Creating a Small Group Bible Study on a Passage

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Do you find yourself starting from scratch every time you need to prepare to lead a Bible study or Sunday school class on a Biblical passage? Streamline your preparation with the Group Bible Study layout. All you need to do is select Group Bible Study from the Get Started menu and enter a Bible reference.

In a matter of clicks, you’ll have your Bible passage open in front of you with your favorite study Bible tracking alongside, as well as the Bible Study Builder and the Notes Tool.

Group Bible Study - Reference Layout

The panel in the top left opens your preferred Bible to the reference you’ve entered. Reading the passage several times in your preferred Bible is a great place to start your Bible study prep.

As you read through the passage in your preferred Bible, you can refer to the notes in your top prioritized study Bible in the bottom left panel to learn about historical context and better understand complex passages. Your study Bible is conveniently linked to your preferred Bible, meaning that it stays in sync as you scroll. You can also easily switch between study Bibles by using the parallel resources button Parallel Resources icon.

Note: Want to change which study Bible shows here? Learn more about prioritizing your books.

The Notes Tool in the right tab of the right panel harbors all of the highlights and notes you’ve taken so far in your preparation. Here, you can keep your notes organized by creating a new notebook for your passage. Go through and find any unanswered questions you raised during your prep, and ask any other questions which come to mind. You can use your study Bible and the resources in the Insights Sidebar of your Bible to answer your questions.

Now that you’ve read the passage and have a solid understanding of what it’s saying and its surrounding context, you’re ready to start building your group Bible study in the Bible Study Builder in the left tab of the right panel.

Click the New block dropdown to add headings, normal text, and questions. You can rearrange Bible study elements by dragging and dropping using the Draggable Grab Handle Move icon icon. As you develop your Bible study, don't forget to refer to the notes you've taken in your notebook! 

Finally, use the Add Questions pane to generate and incorporate discussion questions in your study. Enter your passage in the Bible Reference field in the top left to find discussion questions from your library, and click the arrow button Blue Arrow Right icon to add questions to your Bible study. For even more questions than your library can offer, scroll down in the Add Questions pane and click Generate. AI will then generate more study questions about your passage.

When it comes time for your group Bible study, open your Bible study on your device so you can easily follow along with your notes and ensure you cover everything you had planned.

Still need some help? The help resource in the right sidebar walks you through how to use the Group Bible Study layout. Close the panel to increase the screen real estate available for the layout's tools.

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