Survey: Looking for a Bible Study Group

[justme6272]

The purpose for these questions is to compare the answers of others with my own and use them to evaluate my own circumstances. Unless otherwise indicated, 'church' is referring to a traditional brick and mortar house of worship with exterior markings indicating such. 'Class' is referring to a relatively small Bible study group, wherever it may be held and whatever ties it may or may not have to any church.

1. What things would you look for in deciding if a class warrants your time and attendance?

2. Were you raised to always be in church on Sunday when physically able?

3. Does part of being in church on Sunday have to include 'Sunday School' time for you (or whatever a given church is calling it's classes). If not, would you still prefer having it?

4. How easily could you skip church altogether on Sundays if you were meeting up with other believers during the week? Is this your situation now? (i.e. a 'home group,' or 'community group' meeting in someone's home. Or even a 'house church' with no ties to another church.)

5. Which is a greater motivation for you to attend a class, learning more about scripture, or being social? In other words, is showing up more for increased Bible knowledge, or to make and see friends? If both, what % of importance would you assign to any or all of your reasons? (i.e. 40% learning, 40% social, 20% getting out of the house).

6. How important to you is having things in common with the PEOPLE in the CLASS (not church) such as age, educational level, beliefs, kid's ages, marital status, socioeconomic status, coats and ties, piercings, tattoos, cowboy boots, or lack thereof? What's MOST important?

7. Would it be troubling to you if you attended a class of 10 or more people and not one person laughed the entire time?

8. With so many archived sermons from so many pastors going back decades being made available on the Internet, do you actively seek out and/or make use of favorite online pastors on a regular basis? Who do you listen to online? Mostly or exclusively?

9. If #8 is yes, do they provide more productivity in learning per hour spent when compared to anyone else you know of in your locale?

10. Have you or anyone you know of who isn't physically homebound stopped attending church and/or classes entirely, in favor of radio ministries, online sermons, and/or live or on-demand Internet church broadcasts? If so, what did they stop attending and what do they favor?

11. If you were to reach the point where you felt like your Bible study time was more convenient and productive at home on your own and/or online when compared to meeting up with people, would you attend local classes anyway? If so, why? Would you attend church services?

12. Are you retired? Do you leave your home mainly to buy groceries, run store errands, or go to church?

13. Do you have any experience working with or serving the homeless?

14. Would you feel guilty of abandonment if you left a class that contained an unusually high percentage of people with abnormal personal issues? (Guilt due to the fact that you would no longer be supporting that particular group in any way, even if support had only been due to your presence).

15. Have you ever felt like your priorities in choosing a class weren't what they should be? If so, what had they been, and what were you able to do about it, if anything?

16. Have you ever felt stuck or in a routine rut when it comes to a class you've been in? If so, what did you do about it, if anything?

17. Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in anywhere in town - classes, churches, or both? What did you do about it, if anything?

Please number your answers, skipping any questions or parts of questions you don't wish to answer. Thanks.

 

[PloverWing]

1. The thing I most look for and hope for in a study group is that it will challenge me intellectually -- that I will learn from the class or come away from it thinking about issues in a new way. If that's not possible, then I enjoy a good discussion.

2. Yes.

3. No, but I would enjoy it if an interesting class were available.

4. I would not be satisfied by a home group. If I did replace formal-church worship with a home group meeting, I would want the home group to use a Prayer Book liturgy (or a very similar liturgy) and to celebrate Communion at least once a week.

5. About 75% learning, 25% social.

6. Most of those things aren't important. Restricting the class to people who match my gender, age, marital status, etc., excludes interesting people from the class.

8. Rarely. I benefit more from reading books by Christian writers.

11. I might still attend classes; it would depend on the class. I would definitely attend worship on Sundays.

12. I work full time.

13. Yes, our church participates in a homeless ministry.

16. I have attended classes in which I felt like I wasn't learning anything and didn't have much in common with the other people in the class. I confess I drifted away.

 

[Tolworth John]

The questions are irrelevent, all you need is a church where the preach is preaching from the bible and is working his way through a book of the bible or preaching on characteristics of God. If all you get are gospel messages with an appeal try another church.