March 2015, excerpt from "Leading a Bible Study". Revised slightly August 2023.

This is for after you have chosen a Bible study for a group and after you have prepared for your Bible study get-together.

Find ideas for Preparing for a Bible Study here.

This is just a step-by-step simple guide. If you have been doing this a long time, you probably have already stepped into a routine, but I have a lot of women's leaders who have never led a Bible study before, so these are basics spelled out for those who need the help.

Leading a Bible Study

• Be welcoming.
• Smile.
• Greet everyone by name.
• Make sure you introduce yourself to the new ones in the group.
• Introduce new ones to the entire group. Don’t make them stand to recognize them. Most newcomers don’t want attention drawn to them. Respect that.
• As everyone arrives, make sure they know where restrooms are and where to get water or coffee.
• If you do any announcements, make them short and sweet. Don't rehash the announcements in your church bulletin. Just give those announcements concerning your Bible study group. Don't take up your Bible study time for general church announcements.
• Start on time.
• If you begin at 6 p.m., then encourage everyone to be there and in their seats at 6 p.m. as that is when you will begin the study each time.
• Be consistent about starting on time.
• Don’t wait on anyone.
• Encourage everyone to bring their Bibles and not just their study guides to the Bible studies. You can also encourage them to use a Bible app on their phone if they would rather not carry their Bible. Just encourage them to follow along!
• Pray before you begin.
• Pray for guidance as a leader.
• Pray the Lord would open up the hearts of women to receive God's Word.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would fall on the meeting to lead and to guide.
• Have everyone open up to the passage and read through that before you begin any discussion.
• Some may have read it beforehand but not everyone.
• Also, it keeps the passage fresh in everyone’s mind.
• Ask ahead of time for a couple of your ladies to help those find passages in their Bible who need help.
• If you have any media/audio, now is the time to play it.
• After reading your Bible passages (and/or playing your media/audio), start going through the discussion questions one at a time.
• Give everyone ample time to give input.
• Listen attentively to the answers and discussion.
• Respond to people's input.
• Don’t be afraid to correct someone who gives an incorrect interpretation or injects something contrary to Scripture, but do it gently.
• Use phrases like, “Thanks for your contribution, but we can't forget that the Bible says----------fill in the needed information to make your case.
• Do any Biblical correcting graciously.
• Keep everyone on track.
• You may have to wrangle long winded women by interjecting an “I’m sorry to interrupt your thoughts but we have several more points to cover tonight…”.
• The other ladies will thank you!
• Everyone’s time is valuable.
• Don’t allow it to be wasted.
• Encourage participation but don’t point out people to speak up that don’t have any desire to speak in public even in a small group meeting.
• Allow them to speak up on their own.
• You can encourage them by your gentleness, listening skills, and kindness.
• Keep the conversation on topic.
• Give time after the study to chat about husbands, kids, health, and shopping, and all those other things we ladies like to chatter about, but don't use study time for it.
• If you don’t know the answer to something, admit it.
  • Offer to seek out the answer before the next meeting time.
  • Don't be ashamed for not knowing the entire Bible and what it means. It's overwhelming for anyone, even great scholars!
• Watch your clock.
• When you see you only have 10-15 minutes left, start winding it down and drawing it to a conclusion.
• Reiterate the challenge or main focus of the lesson.
• Don't keep pushing just to get a few more points in. Just pick it up next time.
• Close in prayer.

Copyright ©2015, Revised ©2023 Julia Bettencourt

Note: When the group is small enough, I love Bible studies where everyone sits around a table. I have found that the ladies' groups I have worked with pay more attention when they are seated at a table. It gives them a place to set their Bible, a place to set a cup of coffee, and a place to take any notes.

It’s nice to meet in homes and have comfy seats, but sometimes it is easy to get too comfortable and not pay attention.

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