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Sowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Lead Bible Studies
When the word of Christ falls on good soil, the results will astound. That’s why there’s a surprising glory in leading a group of ordinary people to simply open their Bibles, read what’s on the page, and discuss how God might use these words to change the world.
Yet too many small group leaders hesitate to try such a method without professional guidance from a curriculum or study guide. This book will inspire and equip believers in Christ to lead fruitful and engaging small groups where God’s Word is read, discussed, and put to direct use to transform lives. This book will equip leaders to open the valve on this living water so thirsty souls can drink their fill.
Perhaps you’ve begun to learn how to study the Bible for yourself, and you’ve wondered whether you could competently lead others in Bible study. This book provides the vision and skills you need to start a group, develop good preparation habits, conduct a persuasive discussion, and shepherd group members through what they’re learning.
This book will serve lay leaders and Bible teachers who have any degree of experience. Some will gain confidence to lead their first Bible study that brings a neighbor to Christ. Others will learn to draw more deeply on the power of interaction, thereby overcoming their penchant for dominating conversations. All will discover the surprising glory and astounding fruit borne from leading a group of ordinary people to open their Bibles, read what’s on the page, and discuss how God might use these words to change the world.
Editorial Review Excerpts
“If you are looking for a simple and practical way to lead group Bible studies more effectively, this is it. Books on Bible study often focus on the Bible part or on group dynamics. Here, Peter combines both.”
— Dr. Tim S Lane , President, Institute for Pastoral Care; author of A Nine-Step Journey to Change that Lasts“
"Sowable Word is well-organized, biblical, thoughtful, seasoned, humble, practical, doable, readable and fresh — what more can you want from a book?”
— Tedd Tripp , pastor, author, and speaker
“I know Peter Krol, and through him, some of the dozens of Bible teachers and small group leaders he has trained. In this book, the confidence many need to begin leading others in the joyful study of God’s Word can be acquired.”
— David Helm , Senior Pastor, Christ Church Chicago; Chairman, The Charles Simeon Trust
“Here is a simple but powerful resource offering us practical help in studying the Word, then preparing and leading bible studies. Any believer who desires to dig deep and share biblical truths with others will benefit greatly.”
— Steve Shadrach , Center for Mission Mobilization
“Peter Krol offers an accessible, practical guide for how to create a Bible study that people actually want to attend. A novice leader will learn, and an experienced leader will be refined.”
— Colleen McFadden , Women’s Ministry Director, Trinity Community Church; Director of Women’s Workshops, Charles Simeon Trust
“Biblical, practical, step-by-step wisdom for every level of Bible study leader. Not one element of Bible study leadership is left unconsidered. It should be on the shelf of every serious leader.”
— Vince Burens , CEO/President, The Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)
“Peter Krol's website, Knowable Word, is a favorite of mine. Now, he has gathered up some of his wisdom and persistence about teaching Bible studies into a book to help us do just that, and do it well.”
— Jim Elliff , Founder and President, Christian Communicators Worldwide
Yet too many small group leaders hesitate to try such a method without professional guidance from a curriculum or study guide. This book will inspire and equip believers in Christ to lead fruitful and engaging small groups where God’s Word is read, discussed, and put to direct use to transform lives. This book will equip leaders to open the valve on this living water so thirsty souls can drink their fill.
Perhaps you’ve begun to learn how to study the Bible for yourself, and you’ve wondered whether you could competently lead others in Bible study. This book provides the vision and skills you need to start a group, develop good preparation habits, conduct a persuasive discussion, and shepherd group members through what they’re learning.
This book will serve lay leaders and Bible teachers who have any degree of experience. Some will gain confidence to lead their first Bible study that brings a neighbor to Christ. Others will learn to draw more deeply on the power of interaction, thereby overcoming their penchant for dominating conversations. All will discover the surprising glory and astounding fruit borne from leading a group of ordinary people to open their Bibles, read what’s on the page, and discuss how God might use these words to change the world.
Editorial Review Excerpts
“If you are looking for a simple and practical way to lead group Bible studies more effectively, this is it. Books on Bible study often focus on the Bible part or on group dynamics. Here, Peter combines both.”
— Dr. Tim S Lane , President, Institute for Pastoral Care; author of A Nine-Step Journey to Change that Lasts“
"Sowable Word is well-organized, biblical, thoughtful, seasoned, humble, practical, doable, readable and fresh — what more can you want from a book?”
— Tedd Tripp , pastor, author, and speaker
“I know Peter Krol, and through him, some of the dozens of Bible teachers and small group leaders he has trained. In this book, the confidence many need to begin leading others in the joyful study of God’s Word can be acquired.”
— David Helm , Senior Pastor, Christ Church Chicago; Chairman, The Charles Simeon Trust
“Here is a simple but powerful resource offering us practical help in studying the Word, then preparing and leading bible studies. Any believer who desires to dig deep and share biblical truths with others will benefit greatly.”
— Steve Shadrach , Center for Mission Mobilization
“Peter Krol offers an accessible, practical guide for how to create a Bible study that people actually want to attend. A novice leader will learn, and an experienced leader will be refined.”
— Colleen McFadden , Women’s Ministry Director, Trinity Community Church; Director of Women’s Workshops, Charles Simeon Trust
“Biblical, practical, step-by-step wisdom for every level of Bible study leader. Not one element of Bible study leadership is left unconsidered. It should be on the shelf of every serious leader.”
— Vince Burens , CEO/President, The Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)
“Peter Krol's website, Knowable Word, is a favorite of mine. Now, he has gathered up some of his wisdom and persistence about teaching Bible studies into a book to help us do just that, and do it well.”
— Jim Elliff , Founder and President, Christian Communicators Worldwide
- GenresChristian
176 pages, Paperback
Published May 25, 2022
12 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Peter Krol
2 books62 followersI have taught the Bible since 1996 both as a collegiate missionary with DiscipleMakers and as an elder in both Presbyterian and Independent churches. I've trained dozens of people to study the Bible. Many of them now train others who, in turn, have begun training a third generation.
With each new year, I read nothing but the Bible until I finish it. I do this, not because it makes God any happier with me, but because it makes me happier with him in Christ.
With each new year, I read nothing but the Bible until I finish it. I do this, not because it makes God any happier with me, but because it makes me happier with him in Christ.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 4, 2022
An excellent little book on how to lead a Bible Study using the OIA (observe, interpret, apply) method. Highly practical, Word-centered, Christ-focused, and well-written. I'll admit, I was convicted that our church needs to do more actual Bible studies and fewer book studies. To move that direction, this book will be a handy compendium to help train people in our church to lead Bible studies. I'm sure I will be recommending it to others.
Hey Peter, now that you've done a book on how to apply the OIA method to personal Bible study ("Knowable Word") and to group Bible study ("Sowable Word"), how about writing a book on the application to family Bible study ("Grow-able Word"??)?
Hey Peter, now that you've done a book on how to apply the OIA method to personal Bible study ("Knowable Word") and to group Bible study ("Sowable Word"), how about writing a book on the application to family Bible study ("Grow-able Word"??)?
August 5, 2025
Sowable Word is essential. Peter gives you a simple, solid framework (OIA: observe, interpret, apply) that helps you lead Bible studies where anyone can encounter Christ through the Word, not just opinions.
It’s accessible for news leaders, but deep enough to refine even experienced ones. It was clear, practical and Word-driven. I’ll be recommending it to every student I disciple and anyone I train to lead. It is a must read!
It’s accessible for news leaders, but deep enough to refine even experienced ones. It was clear, practical and Word-driven. I’ll be recommending it to every student I disciple and anyone I train to lead. It is a must read!
August 19, 2025
I thought this book was very helpful in guiding how to lead a Bible study based on the Holy Spirit while having godly intentions and a clear structure.
Key takeaways:
- there are several reasons why someone might start a Bible study - to grow in community, to grow as a Christian, etc. - but the main purpose should be to know God through Jesus.
- We have to be careful that are focus doesn’t shift from wanting to know God to wanting to only know each other
- There are different bibles studies for different settings: investigative, growth, brief devotional, training, and leadership. All serving a different purpose.
- We should personally be recruiting people that we want to be there, as Jesus did
- Trying to be profound is a common mistake for leaders. The foundational mindset for preparing fruitful Bible studies is to depend on the Lord.
- What cleanses people isn’t the words we speak but Jesus’ word to them
- If you want the text to change them, you have to be changed by it yourself. (This is a mistake I’ve made where I focused on a book I’d never studied well before and it made the Bible study a lot more difficult for me. It’s helpful to read a book you’ve already read yourself).
- The time you use to prep should be personal time spent with the Lord because even if you’re prepping, the text should still be changing you.
- Head, heart, hands. What we can do inwardly and outwardly. There should be individual application, small group, church/ministry, and the world application. Your application should have variety across the weeks. We must think outside ourselves and value community.
- Questions in a larger group should be more direct and in smaller groups they can be more open ended.
- He goes through the specifics about what makes a question good.
- Determine what highlights in the text will best serve the group.
- You can simply state observations when they’re obvious. You don’t need a question for everything.
- Be flexible and remember that you’re learning too. If someone interprets something different than you, be open and make sure they prove it through the text.
- Practice the skill of asking questions on the fly rather than sticking to a script the whole time. Let the Holy Spirit guide the conversation.
- When someone has a thought of interpretation, ask other group members their thoughts on it.
- Do a book overview at the beginning of the study. Summarize previous chapters each week. Do a review and debrief at the end of the book and spend a session talking about everything.
- Ask about obstacles in the application. What keeps us from doing what God asks? What do we value more than obedience to God?
- Consider not praying in a Bible study with nonbelievers.
- Get to know the people in your study. Learn their background, their values. Understand them before you disagree with them. Check in to see how the study is going for them and how you can improve. Ask them what they’re learning through it. Learn what they do for fun so you can do that with them.
- Prepare other believers to prep Bible studies. Follow the steps of letting them watch, gradually including them into the prep, and then letting them take over. Every year we should have a target person to build up and teach.
Key takeaways:
- there are several reasons why someone might start a Bible study - to grow in community, to grow as a Christian, etc. - but the main purpose should be to know God through Jesus.
- We have to be careful that are focus doesn’t shift from wanting to know God to wanting to only know each other
- There are different bibles studies for different settings: investigative, growth, brief devotional, training, and leadership. All serving a different purpose.
- We should personally be recruiting people that we want to be there, as Jesus did
- Trying to be profound is a common mistake for leaders. The foundational mindset for preparing fruitful Bible studies is to depend on the Lord.
- What cleanses people isn’t the words we speak but Jesus’ word to them
- If you want the text to change them, you have to be changed by it yourself. (This is a mistake I’ve made where I focused on a book I’d never studied well before and it made the Bible study a lot more difficult for me. It’s helpful to read a book you’ve already read yourself).
- The time you use to prep should be personal time spent with the Lord because even if you’re prepping, the text should still be changing you.
- Head, heart, hands. What we can do inwardly and outwardly. There should be individual application, small group, church/ministry, and the world application. Your application should have variety across the weeks. We must think outside ourselves and value community.
- Questions in a larger group should be more direct and in smaller groups they can be more open ended.
- He goes through the specifics about what makes a question good.
- Determine what highlights in the text will best serve the group.
- You can simply state observations when they’re obvious. You don’t need a question for everything.
- Be flexible and remember that you’re learning too. If someone interprets something different than you, be open and make sure they prove it through the text.
- Practice the skill of asking questions on the fly rather than sticking to a script the whole time. Let the Holy Spirit guide the conversation.
- When someone has a thought of interpretation, ask other group members their thoughts on it.
- Do a book overview at the beginning of the study. Summarize previous chapters each week. Do a review and debrief at the end of the book and spend a session talking about everything.
- Ask about obstacles in the application. What keeps us from doing what God asks? What do we value more than obedience to God?
- Consider not praying in a Bible study with nonbelievers.
- Get to know the people in your study. Learn their background, their values. Understand them before you disagree with them. Check in to see how the study is going for them and how you can improve. Ask them what they’re learning through it. Learn what they do for fun so you can do that with them.
- Prepare other believers to prep Bible studies. Follow the steps of letting them watch, gradually including them into the prep, and then letting them take over. Every year we should have a target person to build up and teach.
June 7, 2022
If you want to learn how to lead and write your own Bible studies, this book will help you do it. Peter Krol gives an accessible, practical guide for how to create a Bible study that people actually want to attend. The tools he puts forward are simple and effective. A novice leader will learn and an experienced leader will be refined.
November 24, 2023
Had to read the entire book for a seminary class but I really enjoyed how easy to read the book is. It’s not written in esoteric language that only seminary students can understand. It’s just a book for anyone who wants to faithfully teach God’s word.
January 13, 2026
For someone who wants to grow in the way that they lead a Bible Study, this is a great read! This book unpacked a variety of ways that I can grow, and I look forward to slowly implementing all the things that I learned one study at a time!
Many points were underlined, highlighted, and circled, but this quote got a box around it and 'mic drop' scribbled on the side:
"Do you read (and or teach) the Bible (out of context)? Do you find a remarkable sentence or two here and there, memorize them, and base your hope on them? You don't read anything else this way. Not newspapers or novels. Not letters or emails, blogs, or other textbooks. Sure, sometimes you'll scan. Other times you'll highlight key conclusions you want to remember. But you won't limit your reading to isolated sentences." pg 132
Many points were underlined, highlighted, and circled, but this quote got a box around it and 'mic drop' scribbled on the side:
"Do you read (and or teach) the Bible (out of context)? Do you find a remarkable sentence or two here and there, memorize them, and base your hope on them? You don't read anything else this way. Not newspapers or novels. Not letters or emails, blogs, or other textbooks. Sure, sometimes you'll scan. Other times you'll highlight key conclusions you want to remember. But you won't limit your reading to isolated sentences." pg 132
January 12, 2025
“…there is something indescribably wonderful that happens when people learn to engage with God directly through his Word. People who are used to being merely told what to do learn to hear God‘s own voice. People afraid of messing up gain the confidence to take up and read. Consumers of content develop into distributors of truth. Committed disciples grow into influential disciple-makers.” (Page 9)
This book has practical tips for one wanting to learn to lead a small-group Bible study. It is a companion of sorts to the book KNOWABLE WORD, which teaches the OIA method (observe, interpret, apply). It is helpful and practical.
This book has practical tips for one wanting to learn to lead a small-group Bible study. It is a companion of sorts to the book KNOWABLE WORD, which teaches the OIA method (observe, interpret, apply). It is helpful and practical.
September 26, 2024
I found this book to be an incredibly helpful resource both for personal study and leading study. The chapters were short and manageable for discussion. Krol’s insights were helpful and thoughtful without being too rigidly prescriptive. In a world fixated with numbers and growth statistics, this book articulated well, I thought, what a “successful” bible looks like and tools for getting there. At points I even felt convicted as I realized some of my griefs with leading boiled down to wanting to be needed or seem competent to the individual or group!
May 3, 2023
An excellent follow-up to his book "Knowable Word," Krol humbly offers exceptional advice - both in theory and practice - on how to lead others in the study of God's Word (and actually studying God's Word).
December 19, 2023
Oof what a book.
The last words of the book, I think summarise why this book is so worth reading:
"There's a surprising glory in leading a group of ordinary people to open their Bibles, read what's on the page, and discuss how God might use those words to change the world"
The last words of the book, I think summarise why this book is so worth reading:
"There's a surprising glory in leading a group of ordinary people to open their Bibles, read what's on the page, and discuss how God might use those words to change the world"
January 21, 2023
Excellent resource to learn (or to teach others) how to lead effective bible studies.
January 26, 2024
Very digestible, practical methods to begin, develop, and grow a Bible study group. Clearly grounded in scripture.
February 28, 2025
So thorough and great explanations all throughout.
December 24, 2025
Physical book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews