My Crusade Against the Bible Study Solution

Let me start off right away with a preface that I am not against Bible studies. I think it is a good thing to be steeped in Scripture - I think it is essential, in truth - and I think it is a wonderful thing to do with a group of others. I think there is value in everyone joining a Bible study at least once and completing it with that group. I admire the study of Scripture, and believe that being knowledgeable of the "handbook" that's been given to us is essential to a full Christian life.

I say all this, and what I'm about to mention is not a contradiction of what I've said so far, but I do take issue with how I see many people utilizing the Bible study today. I have critiques of specific aspects of how people run their Bible study which I will mention in a moment, but my main gripe with many Bible studies today is that they are being used as a substitute for community. So often I hear one person lament a lack of community, a feeling of being deprived of connection with their peers, and they wish that there was a solution to this loneliness that they and the others around them feel. And then, someone else proclaims they know what to do to fix things, and that is to start a Bible study. Simple, yes? It's an activity around our shared faith, an opportunity to grow together, then the chance to hang out and socialize with other similar people.

This is what it is supposed to happen, in theory, but when the Bible study is meant as the cure to the problem of lacking community it essentially does the work of a bandage with antibiotic placed on a broken bone. The actual issue is not being addressed. A Bible study is not conducive to building community because that is only an effect of the activity rather than its intended purpose. A Bible study is meant for studying the Bible, and therefore those participating in it will either be focused on the study of Scripture and have community be secondary, or they will be focused on building community and have the learning of Scripture be secondary. If you have both kinds of people in one Bible study then the first type of person will justifiably become upset at the second type of person, because they are ignoring the explicitly stated purpose of their gathering.

For the most part what people are not craving is another structured way to read Scripture. There are plenty of programs out there to help you read the Bible, and there is The Bible in a Year as a podcast and as a study guide. People say they are desiring community, and they actually mean it when they say it, it's not a veiled request for another Bible study to be started. Community is what they are asking for, and they mean it when they are requesting it.

So, what do we do instead of creating another Bible study? Do actual events that are fun. They don't have to be huge, they don't have to be complicated, and there are some simple basics that you need to meet for it to be successful much of the time but then you just need to make the gathering something fun. As the events become more organized you may need to gather some help to help yourself avoid being overwhelmed, and of course you need a friend or two to consistently join your events for others to see that what you're doing is fun.

Now, for the specifics that you're looking for. "How do we build a community outside of starting another Bible study?" Have bonfires regularly, simple ones that are just a gathering for people to snack and have fun, and if you want to then graduate it into something more structured. Have a regularly-scheduled meetup planned at a coffee shop, same location and same time so that people can know when to put it on their calendar and plan for it. Have a meetup planned at someone's house scheduled out, where people bring their contributions to food for a meal or for snacks. Have regular outings to a specific bar or similar establishment to get drinks.

One of the things that subconsciously draw people to the idea of starting a Bible study - why it seems like it will be successful in the back of their minds - is that this type of gathering is by nature a regularly-occurring event. You know the date, you know the time, and you know what to expect, and people desire that structure. For the event that you want to draw people into as participants you need that consistency and regularity, something they know they can expect to happen at a place and time that they can plan for.

As well, and I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but start these events off with them being exclusive, then make them invite-only, then make them open to the public. Why? You need to build up the identity of the core group, and help equip them with the skills they need to welcome and evangelize others. If your intention is to create a stable community that regularly spends time together then you need to start with a core group and expand from there once you're ready. If you try to quickly graduate to a public event then it will be difficult to have regulars to your community because none or few of them have anchors to keep them rooted and feel like they are essential to the group.

Originally this article started off talking about a Bible study bandage to the huge wound of absent-community, and now I will return to that. Once again, I am not saying that a Bible study is a bad thing, but so many people believe for some reason that it will be the cure to the issue of there not being a good community around them. A well-done Bible study could be what a community needs, it could be the answer some are looking for, but it is not the cure-all that so many seem to assume it to be.

Most people are not looking for another opportunity to go read something with people, they are looking for an opportunity to make a connection. They are looking for a friend. It is a good thing if they are more knowledgeable in Scripture, but that is not essential. "Love your neighbor" is the second greatest commandment according to Christ, and that is what we should be doing. Finding ways to reach out neighbor, and to love them. Create opportunities for people to come spend time together, chances for them to have fun and gather. For the last time, I think that Bible studies are good things, but if you're looking to create community there are usually better ways of doing it.

Written for VME Catholic, by Ethan Hall