For the past several months God has been increasing my discomfort with the Bible โstudiesโ weโve been doing at our church.
I’ve come face to face with the fact that I’m tired of Bible study books…
Like many of you, our womenโs ministry holds weekly Bible study meetings one morning most weeks.
For the past several years weโve used Bible study books as our curriculum. Iโve shared about several of the book studies weโve used.
I was okay with it for a little while. There are a lot of life-changing great Bible study books out there.
But after spending almost the last 3 years (and 2 summers) working through book after book (albeit at 2 different churches) and listening to other authors share what THEY think a verse or section of scripture means, Iโm kind of (okay a lot) tired of listening to other famous peopleโs opinions about the Bible.
Before you begin to think Iโm a know-it-all, Iโm not. Really. I don’t a have seminary degree. I can’t even recall if I took a class on the Bible in college.
Iโve tried to read the Bible all the way through, but have yet to do so.ย Iโm armed with some good Bible study resources and the Holy Spirit, but please donโt ask me to explain a passage of scripture to you without some serious prep time.
I find Iโm wanting more meat โ aka actual scripture verses โ than a lot of book studies contain. While personal anecdotes from an author can at times be helpful, Iโm kind of burnt out on themโฆ anybody else?
Yaโall –the Bible is filled with stories put there by God Himself to illustrate Truths in His Word.
Does this strike anyone else as kind of odd?
What is holding us back from picking up the Bible and studying it?
I get that many of us, myself included, donโt feel smart enough.
We want someone to coach us along. To hold our hand as we dig into Godโs Word.
Girls! Weโve got the Holy Spirit! There is no better coach anywhere!
When we spend more time in Bible study books reading rather than opening the Bible, there is a problem!
Maybe itโs the four years I spent in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) thatโs creating some of this discontent. For those 4 years it was me, my Bible, and a list of questions. First we read and discovered things on our own, and only after that did we get a verse-by-verse lesson from our teacher and teaching notes from BSF International (much like what youโd find in any good commentary).
Iโm wondering if other women in our church and community feel the same way.
Are they tired of being spoon-fed?
Are they longing for some meat?
Has God given them a hunger for His Word?
Itโs time we stop unintentionally fueling the belief that our women are not capable of studying the Word without a well-known author at the helm.
I canโt help but to wonder what Jesus thinks of all of us. Does He sit there sighing, shaking His head, and musing, โGirls, I gave you the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Youโve got all you need.โ
Does He get angry that weโre allowing a few wolves in sheepโs clothing to misconstrue His Word?
Iโm not saying we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Iโve been praying about what to do.
Iโve sought wise counsel. Iโve been reading His Word, seeking confirmation.
This fall, if our Bible Study Review Team agrees, Iโll be facilitating a group that will be reading through one book of the Bible. (I donโt know which one yet.) On a side note: We almost always offer two โstudiesโ so those wanting a โBible study bookโ will still have that option.
NOTE: Here’s what happened and how we did it!
Weโre going to rely on the Holy Spirit and our Bibles.
My initial plan is that each week weโll read through a chapter. Weโll look at the context and share what weโve learned about God.
Yaโall I am nervous as all get-out about this!
Iโve never done anything like it. Ever.
I feel completely unqualified. But thatโs okay. Iโm stepping out in faith and seeking to be obedient.
Iโm praying other women in our group will desire the same and that someone (anyone?) will show up. Iโm keeping my doubts and fears at bay, most days.
Iโm not saying Iโll never pick up another Bible study book again. I know I will. Iโve grown and gained from most Iโve done.
I just know in this season, God wants me in His Word with the Holy Spirit as my helpmate.
Maybe you can relate.
Iโd be humbled and honored if youโd pray for me and the women in our church and community as we deviate from what has become the norm in recent years.
Iโd love to hear if Godโs calling you to do something different this fall! Letโs be obedient together!
You may also want to read:
Teaching Women to READ the Bible
The READ Bible Study Workbook
How to Set Up and Facilitate a Bible Study Review Team
5 Myths Bible Study Leaders Believe
My Favorite Bible Study Resources
6ย Questions Your Women Will Have About the First Day of Bible Study
One year ago: 15 Creative Ways to Giveaway Door Prizes
Two years ago: The Sonshine Box
Three years ago: Why Name Tags are Important
While I have to agree that we don’t always have to use a study guide or someone else’s book to study Scripture, it is important that whoever teaches it has studied themselves and understands how the Scriptures should be studied especially knowing the proper context, the history etc and knows not to take verses out of its context to teach something the verse isnt teaching. Saying we don’t need a guide, only the Holy Spirit, I think is misleading. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to discern what is good or bad teaching but saying we don’t have to look to any other Christian or their studies is a little troubling. The eunuch from Ethiopia needed Peter to explain Scripture to him and I believe the Holy Spirit enabled Peter to be in the right place at the right time. The church is to edify and support and help each other learn. Sometimes we as fallible humans will mistake a teaching as being from the Holy Spirit and go down a wrong path. I would agree we should not be spoonfed everything and be encouraged to find things out for ourselves.
Hi Barbara, so glad you commented. I did not mean to be misleading.
If you look at my inductive-style READ Bible study resources you’ll see that after spending time with the Holy Spirit, following cross-references, and reading in another translation, the next step is to use solid commentaries to understand the cultural and historical details we might miss. Those biblical scholars have spent years and years in training and studying things we may miss on our own or may never know to consider. Hopefully the Bible study author your group is using has had biblical training and is using sound commentaries to support what they have written.
Rather than reading what someone else learned, we can teach women to learn it for themselves. As leaders we can recommend good commentaries to help our women dig deep on their own. While we can certainly learn from Bible study authors and our pastors, we are capable and have the resources to study God’s Word on our own.
I hope that better explains the purpose behind this post. ๐
It is so, so easy to โjustโ read your Bible! My husband and I have read through the Bible about 7 times in the past 10 years. If Iโm reading through the Bible with a group we just read through the same Scriptures each week and share with each other what we learned. Thatโs it
Thank you for your comments, Camillyn. ๐ I’m so glad you find it easy to read through the Bible. Many people find it intimidating and some find it boring.
Thank you for this article which touches my heart. I can relate to this issue. Iโve grown very tired & discouraged over many womenโs Bible studies (and unfortunately I use the words bible studies loosely.) Questions asked without scripture to back anything up, wanting women to dig up their past/etc. I truly believe many of these types of books can be dangerous. I too want meatโฆnot fluff & stuffโฆbut Godโs word. We have the Holy Spirit, letโs not quench the Spirit, letโs not have spiritual starvation when we have Godโs truth to draw from. There are topical books Iโm not against but I believe most Christian women want something different that will help us grow & disciple. Thank you. God Bless.
Joann, thank you for your comments. Such great points.
Iโm dealing with the exact situation. However, Iโve never felt comfortable or satisfied with bible study literature. Gods word give us everything we need for a godly life. Heโs gave me this hunger to know HIM and seek him. Bible study literature restricts that by asking us basic questions not allowing us to really dig in and get the meat we are all longing for. I want to know all of him intimately. God gave us his spirit for a reason. Let him guide you and teach you what HE wants you to know.
Chelsa, thank you for sharing. I pray the women in your church will see the value and importance of digging into God’s Word. <3
Agree 100%!
I donโt know how many times women have told me they waited till the last minute to read the chapter in their book, like right before our meeting.
We are doing bible study this go around!
Victoria, thank you for your comment. Praying your women develop a greater love and hunger for the Word of God! <3
Thank you for this! Just what I needed. I did โsmall groupโ for years. Of course after Covid changed it all. Iโve had opportunities to do โsmall groupโ again but just didnโt feel in my heart I wanted to. I felt bad about it but just couldnโt. I felt it was more โsocialโ and what was โon the menuโ for food each time. I moved and it took longer for me to get home which meant a little time away from my family . I felt like I couldnโt answer 1/2 the questions the right way or anyway because it was asking what I thought. I definitely feel better about my choice after reading this. It makes so much sense. Not that I will never to a small group or Bible study again but I will be putting more time into reading the actual Bible and learning through that. Thank you.
I am as you, tired of rote studies without meat. Or questions about how I feel about something. How I feel is not relevant to the word of God. I am tired of the constant personal problems women talk about at Bible study instead of Bible study.
Lisa, thank you so much for sharing. Leaders need to hear this type of feedback. <3
I had to quit my Women ‘s Discipleship Group at my home church because they went to bible study app for there bible studies called right now media app .And I was not getting feed the app does not work right .so i went to another church online and i go to a couple of the egroups where they talk about sermon and they have sermon discussions questions each week is that wrong to have an app of diffrent bible studies that do not work .and i love the sermon discussions any way please let me know
Hello Cyndee,
Thank you for this article. I have recently left my women’s study and I’m heartbroken because of what you described. We depend on workbooks every study and; unfortunately, I am not getting anything out of it. The leader says something like this: “someone read paragraph so and so on page 18.” 99% of our study is made up of different women assigned reading paragraphs like this from the workbook and maybe a passage or two from Scripture with no real depth of study. I could no longer continue. I want to study God’s Word, not what someone else says. I don’t want to hurt the leader’s feelings because she is a special and dear friend, however, she has made false statements about some passages of Scripture which is due to the fact that she does not seem to do any digging or research and when some ladies, especially new women ask where to find her statements in Scripture, she says she doesn’t know and moves on.
Oh, Terry… I am so sorry… thank you for sharing your experience. I pray it will help other leaders to see the need for deep, Bible-based studies. Could you confidentially share your concerns with the women’s ministry director?
I found doing homiletics in BSF along with my lesson was the tool I needed to be able to transition into teaching my own classes at church with out curriculum or study books๐
Charlotte, homiletics is a great tool! So glad you learned it in BSF too.
I could not have read this at a better time! I totally agree! Iโve had all of these thoughts lately. A group of ladies keep asking me what bible study i want to do and Iโve struggled with the words on how to explain that I donโt prefer bible studies written out and interpreted by someone else. I donโt want to hurt their feelings or discourage them but yes maโam I hear ya!
Crystal, praying your group of women will be open to digging into God’s Word, if only for a season.
Cyndee – Thank you! I greatly appreciate you taking the time to get an answer and share your experience as well. I will be emailing you with some other women’s ministry/bible study questions. I was very encouraged by your discernment post….it was as if you read my mind!!
Cyndee, Thank you for your response. Have you heard they do not allow pastors to attend? Iโve been doing some research about the organization & have been told this is the case.
Hey Misti, I had not heard that and decided to go right to the source! Just got off the phone with BSF International. ๐ Pastors are allowed to attend, however they are encouraged to speak with the Teaching Leader before signing up as they may find it might not be the best fit for them.
BSF is a great Bible study for those who are new to studying God’s Word and those who may not have the skills or resources to study God’s Word on their own. It would be very tempting for a Pastor, or someone else experienced with in-depth study, to teach, share commentary, correct, etc. during the discussion group time. (I know I would drive a Group Leader crazy now that I know how to dig on my own!) BSF’s four-fold approach encourages attendees to use commentaries and notes in step 4 – AFTER class.
Honestly, my reason for not returning to BSF now is that I don’t need it any more. Did I love and do I miss the fellowship? Absolutely! But I’m in such a different place spiritually now.
I hope that helps – feel free to email me if you want to discuss it further or if you have other questions. Praying God will lead you to the right fit!
May I ask why you stopped the BSF classes?
Hey Misti – Sure! ๐ It’s no big secret. We moved in January so I had to step down from my role as a group leader. I decided to finish out the study here in Charlotte. Once we found a church home, I felt the Lord leading me to connect with the women in our church and commit to doing Bible study with them. I loved BSF and learned a lot over the years I was in it!
Thank you for saying it, and good for you! I was used to expository Bible study as a participant, and then I was introduced to Bible study books. It’s an easy way out, not a bad one, just an easy one. Don’t have to do any individual study…no real digging unless you want to…sit back and be entertained. I do have great admiration for the teachers who have provided the Bible study books and know they work hard to do this for us, but they, of course, reap the full benefit. In the end, one must do one own’s study and meditation.
Elizabeth, thank you for your comments and sharing your experience. You hit the nail on the head – it is an easy way out. While almost all of our women struggled at first to read and dig into the scriptures on their own, I think every one of them would tell you it did get easier. We must jump over the roadblocks Satan has placed in our minds. We CAN read scripture on our own. ๐
i facilitated Bible Study Book Studies in my church for 13 years until i felt the Lord strongly impress upon me to STOP and just use the Bible. thanks you for this post! you have spoken my heart.
Jackie – thank you so much for sharing! I so appreciate your obedience to what the Lord was asking you to do.
We just finished our study of 1st and 2nd Timothy and our ladies LOVED it! Many weren’t sure they would like it when we first started, but God has done amazing things – growing their confidence in studying the Word and increasing their desire for scripture among so many other things!
Seems God is indeed omniscient and it would seem from these responses He is at work in many of us about the same thing – His Word is sufficient! As a Women’s Ministry director, I’ve been unsettled about what studies we should be doing this fall. And like many summers prior to this one, I’ve been pouring over “what’s out there”. I’m being convicted that we need to return to the basics of Bible study and actually study the BIBLE. Thanks for putting into words exactly how I’m feeling. I’ve recently enrolled in an on-line Expository Teaching course through Simeon’s Trust in preparation for what I believe God is preparing for me to do. We did Jen Wilkin’s “Women of the Word” study last year and it was confirmation for me that we have all we need to teach the Bible if we have a Bible and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Followed that study up with Jen’s other two studies – 1 Peter and Sermon on the Mount. Now that the pattern has been set, I think our women are ready to do the same kind of study with live teaching.
Laura, how awesome! So excited for you and your women! I’d love to hear how it goes! Thank for sharing how God’s been moving in your heart and in your church. ๐
I could not agree more! Thank you for this post. God’s word is such a treasure and so life changing!
Thanks Judy! ๐ I agree – it has the power to change our lives!
Totally on the same page with you. ?
๐
Our Ladies SS class just started “Women of the Word” by Jen Wilken. It’s on this very topic.
Love it! I’m planning to read the book this summer. ๐
I did this with the book of Mark at my Neighborhood Cafe Bible Study. Each woman brought her own Bible so we read from many different translations. We began with a little “how to read your Bible” lesson on understanding the little numbers and cross references. It was wonderful! Took longer than I planned but it was worth every moment.
Amy, What a blessing for the women in your neighborhood! I am so glad you mentioned having a “how to read your Bible” lesson. I had not thought about that! Great idea! ๐ Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’ll be there with you!!! So you have one in your group.
Lori – Oh girl!!! Thank you!!! ๐ What a blessing you are to me! ๐ Love ya!
Oh my, you have spoken my mind & heart! The first Bible Study I ever participated in 20 plus years ago was Inductive Bible Study. It changed my life and for most of the years since, this is what I have been doing. Some of the ladies seemed to tire of them after many years and began other types of studies but I cannot get away from studying inductively. Nothing feeds my soul like the pure Word of God. Even though there may be a place for other studies, and I have done quite a few of them, I still do inductive study. Why is it some are continually searching for more when every Word of God is right there in the BIBLE. There have been a few good studies I have done but they have been ones that have stayed very close to the Word and not gotten off on their own opinions and touchy, feely, emotional issues that can sometimes get my mind on myself and off of Jesus. I am sticking to Inductive. It helps me to know I am not alone in my thinking. God Bless you Cyndee.
Sandra, thank you for your encouragement and for sharing your experience. I appreciate your comment about things that get your mind on yourself and off of Jesus. I’ve did a book last summer that was really missing Jesus in several of the chapters. ๐ Bless you!
Several years ago I had the same problem with our studies. I changed to an inductive Bible study. The first year I had two attendees. Five years later and our class has grown to the point of needing to split into two groups. The woman have voiced that they love it because they are truly digging into God’s Word.
Susan, love to hear how God has grown your group! That is awesome!! Thank you for your encouragement! ๐
I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Just finished a women’s small group. We read I Thessalonians verse by verse with just our Bibles, notebooks and pens and lots of discussion. This was a new venture. As a facilitator, not a a teacher, I was scared, but I felt that the Lord was leading our group to do this. After a slow start (participation-wise) it got “gooder and gooder”. We’re about to read 2 Thessalonians. Looking forward to it….and ….who knows what the Holy Spirit will have us do in the fall?????
Oh Pat! I LOVE this! ๐ Thank you for sharing your experience. I know it is an encouragement to me and will be to others! ๐
You have exactly described my discontent? with our current women’s studies. How will any of us ever step up to leadership if we have to have a “celebrity writer-blogger-speaker” hold our hand. Will be praying for you and your ladies and ask the same for our group as we plan for the Fall. Thank you for your open heart and willingness to share the struggles as well as the successes!
Jana – we’ve got someone better than a celebrity writer-blogger-speaker holding our hand – we’ve got the Holy Spirit! But, oh how we forget that very important fact! ๐ Thankful to have others in the “same boat”. ๐ Praying for you all as you plan in the fall! God is on the move!
Yes Yes Yes!!!! You are not alone. I have been feeling this for some time, just a little nervous about the acceptance of it if I step out in faith. Now just to pick the book!!!!
Praying for you Cynthia as you step out in faith and for God to clearly highlight WHICH book! (I need a neon sign with flashing arrows!LOL)
Hmmmm, very interesting read, this title caught my attention! First let me say that I started doing Bible Studies in 2008, it has changed my life, and I have a passion for God’s word like never before. With that being said, I have been convinced over the last year or so, that there are so many Bible Studies our there it is a over load!!!! Every time I turn around something new in my email or mailbox. Our bible study group has been altering from doing a Bible Study to studying God’s word together as believers. May the Lord help us as we seek Him, for His directions and knowledge. Lord help us to put Your Word to action, not just keep our heads in Your Word!!
Cindy, I so appreciate your comment. I like the idea of alternating – that may be the perfect fit for many groups. And I also appreciate the encouragement to put our the Word to action! What good is it if we know we are to love our neighbors, but we don’t do it?!
This has my been my conviction for a number of years. By far the most helpful, spiritually productive Bible studies which I have led are those in which we have chosen a book of the Bible, personally studied the passage throughout the week in meditation and prayer, and then come together to share what God has taught us. This conviction was reinforced when I read Jenn Wilkins’ wonderful book, “Women of the Word.” I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Ruth, thank you for sharing your experience! Clearly, I need to start reading this book! You’re among many that have recommended it! ๐ So thankful to hear how well this is working for you and your group! Thank you!!
WOW! Did you hit the nail on the head! I have been trained to use and teach inductive study of God’s Word, but have relied on others study guides. I guess this feeling of discontent with “Bible Studies” is a sign to get back into the teaching of The Word, without being propped up with other writers interpretation.
Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.
Gail, I am just the vehicle – glad God used me to give you a nudge. ๐ Praying for you as you “recalculate”.
I have been convicted about the same thing! Last year I read Jen Wilkins book, Women of the Word and then taking a similar approach started a new Bible study with our ladies in January. This has been amazing!!! Usually we only get through about 3 verses in an hour and a half Bible Study but we are learning so much! I am seeing so much growth in these ladies and my pastor husband and other members in our church are noticing the godly changes in these ladies too! So exciting to see what God is doing through our Bible study in the lives of each women!
Amy, God bless you! I must admit I was afraid to hit “publish” on this post. I just ordered Women of the Word a couple weeks ago and am looking forward to reading it this summer. Your experience is a HUGE encouragement to me! So excited to hear about what God is doing in the lives of the women in your church! Praying it will be the same for ours!
You are not alone! I have felt a similar conviction. We are doing a “Bad Girls of the Bible” series this summer, only using our Bibles! I’m so excited to bring these stories to life!
Amanda, thank you for the encouragement! ๐ Praying God blesses your women in a mighty way this summer!