Many of us are looking for ways to help people understand the importance of Bible study groups and encouraging people to make participation in a Bible study group a priority (see the Guide to Reengagement for more ideas). One way of doing so is by finding ways of supporting Bible study groups in our corporate worship times. Making a reference to a main point in the study for that day and being involved in a Bible study group ourselves are great starting places, but there are other ways we can support our Bible study groups through worship. We could include sermons and songs that connect to the study as well. There are three resources that can help make this less taxing.
Idea One: Sermon Ideas
If you are the pastor and prepare sermons that complement the Bible study lessons, Lifeway provides sermon outlines that can help you get started. These are posted four months prior to the first Sunday of a quarter. These are not simply outlines of the lesson being taught by your Sunday School leaders. Instead, these sermons offer supporting ideas to those studies. The sermon may focus on one verse or section of the passage being studied, focus on a verse in the context section, look at related passages, examine a passage that quotes the section being studied, or give context to the key doctrine for that week. These are written by pastors specifically for this purpose and are free.
Idea Two: Kids songs
An enhanced CD and DVD are included in the Explore the Bible: Kids Toolkit. The CD includes songs for kids that support the lessons for that quarter. The lyrics for the songs are also included as a file on the CD. The DVD includes the same songs in video format, usually with the words appearing on the screen with the song being played in the background. A few will include motions that accompany the song, but not all of them will be done that way.
Either one of these items could be incorporated into a corporate worship service. Since Explore the Bible Kids is on a little different study plan than students and adults, featuring the Kids songs helps parents connect with the lesson being studied by their children. This may even afford an opportunity for kids to be involved in leading the congregation in worship when one of these songs are used.
Idea Three: Weekly music idea in the adult Leader Guide
Each adult session features a music idea that supports that study. The idea includes a suggested way for the teacher to use the idea in the group time. This idea is found on the More Ideas page in the Adult Leader Guide, which is the last page for each session. A wide variety of music styles are used through the course of the quarter. You would still need to secure the music and will find many of these songs available through LifewayWorship.com.
Using any or all of these in combination would be one way we can support our Bible study groups through our worship. Especially when using the music ideas we would want to connect the dots for the people in worship, letting them know how that song relates to the lesson for that day. These ideas can help us do a better job of connecting to the work being done in our church’s Bible study groups while giving us some food for thought in our planning. We also may find the leaders in our Bible study groups encouraged that we made an effort to support them in the process.