Dear EFC subscribers:

Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a class on Christian theology by livestream on four consecutive Saturdays 9:00-10:45 AM Pacific time starting this Saturday, June 13.  The class will cover topics such as Trinity, the qualities of God, the problems of evil and suffering, theodicy, predestination, heaven and more.  The class will be available on youtube through www.bakersfieldchurchofchrist.com or by zoom at 342 225 5971 pswd 857096  The class will also be recorded. We hope to see you there.

Also, I have a new book coming out fairly soon.  It will be a collection of group Bible study outlines. It will be available from Illumination Publishers. http://www.ipibooks.com As  bit of a teaser I am including a part of the intro–some advice to group Bible study leaders below. Enjoy.

John Oakes

Practical Suggestions for Leading a Bible Discussion

Having laid some groundwork for the importance of creating good Bible discussions, I want to provide some practical advice from an experienced Bible discussion leader to help you to do a great job.

Put in the work. It is always tempting to “wing it.” If you have a solid outline, prepared by someone else, this is especially tempting. I have fallen to this temptation many times myself! We are all busy. We are under pressure from work, from family needs, and from things we do in and for the church. All this is true of course, but if you want to lead a good Bible discussion you need to be prepared. You need to spend time reading and thinking about the scriptures. You need to be prepared with answers of your own to all the questions in the outline. You need to anticipate pitfalls and potential side questions. It is essential that you do the work to prepare yourself to lead a Bible discussion.

Make it your own. You need to not only put in the work preparing for the discussion, you also need to make it your own. In other words, if you are using a prepared outline, you need to go through the mental exercise of leading the discussion in your head. Ask yourself why I put in particular questions in particular places. Memorize the outline of the study. Make little additions and deletions of your own. Possibly use different passages in places. Apply the practical questions to yourself. When you go in to lead the Bible discussion it should feel almost as if you had come up with the study yourself.

Make sure you are meeting the needs of both visitors and members. The need to meet the needs of both guests and members was already implied. If the outline you are using tends more to help the mature, be sure to explain carefully things that a neophyte would not easily “get.” Be sure that some of the questions asked are really basic, but also that some of the questions are things that the mature disciple may well never have thought about before. Normally, you will have more than one “practical.” Try to have at least one of these be something that are for those not yet saved, and at least one that would be a challenge for a mature believer.

Keep the purpose of the study in mind as you prepare and as you lead the discussion. It is difficult for me to overemphasize the importance of the leader both having a purpose and keeping it in mind as he or she leads the group. This is why I provide a “purpose” for every one of the outlines. If you design a Bible discussion on your own, you should have a purpose in mind from beginning to end as you prepare and as you lead the group. If there is no purpose to the study, then why are we even having it in the first place? Believe me, if there is no real underlying purpose to the discussion, then both members and guests will be aware of this, even if they could not put into words what was lacking. You do not always have to state the purpose, but at the end of the discussion, insightful participants should be able to tell you what the purpose was without hesitation.

Include an ice-breaker. It is not absolutely essential to have an ice-breaker, but it is very helpful, as it pulls people into the discussion and puts the nervous at ease. The ice-breaker can be a thought-provoking question. It can be a fun activity that draws people in. It should be timely—perhaps using current events. Ideally, the ice-breaker should connect to the study and its purpose, but once in a while something fun that pulls people in which is not directly connected to the study is okay. Be creative. Have fun. Use a variety. In the outlines I provide an ice-breaker question for most and an activity for a few. In some of the outlines there is no suggested ice-breaker because I felt a canned one from me would not be helpful. Besides, my suggested ice-breakers are not as creative as you will hopefully be, as most of them are merely questions. With perhaps some exceptions, most ice-breakers should cause every participant, both members and guests, to do something, whether it is making a comment, doing a physical activity or something else. This requires wisdom, because there will be occasions in which a guest is not ready to take part actively. You need to be aware and adjust, but this will be the exception.

Be thought-provoking. If we are not provoking thought in our Bible discussions, then we are largely wasting the time of those who participate. Both unbelievers and believers ought to go away thinking about the discussion. Most, but not all of the questions in the outlines in this book are open-ended. You should very rarely ask yes or no questions, and a minority of the questions should have obvious answers. Sometimes ambiguity is just what the doctor ordered. It is a good thing to make the mature members have to think deeply. Asking questions without a clear answer is a great idea. Your introduction should be thought-provoking. Your comments should be thought-provoking. The questions should be thought-provoking and your summary and conclusion should be thought-provoking. Jesus gave thought-provoking parables and narratives. You should too.

Include fun facts and interesting little tid bits. Coming up with these fun facts and little tid bits are part of the preparation. They make the Bible studies interesting and pull people in. You will find them scattered through most of my outlines. They can include a little-known historical fact, or a detail about the author of the Scripture you are reading. Sometimes I put a prepared joke into the outlines. Sources of such tid bits include biblical commentaries. You should be willing to use commentaries in creating your outlines. Don’t hesitate to “steal” from others (but you may need, for ethical reasons, to give credit to your source). You can also asked an experienced friend for a fun fact related to your topic.

Use good, timely illustrations. Ask yourself, who is the greatest in human history at coming up with good, timely illustrations. I am sure you know who I am referring to. If it worked for Jesus, it will work for you. I provide illustrations for a number of the outlines, but the ones you come up with yourself will probably be more effective than mine. Besides, I am old and my illustrations tend to be a bit dated. Make sure that the illustrations you use apply directly and clearly to the point to be made. Do not use illustrations, no matter how cool they are, if they do not relate to the purpose and message of the Bible discussion. Using personal examples is a great idea. Be open and vulnerable in sharing illustrations from your life. Using illustrations from the lives of the members and even of the guests is a good idea as well (but you may need to get permission ahead of time). Again, do not be afraid to use illustrations from the internet, friends, or any source you can get your hands on. However, where appropriate, give credit to your source. With some exceptions, do not create the false impression that you came up with an illustration that you borrowed.

Use the comments of both the members and of the guests to move along the discussion. It almost goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, the questions you ask are the heart of any Bible discussion. It is the questions which both get people thinking and which generate the discussion without which, obviously, there is no Bible discussion. It is really important that those participating feel that you are listening to them and including them. The principle way you can do this is to repeat their comments from earlier in the discussion later. “It is like Mandy said in her comment…” “The point that Carlos made earlier leads me to my next point.” Even if you were going to make your own point, if someone said something similar, put your ego aside, and let the participants make the points for you. In your summary at the end, be sure to mention some of the things said by those in the discussion.

Use wisdom about calling on individuals for comment. As a general rule, when you throw out a question, you should take answers from whoever wants to add to the discussion. If someone is dominating, which is a common problem, it is acceptable to bypass that person to take comments from those who have not said much. A repeat offender may even need a gentle reminder outside the meeting to hold back. If there is someone present who make great comments, you might want to favor their comments somewhat. If there is someone who is not adding to the discussion at all, you can consider calling on individuals to make a comment, but do this with caution. It is possible that someone is having a really bad day or is extremely shy. This calls for wisdom and you will improve with experience. Sometimes you will be aware that there is someone in the group who has a great relevant example. That is a good time to call on that person to make a comment.

Let the questions lead the study. This may be the most important of the suggestions I am making here. It is almost impossible to overemphasize the importance of careful design of questions as well as judicious use of those questions to lead the study. In some cases, nearly the entire Bible study can consist of a series of good questions, with the leader making very little comment at all. Always have your questions prepared ahead of time, but be prepared to remove some questions, or add one or two as the situation requires. The outline of the discussion should be very similar to the questions you will be asking. Most (but not all) of the questions should relate directly to the purpose of the study.

Gently lead and train people to stick to what the Scripture is saying, not their opinions. It is your job as leader to make sure that what is being discussed here is the Bible and things that come from the Bible. As God said in Isaiah 55:11, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” To the extent that we stick to the meaning and intent of the scriptures we are using, to that same extent God can use the discussion to change and direct hearts. Both members and guests will make “off the wall” comments that have nothing to do with the scripture being used. Make a steady habit of asking things such as, “What does this particular passage tell us about…”, “What specific points is the author making about (fill in the blank)”, or “What verse did you see that point in?”  When people express their opinion or make comments that have nothing whatsoever to do with the scriptures being discussed, you should gently but firmly guide them to make comments related to the question you are asking and the passage of Scripture being used. “OK, great, but what is the passage saying about that?” My experience tells me that members are nearly as guilty of not using the Scripture as visitors. This is a long-term goal, but the attention you give to helping people let the Bible speak, not their “pastor” or their opinion speak is very important. Simple, gentle, but consistent reminders are required to turn the ocean liner of people speaking their opinion rather than letting the Bible do the speaking.

Have material in the bull pen. It is always good to have material at hand that you will not actually be using unless it comes up in the course of the discussion. We need to be prepared to let the Holy Spirit work in our discussions, and being well-prepared with additional ideas or scriptures is part of how this happens. You should always anticipate the kinds of questions people might ask and be prepared to address those questions, even if you do not plan on going there in your original plan. For a new Bible group leader, this is a big ask, but with experience you will get better at this skill.  You will find a lot of such additional scriptures or side comments in the outlines in this book. It would be fair to say that many of my outlines are too long. Some of the material can be part of what you have in the bull pen. By the way, for those who do not know baseball, the bull pen is where the manager keeps the best relief pitchers for the timely moment in a baseball game.

Be sure that this is a discussion, not a sermon. The Bible discussion group is not an opportunity for the leader to preach a sermon. Actually, it is the perfect opportunity for the leader who chooses to preach, but he or she must suppress this temptation! The meeting has been advertised as a discussion, not a lesson. We must do what we have said, which is to lead a discussion. There is a place for preaching in a Bible discussion, but that place should be used with great discipline. Ideally, the leader will say less than one third of all the words that are spoken during the Bible discussion. A judicious use of preaching is actually a good idea, but, as a rule of thumb, it should be less than ten percent of the total content of the Bible study. There is some place for letting the Holy Spirit move and speak through you. However, the Holy Spirit can also speak through the others present in the room. Also, in most cases the small portion of the Bible study that will be used for preaching should be planned ahead of time.

Talk about issues of those in the group, not those outside the group. A really bad habit of many Christians is to talk about “those people.” Nothing is more common in our Bible discussion groups than to hear things like, “the world says” or “religious people do…” It is your job to keep the discussion focused on the sins of those at the meeting, not those who are not in attendance. With rare exceptions, other religions and other denominations should not be “called out.” It is generally not helpful and often not ethical to name Catholics, Baptists, Mormons or Muslims and what they say or do. If what others say or do is mentioned, the leader is responsible for guiding the group to not shame outside groups. Such comment should be kept general. Besides, we cannot solve the problems of outsiders in our groups, so why would we discuss their problems? This seems like gossip, which is a sin that God is really strong in speaking against.  It calls for wisdom and gentleness on the part of the leader to keep the discussion, again with rare exceptions, to the sins and issues of those in the room.

Make sure that there is a memorable and practical take-away lesson. There is a place for the discussion of theological depth in our Bible discussions. Thought-provoking questions about esoteric ideas are fun and ought to be part of what we discuss as well. Our Bible discussion groups ought not to devolve into bullet-point lists of practicals. However, they should include practicals! Every participant should leave the discussion with something practical to apply to their lives. “What will you do this week?” is a great question. Also, make sure that you attach something memorable to the take-home. Perhaps this will be a pithy phrase you use repeatedly. One of your illustrations may be designed to produce a practical “to do” to take home. Make sure that you know what the practical take-home is going to be ahead of time (although flexibility may be called for sometimes, based on what the Holy Sprit takes from the group). The practical should relate to the purpose of the discussion. Ask yourself these questions: “What is the take-away lesson, and is it related to the purpose of the Bible discussion?”

Have a strong introduction. A good rule of thumb for any time we are trying to teach people is this: Tell them what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you just told them. Our Bible discussions ought to have a short but thought-provoking introduction. Participants should have a pretty good idea of where you are taking them in the discussion. An element of surprise is sometimes good, so rules here may not be helpful, but as a rule, the general outline of what you are doing should be contained in the introduction.  It is helpful but not necessary to use the title of the discussion to help set up your introduction. Your ice-breaker may lead directly to your introduction. You will find in the outlies in this book many suggestions for the introduction.

Have a strong summary and closing. As important as the introduction is, the summary/conclusion is even more important. It is here that you bring the various thoughts presented in the discussion to a logical conclusion. Most of the outlines in this book have a stated summary and conclusion. As mentioned earlier, you should, if possible, use the thoughts as they were expressed by the participants in your summary. The closing is the most appropriate time for you to do just a little bit of preaching. It is helpful to put a cool little saying in there—something memorable. Remind them of the take-away or take-aways. The conclusion should remind participants of what they learned from the Bible as well. When in doubt, give glory to God, not to yourself. The conclusion should include some sort of statement that includes the purpose of the Bible study. It can also include a short scripture you simply read with a short comment. Your conclusion is only going to be one to two minutes long. What do you want people to go away with? This should be your closing comments.

Conclusion

This rather long list of suggestions may be causing you to feel a bit overwhelmed at this point. If you do all of these things, if nothing else, it will be a lot of work and time. It is time to take a deep breath. This book provides you with more than sixty Bible discussion outlines already fully prepared to go, with many of the elements described above already baked into the outlines. Besides, God will help you. Jesus told us that we will be “brought before governors and kings as witnesses” to them. He said, “do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” This is not an invitation for us to go into our Bible groups unprepared, but it is a reminder that as we bring the gospel of God to people, the Holy Spirit will be with us and will help us.  As you use the prepared material, sprinkling in an occasional outline you create yourself, your skill at doing these things will grow. It will become easier over time. You, too, will be a seasoned veteran and you will be a mentor who trains others to take on the inestimably valuable task of leading life-changing Bible discussion groups.