Professional Documents
Culture Documents
vii. Write down how the verses in the chapter speak to you personally.
viii. Write down any connections you find between the chapter and
contemporary issues.
b. Outlining your Introductory Statement
i. Length of Comments
1. Keep in mind that your introductory statement should ideally be
about five minutes in length, leaving 10-15 minutes for
discussion.
a. On occasion the introduction may be somewhat more
lengthy, though still leaving sufficient time for group
discussion.
ii. Expository Comments
1. From your notes, pick out the most important background
material and themes to highlight.
a. Unless you are assigned the first chapter of a book, the
background material need not be too extensive; it should
simply give context to the chapter.
b. Likewise, highlight two or three of the most important
themes or points being made in the chapter.
iii. Integration of Personal Reflections
1. Follow up the exposition of the important themes with a personal
reflection, which may involve a personal story, a current event or
a tie-in to a recently read book or article.
iv. Development of Discussion Questions
1. Write three or four open ended discussion questions (questions
involving more than a yes or no response) to pose during the
group discussion period.
II. The Study Session
a. Reading the Passage
i. After the Director indicates the group is ready to begin the study, take
the lead in reading through the assigned chapter, verse by verse, around
the table.
1. Alternatively, you may wish to make a few comments on the
background of the chapter before beginning the reading.
b. Introductory Comments
i. After the reading has concluded, present your background and thematic
comments, as well as your personal reflections.
ii. Conclude your comments by posing one of your discussion questions.
c. The Discussion
i. Help facilitate the discussion by recognizing individuals wishing to
speak, by summarizing various comments and occasionally interjecting
your own thoughts.
1. Try to involve as many people in the discussion as possible,
especially recognizing those who have not yet spoken.
ii. As a particular avenue of discussion ebbs, pose another of your
discussion questions.
d. Concluding Summary
i. As the study time draws to a close, give a quick summary of what was
learned from the discussion; alternately, thank everyone for their
contributions.
ii. Lead the group into the closing devotions.
III. After the Study
a. Either pass on the study guide to the person scheduled for the following week,
or leave it on top of the BSA filing cabinet.