📖 Reading: Video Transcript: Bible Study

Lecture 5: Bible Study in Men’s Ministry

Professor Steve Elzinga

All right, welcome back. My name is Steve Elzinga, and you’re in the How to Have a Successful Men’s Ministry course. Whether you’re leading it or whether you’re starting it, it doesn’t matter. Hopefully you’re getting something out of it.

And in this lecture, I want to talk about Bible study. I mean, this is probably the heart of a men’s group. Obviously, somehow, we have to get to the Bible. We have to do prayer. We have to do these basic disciplines of the Christian walk. And so this is probably one of the most important lectures in this series.

And I think this is an area where a lot of men’s groups sort of flounder. I think this is an area where a lot of leaders feel inadequate. This is where the men’s group looks to the pastor. “Pastor, you lead our Bible study part. We can do everything else, but we don’t know how to do this Bible thing.” So a lot of guys are pretty intimidated.

And I want to start there—with your own fear.

Facing Our Fears

All right, let’s just be honest, and let’s just go through a few fears that we have.

I think a lot of men, a lot of leaders—perhaps you—you feel like you lack knowledge or expertise. You didn’t go to Bible school. You didn’t go to seminary. Now maybe you’re here at CLI, and you’re getting some confidence, but even pastors sometimes feel like they just never know enough, like they have to be experts in the Bible. And who really is that expert?

Or maybe you just have a fear of being judged or criticized. “I’m leading, and maybe I’m leading it poorly. Maybe I give a bad interpretation. Maybe I don’t ask the right questions. Maybe I dominate the group. Maybe I don’t know how to discipline the group, how to rein people in.”

And if the Bible study doesn’t go well, for whatever reason, then you feel like you’re failing.

Another fear: public speaking. Some men have great thoughts in their heads. They prepare, they have all these points written down, but when they start speaking, it’s like their mind goes blank. Maybe that’s you. You’ve got great things to say in the solitude of your own room, but when you speak publicly it just comes out as mumbo jumbo. And then you fear people are thinking, “This guy doesn’t really know what he’s doing.”

There’s also the fear of rejection or resistance. You try to make a point and people don’t follow it, or they resist it. Or maybe someone else is doing better than you are.

Then there’s insecurity, self-doubt. “I can’t do this. I can’t lead. Who am I to think that I can lead a men’s group?”

And then the fear of failure. Failure of the Bible study itself, or failure of the men’s ministry as a whole. Maybe attendance dips. Guys are busy with other things, they don’t show up. And so every men’s meeting you’re nervous, looking for the cars in the parking lot, and your worth feels dependent on how many men show up.

Another fear: you don’t know what to study. You had a study that lasted six weeks and went pretty well, but now what? What are you going to do next week? You go to the Christian bookstore or online, but there are so many options. You order one and it’s not very good. A lot of Bible studies just aren’t good. So there’s tension around what to study.

Fears of the Men in the Group

But it’s not just the leader with fears. The men themselves have fears when they come to Bible study.

Why do some men not like Bible study? Why do they not look forward to it? Not all men, but many men.

First, men fear they lack knowledge. You ask a question and want participation, but no man wants to stand up and risk giving the wrong answer. “What if I don’t know what I’m talking about? What if I look foolish?”

Second, men fear being judged. Even if others don’t criticize out loud, they worry people are thinking, “That was dumb. He talks too much. He’s a blowhard.”

Third, men fear public speaking. Even in a small group, if you’re asked directly, “John, what do you think?” suddenly the spotlight is on you. Some men freeze, lose their train of thought, and get embarrassed.

Fourth, men fear rejection or isolation. If I share honestly, people might judge me politically or personally and then avoid me.

Fifth, insecurity and self-doubt. “I don’t know if I can succeed in this setting. I don’t know if I can contribute.”

Sixth, the fear of vulnerable expression. Sharing your personal story opens you up. “What will they do with this information? Will they gossip? Will my weakness be used against me?”

Seventh, men fear lack of relevance. “We’re studying Ezekiel, but how does this help me deal with my marriage or my family tomorrow morning?”

So both leaders and participants have fears. That’s why Bible study can feel like walking through a minefield.

Mitigating Fears: Ground Rules

So what do we do? We admit the fears, and then we set some basic ground rules.

1. No fixing unless asked for. If a man shares something personal, don’t immediately jump in with advice unless he asks. Otherwise, men feel like they’re being attacked.
2. No sharing outside the group. What’s said in the group stays in the group. Trust is essential.
3. No wrong answers. Let opinions be shared. The group will naturally gravitate toward the best answers. Don’t shut men down.
4. No arguing. Men are competitive, and arguments shut others down. Encourage input without turning it into a contest.
5. Yes to encouragement. Even if someone’s answer is off, thank them for sharing. Encourage risk-taking in conversation.
6. Yes to participation. Draw out the quiet men. Go around the circle with a simple question. Allow men to “pass” if they want.

These rules lower the temperature and build safety.

Approaches to Bible Study

There are two basic ways: topical or passage-based.

• Topical. Ask men what topics they want to study—work, parenting, marriage, money, social issues. Then find where the Bible speaks about that. Send men home to look up passages. Next week, you’ll have plenty of material. Keep it simple.
• Passage or book study. Pick a book of the Bible—Acts, Ephesians, the parables. Read together, underline what stands out, and ask each man why he underlined it. Then ask, “What do you think God might be saying to you through this?” This allows even men with little knowledge to succeed.

The goal is not to produce theological experts but to help men talk about the Bible and connect it to their lives.

Easing Into Application

One of the biggest challenges in Bible study is application. Many pre-made studies ask questions that are too broad and too deep too quickly. “When were you depressed like Elijah?” That’s overwhelming.

Instead, ease men in. Start with surface-level, simple questions. For example:

• “Tell me three jobs you’ve had.”
• “Which one did you enjoy the most, and why?”
• “Which one did you dislike the most, and why?”
• “Was there a specific incident that illustrates that?”

Men can answer those. Then slowly go deeper. “How did you feel when you lost that job? How does Elijah’s story connect with that?”

See, you start wide, then narrow, then apply. Men need help easing into the deeper water.

Conclusion

Bible study in men’s ministry doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about creating a safe, encouraging space where men can read Scripture together, talk about what stands out, and slowly connect it to their real lives.

Leaders don’t have to be experts. Men don’t have to have all the answers. What they need is a framework of honesty, encouragement, and relevance. If you can do that, your men’s Bible study can move from intimidating to life-changing.