What Are Catholics Looking For In a Parish Bible Study?

[Fidelis]

Another poster made this observation on a previous thread:

For the past nine months, I’ve been looking forward to my parish’s Bible study class which started about four weeks ago. I’m more disappointed than I can say. We get into groups, answers about 10 study questions and that’s it. There’s no one to lecture on the reading assignment, etc. I was hoping to have someone tell me something I couldn’t read for myself. No such luck.

As someone who prepares and leads parish Bible studies, that got me thinking: when Catholics are motivated to join a parish Bible study, what do they want to see? What format and topics would be helpful? Do you want it to be mostly sharing, or taught? Should it be topical (a different subject each week), based just on the Sunday readings, or book by book? Should it be a limited and periodic series, or permanently week after week (or every two weeks, or monthly, etc)? How much commitment should the group demand from attendees? How much are you willing to pay for materials? Etc, etc…you tell me.

I’m speaking mostly to average Catholics (not us catechist types), because I think the expectations may be different from what is --or what we think should be – offered. All replies are appreciated! :tiphat:

 

[rwoehmke]

I can’t say what most people want in a Bible Study, but first let’s differentiate between Bible Study and Bible Sharing Groupss. Bible Study involve using other sources of info in addition to the Bible by all in the group, whereas Bible Sharing is pretty much more like a prayer group using mostly only a Bible. The one mentioned by the OP sounds like one of the Little Rock series, read, answer questions, share. In our parish we do two of these a year. One before Advent and a second during lent. The cost less than $20 and seem to be well received. There are similar ones from other sources. We also have been doing a longer one for each of the last three years, The Bible Time Line and The Gospel of Matthew by Jeff Cavins which requires reading, answering questions, sharing, and ending the session with a video or taped lecture. We did a similar one on the Gospel of John. These run about six months meeting once per week and cost a little less than $50. We got anywhere from 25 to 40 people for these. I expect cost and time committment prevent some from doing them. I much prefer the longer ones. What is nice about the published studies is the determinate time and scope of the study. One bites off only a lttle at a time.
There are also some do-it-yourself ones on the internet which aren’t half bad, but which lack the sharing of a group which I really like.
The Cavins ones in my opinion are really superb(see bibletimeline.com).

 

[lak611]

My parish uses Little Rock Scripture Study. We have been doing Bible studies for about 5 years now. We meet every Sunday from September to the end of May except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter weekends. The Little Rock Scripture Study is great because it includes a video discussion each week that we use if we do not have a guest speaker to discuss that week’s chapters/verses. The guest speaker and/or the video add to the weekly discussion questions and we have enough solid material to discuss for an hour and a half.:bible1:

 

[puzzleannie]

time after time in parish after parish we have polled adults on this topic. when we present what they ask for, a good academic, solid bible study that really digs into the scripture, looks at its meaning in all 4 intended senses, demands reading and study at home and a consistent commitment, we get 30-40 signed up and end up with 5-6 people who attend but never do the homework, and therefore miss out on 90% of the benefit of the study. I feel our time could be better spent in other efforts.

we have two adult classes going on now: basic apologetics and Our Father’s plan, both taught by college profs. One is down to 2 attending, one has 4 attending sporadically. this after an intensive effort to poll parish on what adults want and need. people lie on polls taken in Church (they will also lie on Stewardship Sunday, coming up in October). responses to those polls are wishful thinking.

 

[Fidelis]

time after time in parish after parish we have polled adults on this topic. when we present what they ask for, a good academic, solid bible study that really digs into the scripture, looks at its meaning in all 4 intended senses, demands reading and study at home and a consistent commitment, we get 30-40 signed up and end up with 5-6 people who attend but never do the homework, and therefore miss out on 90% of the benefit of the study. I feel our time could be better spent in other efforts.

we have two adult classes going on now: basic apologetics and Our Father’s plan, both taught by college profs. One is down to 2 attending, one has 4 attending sporadically. this after an intensive effort to poll parish on what adults want and need. people lie on polls taken in Church (they will also lie on Stewardship Sunday, coming up in October). responses to those polls are wishful thinking.

Your experience almost exactly mirrors mine, Puzzleannie. It takes a lot of trouble to prepare these things and commit to teaching or leading it, but the participation is ALWAYS abysmal and disappointing.

Maybe the question should be is:

Why won’t Catholics commit to a parish bible study?

Those of you have participated in one and quit: Why didn’t you follow through and finish the series offered, or otherwise drop out?

What would it take to commit?

 

[Eileen_T]

I think you would need to start with young teens and develop the habit for them to attend weekly Bible Study like the Protestants do. Have them grow up expecting to spend Wednesday evening at Bible Study.

For myself, I have hundreds of Catholic books, and the internet, where I do my own study. I want to know what the ECFs and the great Saints have written about a particular passage of Scripture rather than some modern writer or theologian.

When I read something written post-VII I refer back to the Church fathers and Doctors etc to test the fidelity or otherwise of what I have read. But that’s just me.

 

[NotWorthy]

Our parish has about 150-200 families. Two years ago, I was handed the adult class. The previous teacher showed tapes and I was always the first one asleep, which is why I think she gave it to me.

Our class consisted of 6-10 people. I basically took Tim Gray’s presentations from EWTN and put them down on paper, adding my own little touch to them. By the end of last year we had 18 people attending.

This year I made it 30 mintues bible study and 30 minutes Apologetics (more like 40/20). Our class is now consistently over 24 people and is growing, mostly by word of mouth. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve gotten good feedback.

 

[Victorious]

I’d settle for basic Catholic orthodoxy.

 

[carol_marie]

Solid teaching. No homework. Child care provided.

What I do NOT want: small group social sort of gathering - sharing struggles & intimate details of our lives. I’ve been to LOTS of Protestant bible studies like that where someone will say, “Are there any prayer requests?” And then we’ll spend the next 2 hours listening to everyone’s troubles.

Some people love that sort of thing… not me.

 

[Pug]

when Catholics are motivated to join a parish Bible study, what do they want to see?

I won’t answer for me now, but for me many moons ago. I joined one because I knew that I knew nothing, so I wanted to learn exactly what was in there in a structured way. It is hard to read the prophets if you have no clue about the exile or any history. I also wanted to not get hung up on stuff that made no sense to me, weird stuff about the eye and light or burning up animal fat. I didn’t want a group that sat around and talked about their problems, nor did I want to discuss as a group how to answer questions on how to apply a parable to our lives or something, which is what I ended up with, so I quit.

 

[Fidelis]

The last two posts have been very helpful. No navel gazing, commiseration, but instead informative teaching and presentation. This is the kind of info I’m looking for.

Anyone else? Let me repeat the key questions:

• Why won’t Catholics commit to a parish bible study?
• Those of you have participated in one and quit: Why didn’t you follow through and finish the series offered, or otherwise drop out?
• What would it take for you to commit/keep coming back?

 

[carol_marie]

What would it take for you to commit/keep coming back?

If the teacher was enthusiastic about the material, I would be also. If the material was well developed & informative - AND if we didn’t drift off topic. I’d keep coming back.

donuts are always a big motivation as well.