Pam was the first person who said, “Yes!” I met her while going door-to-door looking for neighbors who were interested in receiving Bible study guides. I had asked my pastor how I should witness and his response was, “Give Bible studies!”
After preparing the soil of the heart and planting seeds of truth, the next step in disciple-making is to cultivate those interested in spiritual truth by giving a full-message series of Bible studies. Sharing the message of Scripture with others is essential to helping people find a better life on this earth and eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Now there are certainly other ways to share one’s faith, but every Seventh-day Adventist should be willing to give a Bible study. Everyone has friends and work associates. What if one of them asked you what you believed about a Bible topic, such as the Second Coming of Jesus? When you write down several Bible texts to share, you are preparing to give a Bible study!
WHY SHOULD CHURCH MEMBERS BECOME INVOLVED IN BIBLE STUDY MINISTRY?
The purpose of the church should be the same as Christ’s purpose on earth—to seek and to save “lost” people (Luke 19:10). It is through the Bible that people learn about Jesus as Saviour and discover the will of God for their lives. Brought into contact with divine power, they are “born again . . . through the Word of God” (1 Pet 1:23).1 That’s the power of Bible study ministry! It’s why we must “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Just as Jesus sought to rescue people from the clutches of the world through the Word of God, He now calls us to this same ministry. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:17–18). Jesus has sent us into a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women, and the Bible is our sword.
It’s true that our personalities, backgrounds, and abilities are all different. But the good news is that we can all share God’s Word. It doesn’t require a special gift of teaching or evangelism. Early Adventist pioneer Stephen Haskell described two basic abilities needed by those wanting to give Bible studies: they must be able to “tell what God has done for them, and read the Scriptures.”2
Ellen G. White concurs: “Whatever one’s calling in life, his first interest should be to win souls for Christ. He may not be able to speak to congregations, but he can work for individuals.”3 Everyone can work for individuals. And so effective are these personal Bible studies that they should be considered more important than the larger, more extensive meetings. “If we can have but one part done, let it be the individual labor of opening the Scriptures in households.”4
So, giving Bible studies is powerful, simple, and effective. But there’s another reason every member should get involved in this vital ministry. “The more one tries to explain the Word of God to others, with a love for souls, the plainer it becomes to himself.”5 Giving Bible studies helps the one giving the study to grow spiritually.
So, giving Bible studies is powerful, simple, and effective. But there’s another reason every member should get involved in this vital ministry. . . . Giving Bible studies helps the one giving the study to grow spiritually.
Ellen White once saw a vision of a mighty reformation among God’s people. Notice her description: “Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families, and opening before them the word of God.”6 Will you be one of the “hundreds and thousands” seen by Ellen White in vision? Are you willing to be part of this Bible study reformation?
WHAT THE LOCAL CHURCH CAN DO
- Elect a Bible School coordinator7 who organizes a plan to train church members, order Bible study guides, organize materials, establish interest tracking, and develop a budget.
- Encourage various methods of Bible study, such as personal in-home, personal drop-off, small group, online, or correspondence.
- Advertise Bible study offers using online ads, social media, and mass mailings.
- Provide tracts and cards offering Bible studies for personal distribution (include one with every piece of literature) and at church events and programs.
- The Bible School coordinator works with church leaders to lead each student from Bible study (cultivate) to baptism (harvest), and then to share their faith with others (preserve).
1 All biblical quotations are from the NKJV.
2 S. N. Haskell, The Signs of the Times, October 18, 1883, 465.
3 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 822.
4 Ellen G. White, Christian Service (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1925), 121.
5 Ibid., 100.
6 Ibid., 42.
7 See Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 20th ed. (Silver Spring, MD: Secretariat of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2022), 107.
Kurt Johnson, DMin, is an assistant director of the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department at the General Conference, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
5. The Bible School coordinator works with church leaders to lead each student from Bible study (cultivate) to baptism (harvest), and then to share their faith with others (preserve).
