Some of the best small group times are often largely due to the questions that are asked. Here are some guidelines to help you create some good questions to ask when you lead a Bible study.
Types of Question
There are three main types of question that can be used when leading a Bible Study:
Observation Questions - What do we observe from the text? What does it actually say?
Interpretation Questions - What do we interpret by it? What does it mean?
Application Questions - How can we apply it? How should this knowledge affect us?
Creating Questions
Read the passage. Read the passage again. Why do you think it was written? Read the passage again and divide it into short sections that cover the main points of the passage. Give an appropriate title to each section to remind you what is contained in each one. A whole chapter may be too long to study in 35 minutes. If so, choose one or two sections from the chapter. Make key observations of those sections. Turn those observations into Observation Questions.
eg. Observation: Jesus says we should....
Observation Question: "What things does Jesus say we should do in these verses?"
For each observation ask yourself what it means or whether there are any difficult words or phrases that need unpacking. Turn these interpretations into Interpretation Questions.
eg. Interpretation: Jesus says we should do this because...
Interpretation Question: "Why do you think Jesus tells us to do these things?"
For each section ask yourself how you might be able to apply the things you have learnt. Turn these applications into Application Questions.
eg. Application: I need to do what Jesus says.
Application Question: "How are we going to do this?"
Questions to Launch and Guide
Observation, interpretation and application questions are there to launch the discussion. You may need to use other questions to guide the group however.
eg. What do others think?
Evaluating your Questions
Is my question short and clear?
Does it require a one word answer or is it a stimulator for discussion? (Preferably the latter although not always the case with observation questions)
Am I biasing the answer by my question?
