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What I Learned Doing a Neighborhood Bible Study

Posted in Evangelism, Life in the Church, Mission, Vision

Last fall Jordan and Ashley Liggitt did a Bible study with a group of their neighbors. We asked Jordan about how it went and what he learned along the way.

Jordan, can you describe your basic plan with the Bible study?
We wanted to meet neighbors we didn't know well and get to know them. Extended context for sharing the gospel—not the elevator pitch version, but talking through God and sin, Christ, all the different aspects and giving it the time it deserved.

We talked to our neighbors and saw who was interested. Three to four families were interested. We used Christianity Explored which goes through the gospel of Mark. We adapted it for a four-week study.

What did you do to prepare for it?
I read Mark a bunch of times. I like how the study was broken into different topics each week. Each time I read Mark I had an eye for that topic--grace, the cross, etc. The study had prepared lecture notes, but I was also familiar with the different stories and parables.

Some of the folks didn't regularly go to church, so there was some reaching for references they weren't sure about. It was helpful to know the book well to respond to their questions.

After the first session, we knew more where people were coming from. It was easier to prepare more specifically and to anticipate their questions.

We also prayed ahead of time.

How many people did you invite?
This was the third time we had tried it. The first time it was six families, but it didn't go anywhere. The second time it went about the same. The third time (this time) we invited five families and three of those came, but a couple more joined afterwards.

How many showed up?
We ended up with four or five families.

What was encouraging for you?
How willing people were to talk about what they believed. I was surprised by that. One of the families were strong believers, but everyone was open about what they believed. They were very willing to learn if they weren't quite right about things they thought.

My two polar opposite fears were that everyone was saved and this would be a waste of time, and that everyone would be antagonistic. Neither of these happened. People were happy to talk and learn.

What was challenging for you?
There was more fear than I expected. I've led discussions for years. It was like going back to the first time I ever led. I would get really nervous, before each one, which I wasn't expecting.

What have been the lasting effects of it?
We know our neighbors a lot better—a lot better. Their back stories, their anxieties, what's going on with them. So that means better conversations. It wouldn't be weird to invite them to dinner. A couple have invited us over for things. And because it was spiritual conversation that brought us together, there's more of an opening to talk about spiritual things.

What would you do differently next time?
Believe it or not, I wouldn't try to fit it into four weeks. It's a balance—don't want to invite people to a 3-year study. But it did feel rushed at times. Also, attendance can be hit-or-miss, so a longer study would allow for more absences, which inevitably happen.

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