minutes, the passage was entirely lost as people began sharing personal anecdotes loosely related to a verse, often in response to someone else’s story. Four or five people did most of the talking. The conversion felt chaotic and veered into concerning territory a few times.

Downtown Church

When my husband and I arrived at Downtown Church, we joined the small church’s only home group, which met biweekly in our pastor’s home. Over meals, we reflected on the previous sermon and prayed for each other. However, as the months passed, the group outgrew the house, so we branched. My husband and I gladly hosted and led one of the new branches of this group.

When we started meeting at our home, we made a few minor adjustments to the meetings. We wanted to incorporate some of the good things we learned from our previous church’s small groups. Instead of discussing the previous Sunday’s sermon and the pastor's points, we asked our pastor ahead of time which passage he would preach next week and studied those verses.

We usually spent just 20 minutes studying. One person read the passage aloud, and then members of the small group shared what they knew of its context. We talked about the passages before and after the one we were reading, the author and theme of the book, and the original audience.

Then, we discussed observations about the text, asking who, what, when, where, why, and how, looking for repeated words or phrases, commands, and promises. After observing these things, we discussed the interpretation, which often included cross-references to help us understand a theme more fully. Finally, we discussed how the passage might apply to our lives.

Studying in this simple, structured way taught younger Christians how to open the Bible and observe, interpret, and apply its truth. This study structure was accessible to even the newest believer or fringe unbeliever, whom we often invited to join our group. The practice helped us all grow in our knowledge of Scripture. It helped us prepare for the next service and follow the pastor's teaching. This practice also encouraged our pastor and held him accountable to the Word in his preaching.

Why We Study Together

Studying the Bible in small groups with people we know well is one of the most relaxed, low-stress, and natural ways to learn Scripture and deepen our understanding of and ability to apply God’s word. We grow through our brothers and sisters, the questions they have that we hadn’t thought of, the insights the Holy Spirit gives them, and even the difficult passages that we may struggle through together. We sharpen each other. We teach each other. We disciple each other.

While many members of our Downtown Church Bible study group would never teach a class, they still taught well and often in our small group. They never stood before the group with a prepared lesson to teach. But they sat in our living room week after week, teaching us as we taught each other through the natural study of God’s Word.

The early church committed themselves to prayer and the apostles' teaching, which was the gospel. That is what the Church does. The main focus of our study should be God’s infallible Word, studied with intentionality and structure. It does not need to be complex.

Bible study should seek to answer the following questions:

• What does this passage say?

• What would this passage have meant to its original audience?

• What does this passage reveal about God, His character, His will, or His people?

• Are there direct commands or promises in this passage? Do they apply to us?

• Does this passage challenge my thoughts, beliefs, or actions? Do I need to confess sin regarding this passage?

Bible study groups that fail to commit to Bible study are not acting as the church. At best, they are a book club; at worst, they are a discouraging counterfeit for the Church. Some groups have taught us what to look for, while others have taught us what to avoid. The overarching lesson we have learned about small group studies is that there is a spiritual transformation in God’s people when we gather faithfully around His Word to study it together.

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