Conducting Progressive Home Bible Studies
1 What is it that a nurse in Tanzania, a youngster in Argentina, and a mother in Latvia have in common? The 1997 Yearbook (pp. 8, 46, and 56) reports that all three made rapid progress in their home Bible studies, thanks to their willingness to have more than one session each week in the Knowledge book. It has been recommended that whenever possible, publishers should endeavor to discuss one chapter of the book during each study session. However, some find that it is a challenge to do so. Although much will depend on the circumstances and the aptitude of each student, experienced teachers have found success by implementing the following suggestions.
2 As was discussed in the June 1996 Our Kingdom Ministry insert, it is necessary to train your students to prepare for the study. At the very start, it would be good to explain and demonstrate how this is done. Show them your personal study copy of the Knowledge book. Prepare the first lesson together. Help the students to find the key words or phrases that directly answer the printed question and then underline or highlight them. Some publishers have even given their students a highlighting marker. Encourage them to look up all the scriptures as they prepare for the study. In the process, you will also be training them to prepare for attending the Congregation Book Study and the Watchtower Study.—Luke 6:40.
3 A good teacher will draw out the student and not talk too much himself. He avoids becoming sidetracked on minor points. Rarely would he bring in outside material. Instead, he highlights the main points of the lesson. Some have provided students with additional literature to help them find answers to questions. Further, interested ones will receive additional detailed information through attending congregation meetings.
4 It may not be necessary to look up all the cited scriptures in the lesson. Some main points might be explained from the quoted texts in the paragraph. During the review, highlight the key scriptures that were discussed and encourage the student to remember these.
5 How Long Should Each Session Last?: The study need not be limited to one hour. Some householders have time available and may desire to study longer. Or the student may wish to study more than once a week. This would be beneficial for those who can do so.
6 As Isaiah 60:8 portrays, today hundreds of thousands of new praisers of Jehovah “come flying just like a cloud, and like doves to their birdhouse holes” into the congregations of his people. Let all of us do our part in working closely with Jehovah as he speeds up the ingathering of sheeplike ones.—Isa. 60:22.