9 Tips For Leading Your First Bible Study and Conquering It

It’s easy to feel scared and overwhelmed when asked to lead a Bible study for the first time. But for some reason, you agree to do it. Now you are feeling overwhelmed and panicked. That’s okay.

I remember when I was first asked to lead a Bible study group. I was scared. I didn’t really know the people who were going to be in the group, and I didn’t know how to relate to them. I mean what if they had questions I couldn’t answer? How could I spiritually pour into a group I barely knew?

But I did it. I survived. And guess what? It was even fun. So, here are some practical tips that I learned that will help you not only lead your first Bible study but conquer it as well.

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1. Follow the Three P’s: Plan, Prepare, Pray

The first tip is to follow the Three P’s. These P’s are to plan, prepare, and pray over your Bible study time. Most of the work that you will do for your Bible study happens here, outside of the group Bible study time. If you follow this tip, then conquering leading a Bible study is a whole lot easier.

Plan

One of the first things you want to do is plan for your Bible study. If you are responsible for choosing a time and location, then you need to start there. Typically, group Bible studies can last anywhere from 60-90 minutes and meet weekly.

So, you’ll want to select a start date and timeframe for your Bible study and stick with it. Consistency and routine are key when it comes to building a habit. And you want to build a Bible study habit with your group.

Another thing that you want to plan for is the environment. Where are you going to meet? Is it going to be at your house? At a church? Or in a common area? You’ll want this area to be comfortable, quiet, and as distraction free as possible.

One time, I led a group at someone else’s house and was fairly comfortable doing that. But it was a house I was familiar with and visited many times before.

Another time, I was part of a Bible study group that would often meet at someone else’s house. There I was more focused on being a better guest than I was on the Bible study.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a Bible study at a house, most of them are. But just be aware that not everyone may feel as comfortable when you are first starting your Bible study. Other great places to consider include:

• Outside: Outside at a park can be a great place to have a Bible study. Though you will need to think about whether, bugs, and the sun.
• Church: A church is another great place to have a Bible study. If your church asked you to lead a Bible study, it’s possible that they will have the schedule and place for you. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t hurt to ask the pastor if you can host a Bible study at the church during the week.
• Coffee Shop: A coffee shop is another common place where people will host a Bible study. It’s neutral setting and relaxing atmosphere can make people and newcomers feel comfortable. Though, the traffic of the coffee shop may be distracting.
• Library: Libraries can have rooms available for public use and make a great place for a Bible study. Though, if you plan on having food or games, I would check with the library first.

Prepare

The second P is to prepare. You will want to spend time in advance of your Bible study meeting looking over any materials or creating a lesson.

If you have been given some materials or curriculum, then use it as a guide. Go ahead and read it, read the passage of Scripture that goes with it. Look at the questions they suggest using. Choose the ones that you find most important to ask.

If you haven’t been given material or curriculum, and you want to use one, then you may want to look online for one. A great place to look for Bible study curriculum for small groups is christianbook.com. They have small group guides for specific books of the Bible, from famous Christian leaders, and more.

You can check out their group Bible studies here.

If you do not want to use a curriculum as a guide, then you will need to select a passage or book of the Bible to work through, come up with your own questions, etc. Using a Bible study method, like the inductive Bible study method, can make this easier.

The inductive Bible study method will walk you through a passage of Scripture and help you discover its original meaning and apply it to your life. If you think that will help you prepare for leading a Bible study, then, you’ll definitely want to check out the article.

If that sounds like too much at the moment, then learn the SOAP Bible study method and how to teach SOAP to others. Then you can choose a passage and work together using the SOAP Bible study method to do a group study.

If you don’t have access or funding to curriculum, then you might want to check out the discovery Bible study. It’s a bible study designed for groups, especially new believers. They provide questions to ask, lessons and more.

Pray

The last of the three P’s is to pray. God is more than able to help you plan, prepare, and conquer a leading a Bible study. So, pray. You are not doing this alone. God is there with you and He will walk with you every step of the way.

He will give you the words to say, the questions to ask, and the love to show. So, bathe your Bible study time, your group members, and yourself in prayer.

2. Read the Bible Passage and Summarize the Study Material During the Bible Study

You’ll want to plan on reading the Bible during your group Bible study time. I know this sounds obvious, but it is a key step. Here’s why.

First, it’s important for people to see you actually read out of God’s word and not just summarize it. Paul writes in Romans,

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

Romans 10:14

God’s word is powerful and active. Reading the Bible aloud during a group Bible study time gives room for the Holy Spirit to work in people’s lives through God’s Word.

The second thing it does is help those who may not have read it before they arrived. This happens often. Life gets busy and some people in your group may not have had time to read the Bible passage or look over the study material before they arrived.

So, it’s always a good idea to read some of the Bible passage and mention the key points of the study material. This helps everyone feel included and will encourage continual attendance and participation no matter how busy their life gets.

3. Ask Short Open Ended Questions

Another thing you will want to do in leading a Bible study is to ask short open ended questions. Most of your work was done prior to the group meeting. During the meeting, you can guide the conversation and give others opportunities to share insights.

You can ask questions to explore a passage’s meaning, relevance, and application. Questions should invite people into dialogue. That means they should require a short response.

The Pew Research Center did a study on why some open ended survey questions result in non answers. They discovered that open ended questions that require a multiple sentence response was more likely to be skipped or not answered.

What does this have to do with leading a Bible study? Well, it shows that the best type of questions to ask that will start a discussion are short open ended questions that require only a phrase or single word response.

By asking a question that requires a short response those who are less likely to talk in group discussions, may be more willing to do than if they had to answer a larger question.

Also, if you want to include everyone in your group you can focus on asking your one word response questions to introverts.

Long story short, the best questions to ask to foster and encourage group discussion are open ended questions that can be answered in a phrase or single word.

4. Promote Respect and Peace

The fourth tip for leading and conquering a Bible study is to promote respect and peace. Any time you get a group of people together there is going to be different opinions.

Just think about how hard it is to decide where to eat with your family sometimes?

You get a group of people together to study the Bible and ask sometimes personal questions, you are going to get a variety of answers. Some you agree with and others you don’t. Some opinions or interpretations may be controversial.

Not only will a group bring different opinions and interpretations, but will also bring different levels of Bible knowledge and understanding. So, it’s important to create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome, valued, and free to express their opinions.

You do this by valuing respect and peace. Go ahead and explain different interpretations of a passage if there are different opinions about it. It also helps to have background knowledge on the topic and passage to bring the focus back to the questions without diving to far into a hot topic debate.

Another valuable thing would be to emphasize unity of faith and core beliefs that unite all Christians.

5. Be Flexible

Leading a Bible study requires flexibility. No, you don’t have to do the splits. But you do need to be willing to bend your plan to fit the needs of your group in the moment.

Chances are that the Bible study is not going to go how you picture it in your head. That’s okay. As a group leader you are called to be flexible and patient.

Perhaps, the Holy Spirit is leading the discussion to a different topic than what was planned. You can be flexible and put what you prepared on hold for a little bit to see if this conversation thread meets the more immediate needs of your group.

That said, you don’t want to consistently fail to do the study you came to do. To discern what is best, you ought to pray and lean on the Holy Spirit. He guide you to the right thing.

Other times, you may not get to all that you wanted done. Again, that’s okay. Look to see if you planned to much and make adjustments for the next time you meet.

Leading a Bible study is more about bonding with each other and with God than it is getting through a set number of questions or a complete lesson. God doesn’t require a complete lesson to speak to people. And you can always pick up where you left of the next time.

6. Embrace Silence

Silence is golden. Or so the saying goes. Silence can be beneficial in leading a Bible study time. Not only can it be used to foster participation, but it can be a time of quiet reflection and prayer.

If you ask a question and nobody is answering it immediately. That’s okay. Let it sit there in silence for a little bit. Sometimes people have to think and process the question before they offer an answer. So, let the question marinate in their minds for a while.

Here is something to remember. Silence will always feel longer to you than it really is. So use silence as a tool to encourage participation. That said, don’t sit in silence forever. After a little while you can tell if anyone will answer the question, if not then rephrase it and ask again.

You can also use silence to encourage personal and private reflection and prayer. A group Bible study is a time to not only grow closer together as a group, but grow closer to God as well. So, have time of quiet reflection and prayer at the end to foster a sense of connection to God.

7. Have Snacks and/or Refreshments Available

Who doesn’t love snacks? Snacks and refreshments are a great way to help people feel more comfortable in your group. So, consider bringing simple snacks and drinks, especially when you all are first starting to meet.

Recent studies have shown that social eating leads to social bonding. In other words, people who eat together are closer than people who don’t eat together.

So, having food and/or drinks available at your Bible study gatherings will help form a closer connection and bond between your group members.

In the same study, 76.4% of respondents said that sharing a meal was a good way to bring people closer together.

These studies show that food, literally, brings people together. And they confirm what the Bible says about eating together.

Jesus was a big proponent of sharing meals with others. For Him it was a time to deepen relationships, welcome new faces, and serve the poor. Many his miracles revolved around food. There is turning water into wine, feeding of the 5000, feeding of the 4000, etc.

What Jesus did through meals, deepening relationships and welcoming new faces, is exactly what we want when we are leading a Bible study, and food is a great help in making that happen.

8. Respect the Time

People say that time is money. They say that because time is valuable. Everyone of us has 24 hours in a day. Our free time is far and few between. And having a Bible study is a great way to spend that time.

According to a recent study, on average the optimal amount of free time for an increased sense of well-being is between 2-3 hours a day.

So, when leading a Bible study we need to be respectful of other people’s time. That means you should start on time and finish on time. If people want to hang out and talk more later that may be fine. But it is important that we value other people’s time.

9. Include a Fun Activity That Involves Laughter

Having a fun activity to do after you Bible study time can foster deeper relationships with your group. The author of Proverbs writes,

A cheerful heart is good medicine…

Proverbs 17:22

This after activity can be as a fellow Christian described it, “a help to throw off the ‘chore’ feel that can sometimes comes with studying the Bible.”

The following chart is from a previously mentioned study that how social eating leads to social bonding. This chart lists several factors that influenced the increased sense of feeling closer to a dinner companion.

Variable	Percentage
Laughter	67.9%
Jokes	22.3%
Reminiscences	51.5%
Party Games	4.2%
Chocolate	12.8%

As this chart shows, laughter is a key factor in bonding over a meal. Laughing together brings people together. So, find an activity that is fun and enjoyable that people can bond over. Some examples include:

• Board Games
• Card Games
• Party Games
• Movie Night
• Outdoor Activities
• Crafting or Art Activities
• Themed Parties
• Ice Cream Socials
• etc.

Spending time together not only studying the Bible, but just enjoying each others company is a great way to build relationships within your group. Biblical discipleship happens in relationship. You will be a more effective Bible study leader when you invest relationally into the lives of those in your group.

Bonus Tip: Pray. Pray. Pray.

This bonus tip is vital to conquering leading a Bible study. Pray. Pray. Pray. Pray before. Pray during. Pray after. There is a verse I often turn to when I reflect on the responsibility of teaching or leading a Bible study. It’s 1 Corinthians 3:6-7.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Paul

This verse does two things for me. One, it keeps me humble. No matter how hard I prepare or how much I think I know success comes from God working through me. Second, it encourages me. When I mess up or things don’t go like I think they should, I’m reminded God can still work. God still works.