Every Bible study leader has been there. You leave the meeting, sit in your car, and think, “Wow, that was a stinker.”
Bad Bible study meetings take lots of different forms, but they’re all disappointing. And, depending on how you handle a bad meeting, this disappointment can cling to you and affect your outlook on your friends, your calling, and the church itself.
In this post and the two that follow, I will suggest some ways to move on from a bad Bible study meeting. I hope this helps you process what happened and plan for the future with faith and love.
The first step is to pray.
Why Should We Pray?
Leading a Bible study is a great ministry opportunity, so when a meeting goes sour, it is good to speak with God. After all, we seek supernatural transformation during these meetings! We depend on God to work in us and in our friends.
When we pray, we acknowledge both God’s control and our small place in the world. We need him more than we can fathom, and prayer is the best expression of our dependence on our Father.
Praying can—and should—take several forms. Below, I’ve suggested six ways to pray.
Lament
That Bible study did not go the way you wanted. It did not go the way it should have gone. Bad Bible studies won’t happen in heaven.
It’s okay to sit in the grief of this disappointment before the Lord. It’s more than okay—it’s a good thing. Most Christians need more Biblical lament in their lives. We mourn what’s wrong; we grieve what has been lost; we long for God to make things right.
Invite God to search you
Like King David (Psalm 139:23–24), invite the Lord to search you. Ask him to expose any sin and any mistakes that contributed to the bad Bible study meeting.
Be prepared to sit in silence. Invite and receive conviction from the Holy Spirit. You may find it helpful to journal as you pray.
Confess your sins
If God has convicted you of any sin, confess it to him. It may be impatience, laziness (lack of preparation), failure to love, a critical spirit, or pride. No matter what you have to confess, do so understanding the seriousness of the offense and the warm embrace of God who is eager to assure you of his forgiveness.
Not every bad Bible study meeting is the result of sin on the leader’s part. But this may be a good opportunity to humble yourself before God and repent of any sins related to your study-leading ministry.
Pray for your people
Pray for those people who come to your Bible study group, especially those who attended the bad meeting. Pray that God would protect them from error and frustration, that they would continue to seek God in his Word and grow. Ask God to keep them faithful in their personal devotions, that he would remind them of his presence with them, and that they would return to the next group meeting with enthusiasm.
Pray for each of your friends in the group by name. Pray especially for any people who you think might have contributed to the meeting not going well. Be sure not to harbor bitterness in your heart against them.
Pray for the next meeting
Pray for yourself as you prepare for the next meeting of your Bible study group—that God would give you understanding of his word and love for his people. Pray that God would gather your group together again and that your friends would participate, be honest with each other, and grow in their understanding and application of the Bible. Pray that the Holy Spirit would bless the next group meeting richly.
Give thanks
There are so many reasons to thank God; don’t let one frustrating ministry experience leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Thank him for his Word and for the chance you have to study and help others understand it. Thank God for each of the people in your Bible study group by name—not just for their participation, but for all the gifts they bring to each gathering.
Finally, don’t forget the gospel when you’re giving thanks. God’s love for you does not depend upon your performance or any “good” outcomes from your ministry. Thank God that his love for you is fixed and firm and that you can know this for sure by looking to the work of Jesus: his cross, his empty tomb, and his kingly throne.
It’s Easier Not to Pray
After a bad Bible study meeting, it’s tempting to brush it off, to think it’s no big deal, and to try to forget it as quickly as possible. That’s far easier than praying.
But if we skip this step we miss an opportunity. And we may be overlooking some of the work God is doing in us and in our group. Sometimes these bad experiences show up for just that purpose.
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