Grace Bible Studies
Most people want a silver bullet, but rarely do they exist. There is no such thing as the “perfect bible study” for college students. But if you have ever wondered, “where do i find a great bible study series for students that is biblical, well thought out, and proven in the field (and maybe “free”)? Look no further. This proven tool from Grace Bible Church has been used by thousands of the Aggies in College Station, Texas (don’t hold that against them) for over a decade. These studies have been field tested extensively and have been consistently updated to reflect student feedback each year. Included in this collection are 18 different small group Bible Studies ranging from studying specific books of the Bible to helpful topics such as the essentials of our faith.
Inductive Bible Studies
2 Timothy, Ruth, 1 Corinthians, Colossians, James, Ephesians, Titus, 1 Peter, Philippians, & Romans (in 2 parts).
Topical Bible Studies
Essentials of Faith, Miracles of Christ, His Story (from Creation to the future Kingdom), The Psalms, Advent of Christ (preparing for Christmas), Prayer, & ‘That I May Know You’ (attributes of God).
How to use it
Say you’ve got college students begging you to learn more about their Bible…because that happens all the time right?! Well if you’d like to call their bluff then you’ve got 11 inductive Bible studies to choose from. They will not only thoroughly guide them through a book of the Bible, but will train them in how to actually interpret the scripture accurately and apply it to their lives.
They can be kind of intense (academically speaking) so make sure that if you are going to use it for a group setting that everyone is signed on to go the distance in learning how to read their Bible. Otherwise it could be overwhelming and potentially discouraging.
Perhaps you know a student that is relatively new to their faith and definitely does not need to learn Greek (yes…some of the inductive studies include bonus Greek word studies). For these students the Topical Studies might be a better fit. These work well in helping students get their feet wet in the realm of growing in their faith through the word. Whether it is the Essentials study helping them build a good foundation, or it is the Advent study helping them have a Spirit filled Christmas (maybe even their first!), the topical studies can aide in a student’s spiritual growth and appreciation of the word.
Both styles of studies serve as an all-in-one workbook that even have space to write in answers and notes. They can be downloaded free and printed out in full color (or if you’re on a budget black and white works just as well). It is appropriate for students to work through them individually, in one on one sessions with disciplers, or even in a group setting.
Tip: If you’re leading a group with one of these studies you probably want to give yourself at least 20 minutes to go through it on your own first. That way you can focus on the group dynamics rather than the content. Also, if you don’t want your group to have a dry academic feel (with both types of studies) you may want to prepare some fun ice breakers or open ended discussion questions to get the group connecting.