Every Explorer’s Bible Study Class begins with a person or a small group saying, “We are feeling led to bring an in-depth Bible Study class to our community or church.” Just know that the leading you are sensing has been a matter of prayer by the members and leaders of EBS for years. More classes mean more people walking in a closer walk with God, and that is our reason for existence!
Start with Prayer
Talk to others you think might be interested in starting a class and begin to pray for guidance, for the future leaders of the class, and for others to respond to the opportunity. Get together and have discussions, prayer, and begin to dream about what God might do. As things develop, begin to pray about a place for the class to meet and for clear direction on when to begin.
Leadership
A new class needs leadership. Ideally this would include the Teaching Leader, Assistant Teaching Leader, Administrator, and a discussion leader for about every 15 people you expect to attend. The leadership should be willing to serve for a minimum of one year and preferably for three years. Here is a description of each role:
- Teaching Director – prepares a dynamic message for the class each week
- Associate Teaching Director – teaches for the Teaching Director periodically, welcomes those interested in joining the class during the class year, and leads the discussion leaders meeting
- Administrator – handles registration, name tags, attendance, and communicating with EBS HQ.
- Children & Youth Director (unless your class is not going to have these classes)
The leadership of a EBS class is asked to submit an application for leadership. Click here to download an application.
Training
We do not just send you some information and wish you the best. We will come to your town and visit with you and do training over a few days. We will do training for every leadership position, how to run a class, and things that most do not think about. We want to get to know you and train you in person. A well trained and prepared class will operate for decades with great impact. We will take the time it takes to make sure you and your team are fully prepared. In addition, every other year we have our EBS Leadership Conference, which is held at a location of an existing class (hundreds of the EBS community attend). At the conference we offer new training for teachers, adminstrators, discussion group leaders and children’s workers. The Conference is a great time of fellowship and spiritual renewal.
Connection
All teachers and leaders are placed into the family of EBS leaders throughout the world. Most likely we will connect you with an established class to form a relationship. You will be invited to come visit a class to see how classes run. Warning… you will want to start your class immediately because you will be so excited about the joy and spiritual growth you witness.
Support
Once we have established that a class will be forming, as mentioned previous, we will meet with the entire team for training. Care and support will be ongoing throughout the years of the EBS class by period visits and continual communication. In addition, you will be supported by the EBS Head Quarters staff for any ongoing support you might need.
Location
A significant factor in the success of the class is the host church. Factors to consider in selecting a host church include: Location, is it convenient and easy to get in and out? Does it have adequate parking, classrooms and large meeting room? Are there rooms on a main floor for folks who have difficulty with stairs? Does the pastor and staff enthusiastically support having a class? Does your best time for having the class conflict with existing church programs?
Some EBS groups meet in other settings like colleges and community centers. The key is to have a safe, convenient, and suitable location that will be welcoming to all who join.
Meeting Day and Time
What day is best for a class to meet? Day classes most commonly meet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Wednesdays in that order. Evening classes typically meet on Mondays, Thursdays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in that order. Day classes are usually all women. Increasingly, our evening classes are CO-ED classes with discussion groups for men, women or CO-ED. Mens classes are typically meet in the evening.
Choice of Course
In this type of Bible Study there is no wrong place to start–but some courses are perhaps better starting places then others. Of our 30-week courses, John and Genesis are suggested for new classes. We also have short courses which groups may select when starting with a shorter time commitment or when starting in the mid-year or during the summer.
Ordering Materials
Call us before ordering any courses, 615-446-7316. The class members will register for the course either on this site or onsite and they are asked to pay for the books at the time of registration. You will also receive free shipping and all the support materials for running the class come to you free of charge.
Promote Your Class.
Talk up the class. Have everyone you expect to join invite others to the first class. Use the EBS invite card. Develop a Facebook page and other social media. Pass out sample lessons. Have social get togethers to talk about the class with interested people. Make it a fellowship time with food in a non-threatening environment. Many classes plan “coffees” before the start of class. These are typically in a home with a manageable size group invited. Consider trying several of these to introduce this type of study to people who are unfamiliar with the approach. Tell them how it works, what makes it different, and if you have people who have done this type of study have them give a brief testimony on how it impacted them and why they are interested in being part of the class.
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP
Fill out the short form below and we will send you complete information on how to get started.