Most of us will agree that daily Bible engagement is important. None of us would raise our hands in front of a group and say we thought otherwise. If daily Bible engagement is so important, then we must intentionally support it.
Here are some ways to encourage your group and group leaders to engage with the Bible daily.
• Outfit them. If you were hired to work for a construction company, you would expect the company to provide some of the basic tools needed to do the work. You may want to use your favorite hammer, but there would still be some available if you didn’t have one. The same is true when it comes to Bible study. One thing we can do to encourage daily Bible engagement is to provide group members with the tools needed. We fail them by not outfitting them for success.
• Show them. A construction company would never think of sending a new employee out without first showing him or her how to use the tools. As the leader, we need to show our group how to use the resources we provide. If we lead a Bible study group, we may want to dedicate some time occasionally when the group meets to demonstrate how to use the resources provided.
• Tell them. Share with group members what you personally are learning in your daily Bible engagement times. Set the standard. Find ways to share an insight you gained or a change you are working on while you are leading the group. Don’t force it or do it every week, but share where it makes sense. Be honest. Let them know your struggles with a passage and with the practice itself. Tell them what you are doing, and how you maintain the habit.
• Ask them. Asking for feedback sounds simple, but simple is not always easy. Learn to comfortably ask what group leaders and members are learning through their daily Bible engagement. If everyone is using the same resource, you can initiate a conversation based on one of the suggested readings from that resource. Asking others about what they are learning through their daily Bible engagement gives them permission to ask you what you are learning. Be ready to answer!
• Involve them. When leading a Bible study group, invite people to share what they are learning as a result of their daily Bible engagement. If a person mentions an insight gained through daily practice, highlight it and ask him or her to share about the discipline itself. When training new leaders, invite them to share things they have learned that help them maintain the daily discipline of Bible engagement.
What other things might you do with your group members to encourage daily Bible engagement? With your group leaders?
These actions assume people are in contact with you and are regular attenders of your Bible study group. But what about those who rarely attend? We tackle this issue in our next post.
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