Writing a Small Group Study

by Richard Sweatman

The Bible study you write for your small group can result in an exhilarating journey that opens God's word up and leads people to grow and change. It can also be a hard slog that seems to have little impact on anyone. If you're hoping for the former but worried you'll end up with the latter, this book is for you. Putting together a faithful and illuminating Bible study might seem like a huge task, but in Writing a Small Group Study Richard Sweatman breaks that task down into clear and achievable steps that won't overwhelm you. He carefully explains how to work your way through each step to create a study that will engage your small group with God's powerful word. This book is a superb guide for the new small group leader, as well as an excellent refresher for those who have been leading for years.

Genres: Discipleship, Theology, Teaching

83 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical guide to writing small group studies that are faithful to scripture and engaging for participants. I'll be returning to it often.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and comprehensive - particularly helpful for expository studies but some good tips for topical studies too. Stand out moments were some great suggestions for 'creative' questions for non-verbal learners. Worth the quick read!

[Boaz Rees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book on Writing a Small Group Study!
Excellent framework for making a study—I would definitely recommend it for people starting out leading studies or returning to leading a study after some time. A great prepper/refresher. There were some great points!

It's not revolutionary and it doesn't try to be it's simply short sweet and effective! I do find some examples unhelpful for questions and how to engage people (not sure about writing haiku's mid study or making it a quiz competition) and I disagreed with some elements but I recognize there are a lot of subjective factors on crafting an effective small-group study.

[Lizette Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed ready this manual. Sweatman's approach to learning how to study the Bible and translate the research to a written Bible Study is easy to follow and informative. The material noted is also useful to personal growth without writing a lesson. Well worth your time to read, I highly recommend it.

[Harrison Vesey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simultaneously brief but comprehensive. I’ve been writing my own studies for years but definitely found this helpful without being overwhelming. A great start for anyone considering this daunting but excellent discipline

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, helpful guide to writing your own small group Bible studies. It’s basic enough to where I think it would help any beginner, but also has some creative approaches that will help even the experienced small group leader grow.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasure to revisit this book. A basic, helpful, and yes necessary book to move through in putting together small group studies in house. Thank you, Richard Sweatman and Matthias Media.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done and concise. Exactly what I was looking for to answer some questions about questions. I will be returning to this.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful and brief book. The author walks through the process of writing a Bible study, with examples and helpful suggestions. The real strength of this approach is that the study is built around exposition of the passage. He touches on various aspects of context, and biblical and systematic theologies. He also give suggestions concerning the use of helps in preparation. Some of the work done will be similar to preparing a sermon, but the end result is a teacher-led Bible study and not a pulpit sermon. He touches on the subject of using pre-written studies versus writing your own studies for your class or group. Though not an extended argument, he does make a case for writing your own. He also gives helpful suggestions for using a pre-written study, should you choose to do so. This book would be valuable to preachers and teachers alike.