Small Groups

As you may guess, A Small Group is a gathering of people, usually all from the same dorm, who meet regularly to 1) study and discuss a part of the Bible, and 2) be in community with each other (through prayer, accountability, and service).

Small Groups on Campus

Times and locations tend to vary from week to week: contact your small group leader for more info.

There are also plenty of small groups hosted by other campus ministries or local churches. Contact Joel (jdselkin(at)uchicago) or John (jwk) for more details.

Attending a Small Group

If you've never done this before, don't worry: it's easy to figure out what's happening. You don't need to prepare anything or bring anything to Small Group, except a Bible (if you have one). However, it's helpful if you do the following:

• Be on time. It's hard to have a good discussion if everyone trickles in late. Often one of the first things you do in Small Group is read over the passage you are studying that evening--if you miss this part, you're playing catch-up for the rest of the group time.
• Bring a Bible. Although the leader will probably have an extra Bible or two, he/she usually won't have enough for all. Help out by bringing your own, if you have one. IVCF Small Groups tend to use either the NIV or NASB. You can find cheap Bibles at the Seminary Co-Op.
• Participate. Small Groups work best when everyone contributes. Ask questions, share insights, and feel free to disagree! Not only do you make the group better, you'll get more out of it. This is true even if it's your first time reading the passage, and everybody else in the group can recite the Greek from memory. Speak up!
• Be humble. You aren't getting graded on your performance. (Pride kept me from learning this for a while: don't make the the same mistake!) If you've got only a half-formed thought, toss it out and see if someone else has the other half. Feel free to say, "I don't know," "I didn't understand that," or "Can we go over that part again?"
• Stay focused. Although tangents and anecdotes can be fun, if we explored every side path we've never move along the main road. The leader is usually trying to reach a specific stopping point and make progress from week to week, so help the discussion along by limiting yourself to the text.
• Application! The point of our study isn't merely to understand the text, but to ask, "How does this apply my life?" Unlike, say, a Hum or Soc discussion, we aren't looking for complex meanings or original interpretations. Instead, we try to figure out: what does the text ask us to do--and how does it impact our classes, our leisure time, and our life?
• Come regularly. You get a lot more out of a Small Group if you come every week, rather than popping in once a month. (Don't let that stop you from coming, if that's all your other commitments allow. But if you can, make it a regular practice.)

Bible Study Resources

If you want to read over a passage, or if you have a question that bugs you about the Bible, here are some good websites (in the web-servant's opinion, that is):

The Bible Gateway
The entire Bible in NIV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, and more. You can browse by chapter and verse, search by keyword, or go topically through the Bible.

World Wide Study Bible (WWSB)
A project of the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, this has links to versions the Bible Gateway doesn't cover, plus commentaries, devotionals, and sermons from historical Christian figures like Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, or St. John Chrysostom organized by chapter and verse.

Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words
While not a substitute for knowing Greek, Vine's is invaluable for folks like me who aren't familiar with the original language of the New Testament. You can look up an English word, and see which of (perhaps several) Greek words/concepts it expresses.

Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament
Much like Vine's above, Robertson will show you key concepts of the Greek text. Select by chapter and verse. While you're there, you might browse the entire Bible Study Tools page of Crosswalk.

IVP "Bible Speaks Today" Commentary Series (selected New Testament)
The Bible Speaks Today commentary series, published by InterVarsity Press, is one of the best commentary series out there. IVP is making selected portions of the New Testament series available online: see if your study passage is included!

Quiet Time Online
Many people do daily Bible study as part of a daily Quiet Time. Find out all about it from IVP's Quiet Time Bible site.

InterVarsity Press/Amazon Bible Study Store
Lots of great study guides, such as IVP's LifeGuide studies, are only available in print. Although you will find them cheaper at InterVarsity conferences like Winterfest and Cedar Campus, the prize for convenience definitely goes to online purchasing.

Leading a Small Group

Some people love to lead small groups. It's easy for them to come up to start good discussions, make sure everyone gets a chance to speak, and answer all the arcane questions about the Septuagint vs. the Masoretic text. I am not one of those people. So I have lots of places I go for help:

Learn by doing: the best way to develop small group leadership is to lead a discussion, preferably with an experienced leader observing you and offereing feedback afterwards. You can do this at Small Group Leader Training (SGLT) at Cedar Campus.

Read a book: Because you're not the only one with questions, InterVarsity Press (IVP) publishes the Small Group Leader Handbook. Check it out. You'll also want to visit the IVP small group leader page, which has an amazing amount of useful information from the authors plus tips from leaders around the country.

Tips online: In addition to the IVP site listed above, you can also find small group tips on the national website. Check out IVCF's bible studies page for lots of sample studies and tips on bible study methods.

Investigative Bible Discussions (IBDs)

Not a "church type?" Still have questions after reading Matthew in Hum? Maybe just wondering what Christianity's about? Come to an IBD, where you can ask questions and talk with one or two chapter members. If know an IVCF member, corral them and tell them you want to do an IBD. If you don't know anyone, email me and I'll put you in touch with the appropriate folk.

Leading an IBD: The GIG resources page on the IVCF national website has articles about starting an IBD and facilitating the discussion. You can also find sample IBD studies here as well.

If you have a favorite website for this list, please send it along...