Audio Bible Study for Groups
Jul 17, 2019 · Christopher Hunt
I’m a big fan of audio Bible studies. Audio Bible studies and podcasts are especially useful in small groups. For a number of years, I regularly participated in a men’s Bible study group. It was one of the most spiritually formative periods of my life. Each week we gathered to listen to the next segment of a particular audio study, spend time in prayer, and eat (peach pie with vanilla ice cream was a group favorite). Our Bible study was focused, our discussion guided, and our fellowship enriching. If you’re constantly looking for new material to share in your small group or Bible study, an audio Bible study podcast can help.
Audio Bible studies require little prep
Audio Bible studies require almost no preparation by the leader. Find a seat, open your Bible, and hit play on the website or podcast (we used an ancient technology called compact disks). The group leader does not need to spend several days preparing a mini-sermon for the group. The producers of the audio Bible study have already done it for you. A quick look into the background of the host or narrator and ministry that produced it (some even have reviews) can help you ensure the audio Bible study fits your theological framework and the goals of your group.
They usually offer ready-made discussion material
The best audio Bible studies come with ready-to-use study or discussion guides right on the website or podcast platform. These introduce the topic, connect it to any other parts of a series, offer points for focus before listening, and discussion questions for after-listening reflection. We’ve all experienced frustrating rabbit trails in Bible study discussion. This gives your group plenty of direction for reflection, keeping the group on topic.
They’re a great alternative to book studies
My men’s group did a number of excellent book studies together, but over time, it became difficult for busy group members to get in the reading each week. If we were reading one chapter per week, the book study could stretch out for several weeks, even months, depending on the length and density of the book. Audio Bible studies take away the reading deadline. Every group member shows up prepared. As we noted earlier, audio Bible studies tend to be shorter and more tightly focused, allowing the group to cover more ground in a shorter period of time than many book studies allow.
If you’ve got busy members in your small group or Bible study, or as leader you don’t have loads of time to prepare something new each week, an audio Bible study might be just what your group needs. While you’re here, why not begin by checking out the library of episodes and series right here at Groundwork. Each episode is a nice 30-minutes in length and dig deep into the scriptural topics.