Pacing Templates for Bible Study
When you first start leading Bible study for others, it can be tricky to know how to allot your time. (Let’s be honest, it’s also difficult for those with experience leading.) This resource contains four templates for how to pace your study, depending on how much time you have: 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, or 3 hours.
Tips
- The secret to a great pace is to move on when your group is about 90% done with a particular section. Don’t wait to end individual time until everyone is tired of reading. Don’t wait to end sharing observations until every last thing has been mentioned. Don’t wait to end interpretation until every angle has been exhausted. You want your group to finish the study feeling like there is MORE to be discovered, but they got far enough to put some of it into practice.
- If you move too quickly, your group will lack clarity for the latter parts of the study. Interpretation will be scattered and application will be limp.
- If you move too slowly, some of your group will start to check out and you’ll run out of time for application.
- Pacing is more art than science. Use the above times as a guide while you’re learning, but each study will take its own unique shape depending on the group and passage. Just be careful to preserve time for application!
This resource is part of a free online course in The Ministry Playbook, “Building Your Own Bible Study” which will help you understand the key functions of a thriving small group, catch vision for leading life-changing small groups, and learn the key steps and skills to run an ongoing small group. Learn more and take the course here.
