Small groups are the places our attenders develop and deepen relationships—with each other and with God. To help your small group leaders create engaging conversation and encourage spiritual growth, we’ve compiled a list of 19 free small group Bible study ideas available free on the Open Network.
19 Small Group Bible Study Ideas
1. The Bible Project -Read Scripture: Matthew
In Matthew, Jesus brings God’s heavenly kingdom to Earth and invites His disciples into a new way of life through His death and resurrection. This small group plan brings this gospel to life through a series of engaging and inspiring videos.
2. Wild Life
Being a man doesn’t come with a field guide—but God promises something better. Join best-selling author of Wild at Heart, John Eldredge, and four guys who road-tripped to meet him. Eldredge addresses every man’s questions, wounds, relationships, and adventure through this interactive, video-based study.
3. Relationship Advice for Men
Throughout life, men navigate relationships of all kinds—with their fathers, with women, with children, with friends, and with God. Each has its own set of joys and challenges, and this four-part small group series will evoke meaningful discussion and self-reflection for men who want to take all of their relationships to a deeper level.
4. Fighting to be a Man of God
In this six-part small group study designed for men, Dr. Kim Kimberling and Pastor Craig Groeschel talk about taking steps to become the man of God you were created to be. Each part has a short video, a short reading, and application questions, and this study is a great resource to use as a men’s small group study, in a men’s class, or as the foundation for a men’s retreat.
5. The Call
The Call is a small group study for women that builds on a Sisters message from Amy Groeschel. Deep diving into knowing who God is and what He has called us to do, this four-week study can be used as a follow-up after Sisters or as a stand-alone curriculum for your women’s ministry. The Call outlines our calls to Bear Fruit, Wash Feet, Break Bread, and Go Fish.
6. The Hope
The Hope is small group study for women designed to build on a Sisters message from Amy Groeschel. Building community while strengthening faith in Christ, this four-week small group study can be used as a follow-up after the Sisters event or as a stand-alone curriculum for your women’s ministry. The Hope talks about our hope in Christ and the identity, future, and peace we can feel only through Him. to be enriched and empowered.
We’re all so busy. We fill our calendars, drain our bank accounts, and multitask our way through life. We all need a little bit of breathing room. God offers us all a way to trade our overwhelming pace for one that will finally bring us peace. This study from Sandra Stanley and North Point Ministries will show your attenders how.
8. Putting God First in Your Marriage
In this five-week small group course, couples discover the importance of seeing God’s work in our lives and choosing to put Him above everything else. This resource includes five short videos that provide a clear look into one couple’s life and how they put God first, as well as discussion questions to help couples think clearly about their marriages.
In this small group study based on Dr. Kim Kimberling’s book 14 Keys to Lasting Love, couples learn six essential keys to have the marriage they’ve always wanted. This is not a checklist but rather an opportunity to look deep into marriage and take steps to build something that both spouses cherish.
10. Belong
Building a small group with people who range in interests, personalities, or life experiences may seem intimidating, but in this month-long small group series, this video series conducts an experiment that’s just crazy enough to work. By watching four videos of complete strangers who start doing life together, your small groups can learn the secret of growing together and building a life-changing, Christ-centered friendship.
11. The Bible Project – Read Scripture: Genesis
In Genesis, God makes a good world and commissions humans to rule it, and then they give in to evil and ruin everything. However, God promises to bless rebellious humanity through the family of Abraham, despite their constant failure and folly. Follow the Genesis story through this creative small group Bible study video series.
12. The Bible Project – Biblical Themes Series
In these videos, The Bible Project explores Bible themes and helps viewers understand more about these themes woven throughout the scripture. These videos are great for personal study, small groups, or as sermon illustration components.
Whether struggling with tensions, strains, or difficult decisions, seeking God’s direction with your spouse every step of the away is key to having a healthy marriage. In this five-part small group Bible study, couples learn the importance of faithfully following God and how to deal with the inevitable tough times in marriage.
Ever wish a love potion existed that automatically gave couples the perfect marriage? Unfortunately there’s no such thing, but this four-part small group study is filled with practical tips that are almost as good. Containing short teaching videos and discussion questions, this course focuses on values like kindness, patience, trust, and more, examining why they are the key ingredients to a happy marriage.
Every marriage experiences conflict at times, but the small group series “Conflict Resolution” will show couples how to effectively deal with those times of conflict. Part 1 tackles topics including anger, communication, forgiveness, and more. Part 2 tackles topics including winning and losing, problem solving, and more.
John Eldredge, his three sons, and two friends take a motorcycle trip of a lifetime through the Colorado backcountry. This video series invites you along on their journey as they ride through stunning landscapes, and dive deep into the themes of the story they find themselves living in.
17. Beautiful Outlaw
This video series clears away the religious fog that can cloud our perceptions of Jesus with bland, one-dimensional stereotypes. John Eldredge takes a winsome, narrative approach, as he invites us not only to discover who Jesus really is, but to enrich our daily experience of him and fall more deeply in love with him. By uncovering the real Jesus, you are welcomed into the rich emotional life of Christ.
18. Walking with God
This video series gives you access to practical guidance on how to develop conversational intimacy with Jesus. God offers to speak to us and guide us every day. To accept that offer is to enter into an adventure filled with joy and risk, transformation and freedom, and more clarity than we ever thought possible. Join John Eldgredge in the expedition of recovering the life we were created to live.
Tired of watching marriages crumble? Fed up with couples giving up? Would you like to guarantee that your marriage will last? Join the fight against destruction and make five commitments to fail proof your marriage with this five-week small group plan, a supplemental resource for the series from Craig Groeschel From This Day Forward.
Even More Small Groups Resources
In addition to great small groups studies, you can find videos and guides for finding and training small group leaders for free on Open Network.
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