There are so many options for Bible studies these days. We know; we publish many of them! The Bible has 66 books, many of which could be studied in sections. Then there are Bible studies that are topical; some are verse-by-verse; some are on a specific book in the Bible; some are on a shorter passage. The options are pretty much unlimited.
So how do you go about choosing your next group study? Here are a few factors to consider:
- Think about the specific women in your group. What is a study that will keep all of them engaged and learning—regardless of age, marital status, or season of life? Ask your group what they would like to study or know about in Scripture. A theme or specific book or passage may emerge as something everyone would like to study. Most importantly, pray about what study or passage you all should be in next. Ask for God’s guidance in choosing a book of the Bible or a topic He would have you all study at this time in your lives.
- Look at the time you have available to meet. If you have 45 minutes to an hour, you will plan and select your Bible study differently than if you have an hour and 30 minutes. How much time will you set aside for review, prayer, video teaching, and discussion?
- Decide how many weeks of Bible study work best for your group’s calendar. Perhaps your group can only meet for a certain number of sessions, so you could look for studies based on the number of weeks. We offer studies that range from 5 to 12 sessions, so you have options! And check out this blog post for ideas on how to expand or compress a Bible study based on the number of weeks you’d like to meet.
- Determine if you want a video-driven or print-only study. (Here are five studies to reach for if you want to forgo videos.)
- Talk about expectations between sessions. How much personal study does your group want to do outside your group meetings? It can be helpful to preview Bible study options with this specifically in mind. (You can view free session samples of our women’s studies on lifeway.com to get a sense of what to expect for personal study time!)
We hope the suggestions above will help you select the best Bible study for your group to do next! If you’re looking for some ideas to get started, we’d suggest browsing some of the blog posts below:
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies on People in the Bible
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies on Forming a New Habit
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies on Books of the New Testament
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies on Books of the Old Testament
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies to Reach for During Hard Seasons
Lifeway Women Recommends | Studies for New Believers
You can also view our full catalog of Bible study options and authors in our Lifeway Women catalog below.
What is your small group studying next? Tell us in the comments below!
