10 Reasons Why People Participate in a Bible Study Group

Commitment in society has declined significantly in recent years. This impacts participation in our Bible study groups. Low commitment can lead people to struggle with decisions about whether to visit a class. It can impact decisions about whether to return, drop out, or go to another class. And if they stay, low commitment can impact how often people attend. There are many reasons why people participate in Bible study groups. From among them, I was to focus on ten reasons.

1. Friends. From my experience, the number one reason people visit a group is that a friend invited them. Today, attenders may need to invite friends several times before they attend. People feel more comfortable in a new experience when participating with a friend. And they are more likely to return and stay connected when friends are involved.
2. Invitations. High on the list of reasons is that someone (other than a friend) invited new people to attend. This could be the teacher, the pastor, or a member of the group. In fact, some new people are even more attracted to attend when a group member invites them. This may take place in worship, at school, at work, or in the marketplace.
3. Friendliness. First impressions are often permanent. When friendliness is expressed in worship or in the community, people are more likely to take the risk of attending your groups. When they attend your groups, they are more likely to return if they experience genuine interest and friendliness.
4. Teaching topics. Some people will be attracted to topics the class is covering…even when you are using ongoing curriculum. Communicating topics by text, email, or social media can lead new people to take the risk to attend. Changing topics can also work against you; your guests may not be interested in your next topic. That means you will want to help guests to connect with your group in additional ways beyond topics.
5. Teaching style. Teachers who use a variety of teaching methods tend to attract and keep learners interested and connected. New people may return to the group because the teaching methods addressed their learning style preferences. Ideally, teaching style also connects with several other reasons.
6. Need for help. Some show up at our churches and our groups because they are searching for help. They may be in crisis. This could be grief, relational problems, financial issues, etc. They may be new parents wanting to connect with other parents.
7. Fellowships: socials, projects, and meals. Some won’t show up in our groups until they have been invited to and connect with us during a fellowship. These can be a social, project, or meal as a group, a couple, or individual. Men tend to prefer projects and meals. Women tend to prefer socials and meals. These are great ways to connect members, absentees, AND friends.
8. Age group/affinity. This can be a combination of friends and help. Some people are open to checking out a Bible study group because they are new to the area and wanting to connect with people like them…similar age group, life situation, or interests. This could be newlyweds, newly retired, young professionals, empty nesters, etc.
9. Meeting day/time. Many in our society are working on Sundays. They need a time beyond Sunday morning for a Bible study group. This could be a weeknight, before work on a weekday, weekday lunch, Saturday morning, or even a Sunday night.
10. Location. Some people would prefer a more convenient location for Bible study than the church building. A Bible study group meeting in their neighborhood would be more attractive. Homes can offer a more relaxed environment with a bit more time for relationship-building along with Bible study. Or it might be a Bible study group meeting at the office or factory, before/after work or at lunch would work best.

Why People Participate in Your Group

As you work through the 10 reasons, I hope you can see several opportunities for your Bible study group to connect with new people and keep members connected. Which reason do you believe deserves more attention this year? Who can help you work on taking steps to strengthen this reason? Pray, plan, and take steps this year. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash