Small Group Bible Studies

Bible Studies Transforming Meredith College

ashlye.vanderworp@intervarsity.org — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 19:39:19 +0000

Ashlye Vanderworp

Bible Studies Transforming Meredith College

Meredith College is a small, all women’s college in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a unique campus that functions much like a sorority, full of traditions that foster community and empower the women who attend.

Much like the campus itself, Meredith’s ��ñ�� chapter is also unique. It is the only Christian organization that actually meets on campus, while others only have chapters at North Carolina State University down the road. It is also the only organization on campus, religious or non-religious, that is majority non-White.

A Life Devoted to Bible Study

Robin Bolash serves as the ��ñ�� Campus Staff Minister at Meredith College. Having worked with ��ñ�� for over 20 years, Robin leads in ways that significantly shape the women in her chapter who are shaping the campus.

But when she was a college student herself, it was through ��ñ�� that Robin truly learned who Jesus was and what he had planned for her life.

“I grew up in church, and I was curious about the Bible, but I had no idea how to study it. When I got to college, we learned how to do the ��ñ�� Bible study method, and it was the best thing that happened to me. In that moment, I decided this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life—I want to help people unlock the Bible,” Robin said.

This is why Robin focuses all of her chapter’s activities on Bible study. She has seen firsthand how studying the Bible can change a student’s life and how many want to just, as she says, “have the keys.”

Robin also disciples many students in her chapter herself—students such as Tori and Indyah.

World Changers Developing World Changers

When Tori and Indyah were assigned to lead a Bible study together two years ago, they had never met. However, as they began to lead together, they became close friends.

They prepared for small group each week, studied Scripture together, and discussed the questions they had about the passage, helping them form a close bond. That bond then flowed into the rest of the group.

“The way we study the Bible with ��ñ�� impacted our small group because it really allowed everyone to state their opinion. . . . Everyone’s on the same page, like no one knows more than someone else. We’re all starting off at the same level,” Tori said.

So, Tori decided to share that with a Sunday school class for high school students she taught at her church back home.

“I printed off manuscripts for them, and they really enjoyed it just like I really enjoyed it!” she said.

The pastor of the church Tori taught at regularly checked on all of the Sunday school classes. She noticed, though, that when he came into her classroom, he stayed for a while, watching what she was doing.

“I would think to myself, Am I doing something wrong?” Tori said.

The next thing she knew, at a churchwide Bible study one Tuesday night, Tori’s pastor distributed printed manuscript passages to the congregation. He then began to lead the church in Bible study the way Tori led her class—the way ��ñ�� does Bible study.

“Now, my whole church is doing Bible studies how we do [in ��ñ��]. I have definitely seen a lot of growth in my Sunday school class, in my church, and in myself,” Tori said.

As Tori led her class at church, her and Indyah’s ��ñ�� small group continued to grow closer and fall more in love with Scripture. This past school year, every new leader of the ��ñ�� chapter at Meredith came out of Tori and Indyah’s small group.

“I think most of it came from them seeing how community actually works and seeing how comfortable it can be,” Indyah said.

One of those new leaders was Essence, a member of Meredith’s track team.

Essence

When Essence began school at Meredith as a freshman, she had never experienced Bible study before. She joined Indyah and Tori’s small group and was soon invited to Beach Retreat, an annual event for the chapter.

As the students read the story of the Samaritan woman, Essence saw herself in the story and realized she was pursuing stagnant, stale water, rather than Jesus’ living water. In that moment, she decided to give her life fully to Jesus.

“I had never studied Scripture like that before,” Essence said. “I was able to write on the text, ask questions and observe, you know, interpret what the text means and how to apply it to my life. . . . Everything started making sense at that point.”

Today, Essence leads a Bible study for her track and field teammates. Though she’s faced difficulties with many members leaving the Bible study—because many athletes and minority students leave Meredith College after only their first year—she is committed to sharing with her team what she experienced.

“Bible study is amazing. You build so many relationships, so much love for people, so much love for God. It’s something that changed my life for the better.”

Bible Study Fostering Community in Corners of Campus

��ñ�� at Meredith believes the best way to reach the students on campus is through Bible studies where they feel like they belong and can be themselves, making them more open to Christ.

“These women are with each other, and they’re just having conversations. They’re doing observations together, then they’re asking all their questions together, and then they’re talking about applications together. And so, you’re getting to know each other while exploring the Scriptures together. You’re beginning to identify yourself in the story while sharing yourself with people. There is something very communal about this method,” Robin said.

Though their chapter is small, that communal environment centered around Scripture is what the women of ��ñ�� at Meredith spread to many parts of campus, from athletes, to freshmen, to art majors. Their Bible studies are multiplying because these women jump in when Robin encourages them to lead where they already are involved on campus, where they are already influencing, with the people they are already praying for.

“I’m looking at what Meredith needs and where there are gaps. I want to see where the Lord wants small groups to be, who are the students he’s bringing into this tiny, little fellowship, and how far can we reach—how far to the corners can we go,” Robin said.

To hear more about what the students at Meredith College have to say about Bible study, watch the video below.

Do you have a desire to reach people on your campus or in your life with the love of Jesus? Consider starting and leading a Bible study. For more information on how to lead a Bible study, click the button below to visit Howto.Bible, a new project from ��ñ��.

News Keywords

Manuscript Bible Study

Small Group Bible Studies

Every Campus

inductive bible study

Coaching the Call in Small Group Bible Studies

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:24:33 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Coaching the Call in Small Group Bible Studies

Students are responding to calls to faith in ��ñ�� large group meetings, in small group Bible studies, and in one-on-one conversations. But small group Bible studies are currently providing the best opportunity for Christian students to share their faith with their non-Christian friends.

All over the country, curious students are being invited to Bible studies by their ��ñ�� friends. And those who come to the Bible studies are open to considering a call to follow Jesus. But ��ñ�� students are typically self-conscious about making that call to faith. Associate Area Director Jamie Ladipo is helping students on campuses in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, Kansas, and the Dakotas face their fears and make the call.

Several years ago, 2Calls2Faith became a rallying cry for New Student Outreach, as staff were encouraged to invite students to make decisions during the first few large group meetings of the year. Jamie was eager to get on board. The only problem was, she was planting a chapter at the University of Kansas at that time, and large group meetings weren’t happening.

But there was Raeann, a student with a strong faith and a willing heart. So Jamie and Raeann began working on how to do calls to faith in Raeann’s small group Bible study. Together they went over the Scripture passage, worked out a gospel presentation, and rehearsed an invitation for a response.

The Bible study went exactly as planned. Raeann’s presentation was flawless and her friends responded when she handed out note cards to indicate their decision at the end. Then Raeann handed the note cards to Jamie and left to attend a study group. There was no follow-up until days later. “That’s when I realized I needed to coach a much bigger process,” Jamie said.

And that led to today, where Jamie is not only coaching a bigger process, but also coaching a Lakes & Plains region Pilot Project involving 30 staff who are helping students on their campuses initiate calls to faith in their small groups. Jamie’s coaching is being done through a monthly conference call.

“Small groups are a place of real friendship and intimacy,” Jamie said. “It’s a great place for people to explore faith and come to know Jesus.” On the campuses that Jamie oversees as an Associate Area Director, she’s found that about one-third of the students involved in small group Bible studies are non-Christians.

Why are non-Christian students attending a college Bible study? “College is such a great place for trying to figure out what you believe,” Jamie said. “There are lots of people who are interested in exploring Christianity, either because they grew up in it and are trying to figure out if they want it to continue to be a part of their lives, or they didn’t grow up with it and are curious.”

A small group Bible study is a comfortable place to explore faith. “They can meet Jesus. They can meet Christians. It’s like getting to be on the inside,” Jamie said.

Not using insider language—often called Christianese—is key and helps the non-Christian feel more comfortable in the Bible study. Other ground rules that facilitate good conversation include being open and honest about where everyone is coming from and not being defensive.

The tension that Bible study leaders feel often centers on the invitation to faith. It’s going out on a limb. It’s facing the real possibility of rejection. That’s where coaching is so important.

Jamie helps Bible study leaders think through every eventuality. What will they do if someone is ready to follow Jesus, if no one is ready, or if someone starts to break down and has an emotional moment with Jesus? “We address the worst-case scenario fears, and that helps a lot,” she said.

Something that Bible study leaders don’t realize is that the non-Christians they invite to their study may actually expect to be offered an opportunity to make a personal decision about following Jesus. And the invitation may be a helpful, clarifying moment, both for those who are attending and for those who are leading.

“It’s not until we ask that we know where they are and if they’re ready or not,” Jamie said. “If they’re not being asked they may not be thinking about what questions they still have, how important those things are, and what they need to do to be ready.”

One of Jamie’s students, Ethan, had drifted away from one of his best friends after becoming a Christian at Kansas State University. Ethan felt that God wanted him to reconnect and invite his friend, Matt, to his small group Bible study. What Ethan didn’t know was that Matt was back home in Kansas City, waiting for his study abroad program to start.

But Matt drove the two hours to campus anyway. And when Ethan gave the call to faith, Matt responded. He was ready and eager to follow Jesus. In fact, he told Ethan, “If you would have told me this a year ago, my life would’ve been so much different.”

Students are catching on, and ��ñ�� is growing as calls to faith become more common in large group meetings, in small group Bible studies, and in one-on-one conversations.

This 2100 video explores the challenges of making a call to faith in a small group Bible study on the campus of California State University Fullerton:

Small Group Calls to Faith from ��ñ�� twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

News Keywords

Calls to Faith

Kansas State University

Small Group Bible Studies

University of Kansas