Home Church Bible Studies: Four Guides
There are many ways to dig into scripture with your home church or small group. Many groups simply read through a book of the Bible, chapter by chapter, noting observations and questions as they go, or take a Manuscript Study format. The approach you take depends on the group and their expectations, but for some groups, it can be helpful to have some kind of material to shape your study together, and give some direction as you learn.
Here are four Bible study guides that we recommend. Some are available as physical products (talk to Knox pastoral staff about purchasing them for your home church!) and some are available as digital downloads.
Signature Bible Studies - various authors (IVP)
These are organised by topic (rather than by book of the Bible) and are a great resource for groups that would like to explore themes like justice, worship, prayer, or evangelism. They’re written by experts in a variety of disciplines.
The Good And Beautiful Bible Study - Alabaster Co., Brian Chung and Bryan Ye-Chung
Encompassing 30 diverse stories from both the Old and New Testament, each chapter explores a biblical story, its key themes, and how it relates to our lives. Each reading is accompanied by a series of reflection questions and prompts to spark conversation. This resource would be a good starting point for people who are new to the Bible or to faith. It would work well as an individual resource or for a small group. See also Alabaster Guided Meditations for a lector divina/visio divina resource from the same publisher. These resources are beautiful and very visually appealing, which can be helpful for people who appreciate great design and thoughtful imagery.
Single Session Bible Studies - The Bible Project
These standalone, topical studies are great for a single evening (or pick several on a similar theme and do them over the course of a few weeks). These ones are free, include a video (great for different learning styles) and have rich, thought provoking questions.
Intervarsity Bible Studies - Various authors
This series of Bible studies is very simple to use and accessible for people who are new to faith and who have been around for a while. The simplicity makes them easy to build on, and add to. Some (Hebrews) are free, others have a cost for the physical resources.