beginning

[Barry Tresback]

Hello, How did you all initiate the Book of Faith initiative in your personal life or in your church.

[Bobbie Steinhauer]

Hi Barry, Our church did a BoF Bible study and went through the book as a group in two separate groups (a Sunday adult study time and a weeknight evening). That inspired a 3-week Amos Study that was a flexible group (we met twice at the church, once at the local pizza place), an online Women of the Bible study and a goal setting system at church over the next year. Upcoming studies include: Advent, Hosea and a face to face Women of the Bible. We also have two members who would like to be mentored into being study leaders.

In my personal life, I'm not a read the Bible in 90's days person. What I realized, however, is that I am a topic or story ready. So, I do the online study and when Women is done, I'll pick something else. My kids are now excited about Bible studies, so my new goal is incorporating it with them. I'm inspired by one of the discussions on BoF that is gross or strange stories in the Bible. If that isn't a 10-12 year old Bible Study looking to happen, I don't know what it.

Blessings in your beginnings. One of my joys of my church is that we laugh together (and sometimes cry) and I wish that for others with BoF. Make it fun and enjoy the studies, laugh out loud together.

[Michael Kohn]

Barry,
At Zion/Lexington, SC, I was TRICKED. I told our Sunday School Superintendent that there was this great new resource out there called Opening the Book of Faith, and that she ought to get someone to offer a 7-wk series to our adults. Without batting an eye, she said, "Well, how about you?" So yours truly is in the midst of the opening salvo with a great group of adults right now. Let us know how you get started.

[Eunice Woodberry]

Our synod is reading through the gospels 2 or three times. We do 1 chapter a day. Various people write comments which are published on a weekly basis. These can be put in the bulletin, newsletter, or just provide the link for the congregation. These are archived on our synod website http://www.swmnelca.org/html/Book%20of%20Faith.html
We will move onto Acts and some of the Epistles next.

[Tracy Bieger]

Hi,
Our church is just beginning this journey. We are asking our congregation to make a "new year's resolution" to read the bible in 2009. We are asking them to sign committment cards, and place them in the offering plate. We will start offering the "Rediscovering the Book of Faith" course in January. I am pretty excited to see how this changes bible studies in general in our church. I hope more people will feel less intimidated to attend scripture based studies in particular. Becoming more fluent in the bible is the key to this.

[Nate Porter]

Bobbie (or anyone else)- Did you do your first study with the intention of creating these other things, or did they arise organically out of interest or what? How did it happen? Our church is starting soon during sunday school hour (trying to involve 7th grade to adult - see thread on intergenerational study) but I we've got a lot of leaders with their own ideas about groups already. I think one of our biggest challenges will be integrating this beyond just the time between services. If we don't do that, then the point is missed though.

Bobbie Steinhauer said:

Hi Barry, Our church did a BoF Bible study and went through the book as a group in two separate groups (a Sunday adult study time and a weeknight evening). That inspired a 3-week Amos Study that was a flexible group (we met twice at the church, once at the local pizza place), an online Women of the Bible study and a goal setting system at church over the next year. Upcoming studies include: Advent, Hosea and a face to face Women of the Bible. We also have two members who would like to be mentored into being study leaders.

In my personal life, I'm not a read the Bible in 90's days person. What I realized, however, is that I am a topic or story ready. So, I do the online study and when Women is done, I'll pick something else. My kids are now excited about Bible studies, so my new goal is incorporating it with them. I'm inspired by one of the discussions on BoF that is gross or strange stories in the Bible. If that isn't a 10-12 year old Bible Study looking to happen, I don't know what it.

Blessings in your beginnings. One of my joys of my church is that we laugh together (and sometimes cry) and I wish that for others with BoF. Make it fun and enjoy the studies, laugh out loud together.

[Pastor Justin Johnson]

Hey Nate,

I noticed the date on your question and realized it was never answered. After we did the Book of Faith, we (the congregation) decided that Bible study should be one of our foci. Since that time as an incentive, I put a fun challenge to the congregation. For every Bible study attended that I taught, each member of the study would get 3 points for the congregation. For every lay led Bible study, those points went up to 5 points each. The goal was to get 1000 points by the end of the year. If that happens, we would have a catered meal. It was just for fun, but encouraged something that was starting to happen naturally.

The biggest thing that is needed though is a pastor who is willing to step back and allow lay led leadership to take over. This is really the key. If the pastor shows up to the lay led Bible study without being invited ahead of time, it is over for that study.

[Nate Porter]

Thanks for that input. I just encountered that last week in a study I was leading when I had specifically asked for responses NOT from myself or the pastor and he prefaced his response with "It's really hard for pastors not to talk..."

We're launching soon, so we'll see how things go.


Pastor Justin Johnson said:

Hey Nate,

I noticed the date on your question and realized it was never answered. After we did the Book of Faith, we (the congregation) decided that Bible study should be one of our foci. Since that time as an incentive, I put a fun challenge to the congregation. For every Bible study attended that I taught, each member of the study would get 3 points for the congregation. For every lay led Bible study, those points went up to 5 points each. The goal was to get 1000 points by the end of the year. If that happens, we would have a catered meal. It was just for fun, but encouraged something that was starting to happen naturally.

The biggest thing that is needed though is a pastor who is willing to step back and allow lay led leadership to take over. This is really the key. If the pastor shows up to the lay led Bible study without being invited ahead of time, it is over for that study.