How to train Bible study leaders: Ten Ideas for Training

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In this article, we are focusing on leading a Bible study, but training in the biblical sense always involves the whole of the Christian life. That is, training is a 'total package' of mind and action. We can never just train people in skills without worrying about their godliness of life, because the minister of the gospel must live consistently with his message. He must avoid hypocrisy and be an example to those he teaches, thus demonstrating that he has truly understood the gospel message (Tit 1:1; 1 Tim 4:11-12).

We need to keep talking with our trainees about our obedience to the Bible, our struggles with sin, our family life, our work life, our relationships, issues of guidance, our Bible reading and prayer life, our struggles with anger, with sexual immorality, with materialism and so on. We mustn't just ask about their progress but should share with them our progress, and our struggles and failures.

Given that there is this 'total package', here are some ideas on training in the skill of leading a Bible study:

1. Trainees learn from your example - unfortunately, whether it is good or bad. Keep sharing your life and ministry with your trainee; keep talking about the group, your perceptions, your visions, your dreams, your goals, your frustrations and so on. Timothy knew all about Paul's teaching, his way of life, his purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions and sufferings - Paul must have shared it all with him (2 Tim 3:10-11 cf. 1 Thes 2:8).

2. Skills are learned by observation and experience, not in a classroom. Therefore, Bible study groups are an ideal context for training people how to teach the Bible. Trainees can observe others doing it and have guided experience themselves.

3. Talk Bible and theology with your trainee. You might meet together and prepare the sermon passage each week for a while, or you might discuss issues coming out of the sermons. You could discuss how to answer questions that have come up in the Bible study group. You might talk together about Bible verses that you have been thinking about.

You can also raise theological ideas like "Why do we go to church?" or "Why do we have Bible study groups?" or "What do you think of the 'signs and wonders' ministry some churches are practising?" or "What is baptism about in the New Testament?". The list is endless - it doesn't really matter in one sense what you talk about, but keep talking about the Bible and theological ideas to push each other on. You don't have to be many steps ahead of your trainee, and talking together will help you both grow. It also allows you to pick up any areas of misunderstanding that they might have.

4. Encourage the trainee to observe and report on the dynamics of the group. Help your trainee to see the roles that people play in groups: the onlooker, the monopoliser, the wise-cracker, the belittler, the manipulator, the hitch-hiker, the bleeder, the sulker and so on. Talk about how to handle the different people and roles in the group, and how to build relationships, cohesion and participation in the discussion.

5. Show your trainee how to prepare a Bible study. There are two steps.

The first is the preparation of the passage. Here is a simple way of preparing a bible study passage:

• FIRST READING: look for overall impressions and general observations from the passage


• SECOND READING: list detailed observations and questions that come to mind as you read through the passage verse by verse


• THIRD READING: patterns and summaries. Look for repetitions, for patterns in the events or logical connections in the ideas, summarizing your observations thus far.


• FOURTH READING: themes. Look for the major truths, themes and ideas of the passage.


• FIFTH READING: other resources. So far,  you have only used the Bible - now look at Bible dictionaries and commentaries to answer some of the difficult questions.


• SIXTH READING: application. Read the passage again, thinking about how the main themes should be applied to the group.

The second step in preparing a Bible study is packaging - that is, working out the process of teaching. We will assume that the method of communication is a group discussion:

• You need to work out the goal of the discussion. What is the main truth and application you want to communicate?


• Discussion questions. There are four basic categories of questions: launching questions, observation questions, interpretation questions and application questions.The overall aim is for the group members to come to the same discoveries as yourself.

Launching questions arouse interest and get minds thinking about the main truth that you want to communicate. Observation questions help the group to become familiar with the content of the text. Interpretation questions tease out the meaning of the text by solving difficulties and isolating the major themes and logical connections. Application questions, obviously enough, bring the rubber into close contact with the road.

Remember: Never tell the group what they can work out for themselves.

6. Encourage your trainee to analyse your study and discussion. Did you arouse interest in the topic? Did you achieve your goals? What questions worked or didn't work? Why? Why not? How did you use the group members' contributions?

7. Teach group maintenance. 'Group maintenance' means maintaining the relationships within the group. Often the discussion leader cannot be aware of all that is going on in the group and still keep on top of the discussion. Other group members (especially your trainee) can help out. They can observe that someone has been cut off by another member; or that someone wants to contribute but is a little reticent. They can ask a clarifying question or make a clarifying statement to help the discussion along.

Encourage your trainee to take an active part in 'group maintenance'. Not only will it help the whole group, but it wil give the trainee a feel for how groups work. It will help him or her to focus on serving the other members of the group.

8. Let the trainee prepare and lead a discussion. Prepare the passage together. Then, after the trainee has led the discussion, review it together. Repeat the process as many times as possible, preparing together, then leading and reviewing. Identify different areas to work on each time.

9. There are many other resources to use in training leaders. There are training courses in personal evangelism, follow-up and investigative Bible studies. There is an abundance of books and resources that can be used as the basis for learning together, including Growth Groups by Colin Marshall.

10. Some DOs and DON'Ts

• DON'T be hyper-critical of their efforts. Trainee leaders are usually nervous and need encouragement. It is best to comment on the things that went well and mention one or two areas for improvement.


• DON'T take over the group. At first, the group will look to you to lead. Keep in the background. When someone is learning to lead, never belittle or criticize them publicly.


• DO commend them privately for their progress - what they have learnt and what they are doing well. We must be honest in giving feedback. People need to know that we will tell them the truth - both the good and the bad. Feedback can be terribly manipulative if we are not honest.


• DO be aware of your own biases and prejudices. You may have been leading Bible studies for ten years and have your own cherished techniques worked out, but your trainee may come up with better methods and do a better job. Encourage your trainee to be independent and to use initiative.


• DO see people as ends, not means. We must remember that our trainee is not simply a means to increased effectiveness - he or she is a person. We must not see them simply as potential leaders - we must be interested in the totality of their lives.


• DO pray together about your own lives and the progress of the group.

All of these principles will help you to begin training Bible study leaders for the future. We have also developed Growth Groups, a training course that specifically focuses on how to lead small groups well. Whether you have been leading groups for years, or are just starting out, this resource will help you to lead better, which then helps the people in your group to understand God better and grow in their faith.

Co-written with Colin Marshall
Originally published in The Briefing Issue #16, December 1990