Berean Groups

WHAT IS A BEREAN GROUP?

A small group (preferably 4-6) of men or women (same sex groups) who are committed to growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ through the study of the Word of God. Typically, a group will choose a book of the Bible and then walk through that book, segment by segment. 

 

PERSONAL COMMITMENTS OF BEREAN GROUP MEMBERS

1. To spend an hour every day (seven hours/week) in time with the Lord:

   • Four of the seven hours: personal Bible reading, prayer, or talking with others about things of the Lord / figuring out how to apply aspects of the Lord’s way (with wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/kids/friends/parents), church service, etc. Personal time in the Bible &/or prayer should not be wholly replaced by corporate time. 

   • One of the seven hours: in the segment of the Bible that the entire group has agreed on in order to be able to contribute to the discussion in the Berean group weekly meeting with the other members of the group..

   • Two of the seven hours in a weekly meeting with the other members of the group.

2. To encourage/strengthen the other members of the group in their relationship with the Lord

       (i.e. text, e-mail, phone, sharing meals, connecting families together, ministry trips etc.).

 

GROUP MEETING FORMAT

• Each member of the group shares in the discussion of what God has taught them in the last week during their personal time in the Word (esp. the hour spent in the common passage). As the person shares, other members are encouraged to comment on, ask questions of, and interact with each other; ensuring however that one person does not dominate all the time. 

• One person can be the ongoing facilitator, or the members of the group can take turns.

• Common group formats: 

  • 1. The facilitator shares what they have learned from the first few verses and then opens it up for others to share and comment.  Then they move to the next few verses and continue this way until the end of passage.

  • 2. Walk through the passage verse by verse, each one taking turns in sharing an initial observation of their verse before opening it up to the rest. 

• Application is key. The underlying question during the meeting should be: how does this apply to my life? Or why do we think God made sure to put THIS passage in the Bible?

• The discussion in the group needs to remain around the Word and the application of it. It can be easy to get side-tracked around people’s opinions instead of what the Word says.

 

TIME IN THE WORD

1. A Berean group member’s time in the Word is not to be spent in commentaries, study bible notes or other sources commenting on the Bible, it is to be strictly spent in the Word. This is not to say that these are not helpful, but they are sources talking about the Bible. The commitment to time in the Word means simply that… time in the Word.  If one is stuck however, then outside sources can be consulted as a last resort.

2. As an individual is studying the Bible, he/she may want to look up other scriptures that will give light to the scripture they are reading at the moment. This is not only a good idea, but recommended. These other scriptures may be thought of by the individual or seen in a cross-reference Bible. Therefore a cross-reference Bible is recommended.  

3. If an individual then finds themselves studying that tangent, this is great as one is still in the Word. This Berean member should plan to share what they’ve learned in the next meeting.