DOING BIBLE STUDY LIKE WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT….OR IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?

One of the privileges for fathers and a rite of passage to every teenage boy is the first time that they shave.  I remember distinctly teaching my two sons, Ben and, later, Jacob how to shave using a razor. (I had pictures of both experiences that I wanted to post with this article but, evidently, they confiscated them and destroyed them). It was a momentous day when they went to choose their razor, blades, shaving cream, and after shave lotion.

I remember distinctly giving careful instructions to Jacob as to how to lather up his face.  He was like Picasso with the shaving cream.  He carefully massaged the cream in circular motions as I had instructed.  He had applied it perfectly.  Then he took some on his fingertip and dabbed a little on each ear lobe.

I asked Jacob, “Why did you that?  You won’t be shaving your ears.” 

He replied, “When I watch you shave, you always put some on your ear lobes.  So I did too.”

I went on to explain that I only have it on my ear lobes because I apply the shaving cream in a rush and I always seem to brush some on the ear lobes in my hurry, but there’s no good reason for having on them.

This caused me to think about how traditions come into being.  Someone, at sometime, began doing something that they watched somebody else doing and they thought that was the way it was supposed to be done.

It’s like the story about a grandmother who went to her granddaughter’s house for Christmas for the first time.  Her granddaughter was very excited to show her grandmother all the cooking skills she had observed from her own mom.  The grandmother watched her granddaughter get the massive ham out of the refrigerator and begin to prepare it for cooking.  Right before she put the ham in the oven, the she watched her granddaughter cut the ends off the ham.  She cried out, “What are you doing? That’s perfectly good meat!”

The startled granddaughter nearly drops the sharp knife but composed herself and answered, “Why, mom showed me to do this with all my hams I cook.  She said you taught her to do that.

The grandmother started chuckling and explained, “Sweetheart, the only reason I cut off the ends of my hams was because that was the only way to get it in my tiny oven.”

You can say the same for Bible study.  For years, our approach for Sunday mornings was to expect the class members to have read their personal study guide the previous week. The personal study guide was really little more than a layman’s commentary of the passage to be studied. Then on Sunday morning, everyone was prepared to participate in the discussion and study of the lesson for the day.  There’s nothing wrong with that approach …. but it is not the only way to approach this hour.

INTRODUCING THE DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDE FOR EXPLORE THE BIBLE

This fall LifeWay Christian Resources will introduce a second option a Bible study class that is using the excellent Bible study curriculum called Explore the Bible.  It is called the Daily Discipleship Guide (DDG).

The DDG will be different in these three ways:

1.       Aligns Daily Bible Study with Group Experience

Instead of studying beforehand, participants attend the group, learn the content, and then they will build upon what they learned using five daily, directed Bible studies in the week following.

2.       Guest Friendly

Everyone who comes to the group starts on the same page. So guests, and even participants who've been absent for a while, can feel like they're tracking right along with everyone else.

3.       Great for Discipleship Groups

Using the new “Talk It Out” section, groups that meet weekly in triads or quads for deeper discipleship will love the opportunity to share how they plan to apply the biblical truths that they discovered through their individual study. The “Talk It Out” section encourages members to meet together later in the week and gives them questions to discuss based on the previous study.

This second option for Bible study will appear in your Fall curriculum ordering form that will be due sometime in June.  Please go to the Explore the Bible website (http://www.lifeway.com/n/Explore-The-Bible/Daily-Discipleship-Guide) and check into this new option to see if it would a fit for your adult classes.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP: “Seven Trends in Worship Service Times” by Dr. Thom Rainer - http://www.lifeway.com/pastors/2017/05/01/seven-trends-worship-service-times/

FOR CHURCH & COMMUNITY – DevoHub, providing daily devotional material directly to your smart phone or tablet - http://devohub.com/

FOR LEADER TRAINING: Sunday School Matters by Alan Taylor, 12 sessions to build, expand and maintain a healthy Sunday School ministry - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sunday-school-matters-leader-kit-P005792826

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Insanely Busy by Bryan Lorrits,  a 4 session study dealing with the tyranny of the urgent, on www.smallgroup.com

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Fault by Dr. James Merritt, a 5 session study on healing relationships, via www.smallgroup.com

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples Path: The Journey – all four volumes are now available! Relational, Intentional, Progressive, Comprehensive: http://buff.ly/2fWPk2b

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Transformed Lives: Taking Your Women’s Ministry to the Next Level by Chris Adams - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/transformed-lives-revised-and-expanded-P005371579?intcmp=LWB-WM-transformedlives

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event -  http://buff.ly/2jvnImd

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Sleeping Giant by Kenny Luck, steps toward beginning a men’s ministry that transforms men - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sleeping-giant-leader-kit-P005469852

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Unfolded by Dr. Eric Geiger - http://buff.ly/2hGyO9w 

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home) Conference, October 16-18, Register Now: http://buff.ly/2nw9Wpc

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: The LIFT Tour for developing student leaders - http://www.slulead.com/lift-tour

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Youth Pastor Summit registration is now open - http://www.slulead.com/youth-pastor-summit

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Student Pastor Network, connect with Student Pastors around the country without leaving your office AND get $200 worth of 'stuff'. http://buff.ly/2lksLHS

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 5 Principles for Inviting Children to Jesus in a Shifting Culture -  http://buff.ly/2pa5TwB

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Ministering to the Special Needs of Parents of Special Needs Children -  http://buff.ly/2pTfvPk

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home) Conference, October 16-18, Register Now: http://buff.ly/2nw9Wpc

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 Podcasts -  http://buff.ly/2kPNDFV

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 magazine, sign up for this free resource - http://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/kids-ministry-101-magazine-signup/

HELP YOUR CLASS MEMBERS STUDY THE BIBLE FOR THEMSELVES

The largest research project ever conducted on effective discipleship practices revealed that healthy churches teach people to connect to God’s Word, both on an individual basis as well as in community. But that connection doesn’t just happen.  It requires an intentional plan and provision of resources.  It also requires a consistency of purpose.  Finally, it requires time in God’s Word.

So how can you help your members learn to connect to God’s Word?

By training them on how to use a Personal Study Guide!

Why Personal Study Guides are important to a person’s discipleship development:

1.       THEY REMOVE BARRIERS.  When you hand someone a Personal Study Guide, you remove his/her biggest obstacle in connecting with the Bible – confidence.  Essentially, you equip long term members to become active participants and you tell new visitors, “We want you back. You belong here.”

2.       THEY ARE A TOOL.  Learning to connect to God’s Word doesn’t happen overnight. It takes intentionality and commitment. The Personal  Study Guide provides guidance and commentary to help an individual understand what they’re reading in a format that is easy to follow.

3.       THEY INCREASE A PERSON'S EXPOSURE TO THE WORD.  Exposure to God’s Word transforms a disciple’s life.  Giving someone a Personal Study Guide communicates that personal Bible reading and study is essential for spiritual growth and it provides them with a practical guide to approach their person Bible study time.

4.       THEY CAN ADD TO DEEPER DISCUSSION.  The Personal Study Guide expose an individual to questions that promote understanding and application throughout the week. Giving an individual time to digest the Scripture on their own leads to deeper discussion when the group meets weekly.

5.       THEY CREATE A STRONGER COMMUNITY CONNECTION. Through repeated exposure to the Word and to deeper group discussion, Personal Study Guide also helps deepen the investment an individual makes to their group and to their church.  As a result, the people in your groups become some of your most engaged church members.

6.       THEY DEVELOP LEADERS.  Every group has people who are already well equipped to lead, but may not believe it yet.  These guides demystify the process of preparing and leading the group conversation, giving the group member the confidence they need to take the next step toward becoming a group leader.

Ways to encourage a member’s use of the Personal Study Guide.

1.       Ask a member to be prepared to share a summation of a section of the study material.

2.       Email/Message/Facebook class members about their response to a particular quote on a page.

3.       Break class into small groups to compare responses to an assigned part of the study.

4.       Encourage use of the application questions in small groups during the class session.

5.       Encourage recording prayer requests in Personal Study Guide margins.

6.       Refer to some of the study questions throughout your teaching presentation.

7.       Ask a member to be prepared to present a report on a doctrine, person, or event that is in the Personal Study Guide.

8.       Tweet a quote (with page number) from the study to your class members.

9.       Encourage members to frequent the blogs on the curriculum’s website.

10.   Remind the class members of their responsibility in the discipling process.

11.   Have class members create accountability partners who will check on each other’s personal preparation for the upcoming Bible study through phone calls, social media, and email.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH & COMMUNITY – DevoHub, providing daily devotional material directly to your smart phone or tablet - http://devohub.com/

FOR LEADER TRAINING: Sunday School Matters by Alan Taylor, 12 sessions to build, expand and maintain a healthy Sunday School ministry - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sunday-school-matters-leader-kit-P005792826

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Think Differently by James McDonald - http://buff.ly/2nIbKaO

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples Path: The Journey, Volumes 1, 2, & 3 are now available! Relational, Intentional, Progressive, Comprehensive: http://buff.ly/2fWPk2b

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Foundations for Adults, a 260 Day Bible reading plan - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/foundations-P005769893?intcmp=FoundationsSearch-MTX-Foundations-20170103

FOR FAMILY MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home) Conference, October 16-18, Register Now: http://buff.ly/2nw9Wpc

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Priscilla Shirer Simulcast, April 8, 2017 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Priscilla-Shirer-Live-Simulcast?type=events&ecid=PDM15267&bid=594041255

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Transformed Lives: Taking Your Women’s Ministry to the Next Level by Chris Adams - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/transformed-lives-revised-and-expanded-P005371579?intcmp=LWB-WM-transformedlives

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event -  http://buff.ly/2jvnImd

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Sleeping Giant by Kenny Luck, steps toward beginning a men’s ministry that transforms men - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sleeping-giant-leader-kit-P005469852

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Unfolded by Dr. Eric Geiger - http://buff.ly/2hGyO9w 

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Two Ways to Help Parents See the Importance of Summer Camps - http://buff.ly/2lrFIhG

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Foundations for Students, a 260 Day Bible reading plan - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/foundations-teen-devotional-P005791600

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Summer camp options for students - http://buff.ly/2l9tXgo

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: The LIFT Tour for developing student leaders - http://www.slulead.com/lift-tour

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Youth Pastor Summit registration is now open - http://www.slulead.com/youth-pastor-summit

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Student Pastor Network, connect with Student Pastors around the country without leaving your office AND get $200 worth of 'stuff'. http://buff.ly/2lksLHS

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Free Webinar on using Explore the Bible for Kids, April 6; Register here - http://buff.ly/2oCtrZL

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Five Mistakes Preschool Ministry Leaders Make - http://buff.ly/2okqM7D

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 Podcasts -  http://buff.ly/2kPNDFV

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 magazine, sign up for this free resource - http://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/kids-ministry-101-magazine-signup/

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Summer Options for your kids ministry - http://buff.ly/2hByVAl