Start a forum-based bible study group

alxb0521

alxb0521

Hi,

I would like to suggest to start a "forum based bible study group". I have no idea if it makes sense, or if it will work. And I have never seen or heard about such a thing yet.

What I mean with "forum based bible study group": we all know (or many of us know) regular bible study groups. These are part of a church or outside a church. Independent of the form, a group meets regularly, physically, discusses topics or has a concrete bible reading plan etc.
I participated in really many bible study groups in all kinds of frames yet, as a student, abroad, in a church, outside a church, etc. In many cases I was co-leader and in one third of cases active leader of this group. I like this very much. Presently my wife and me have a digital bible study group, where we meet twice a week via video conference.

What I propose here is a forum-based bible study group. With other words, we read a book of the bible regularly, e.g. we start a new chapter once a week, we discuss about it during this week through this forum as a regular thread. Then we move to the next chapter, discuss this during one week, and so on. Basically it is nothing else but a thread in a forum. I guess the difference to a regular thread is how one approaches it personally.

What do you think?

alxb
 
alxb0521 said:
Hi,

I would like to suggest to start a "forum based bible study group". I have no idea if it makes sense, or if it will work. And I have never seen or heard about such a thing yet.

What I mean with "forum based bible study group": we all know (or many of us know) regular bible study groups. These are part of a church or outside a church. Independent of the form, a group meets regularly, physically, discusses topics or has a concrete bible reading plan etc.
I participated in really many bible study groups in all kinds of frames yet, as a student, abroad, in a church, outside a church, etc. In many cases I was co-leader and in one third of cases active leader of this group. I like this very much. Presently my wife and me have a digital bible study group, where we meet twice a week via video conference.

What I propose here is a forum-based bible study group. With other words, we read a book of the bible regularly, e.g. we start a new chapter once a week, we discuss about it during this week through this forum as a regular thread. Then we move to the next chapter, discuss this during one week, and so on. Basically it is nothing else but a thread in a forum. I guess the difference to a regular thread is how one approaches it personally.

What do you think?

alxb
Click to expand...
I'd be interested in giving it a shot.
 
CPerkins said:
It sounds worthwhile. Do you have an idea what it would look like?
Click to expand...
Actually I have no experience if this will work. Physical bible study groups are of course different and easy to realize. Digital bible study groups are not much different than physical ones. The difference is only the more complicated communication. For example this funny 2-5 second delay between what people say and respond.
I have no experience with a forum-based style. Actually, there is one nice advantage of such a group: one can read and respond whenever one has time.

But what is the difference to a regular forum like this one? I think the main difference is the way one participates and how one feels about it.
In a forum like CFS the communication is more like a market place or a conference or a trade fair. One participates at one booth, goes to the next one, participates 5 seconds there, says hello to another one, writes something here and then there. It is not a group (unless one thinks of the whole CFS forum as one big group.)

A forum-based bible study group would be basically like a physical or digital group, only the with difference that all the communication is done via threads in this forum. Everything else would be similar to a regular bible study group.

One might wonder, why not start a digital group via video conference? If enough trust is build up, then on can think about such a step. But such a step is huge and must wisely be considered. Because, as in any web forum everyone(!) can participate. There are probably 1 billion people who could join this forum if they want and there are many who do that in wrong or evil intentions. You definitely know that. (I am personally not a forum guy. I participated two or three in the past.)

But enough theory and thinking. OK, let's start and give it a try. Of course we can pray about it first. I have already prayed about it.

I suggest that every week, for example every Monday we start a new chapter of a book of the bible. We read through through this chapter "together". This must be done individually, unfortunately.
And then we discuss this chapter in a regular thread. After one week we stop this thread (somehow) and open a new thread for the next chapter, etc.

The next step is to choose a book. What do you think? I personally would suggest one of the following:
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- Job
- Romans
- Ephesians
- Phillipians
- 1 Timothy

alxb
 
alxb0521 said:
Actually I have no experience if this will work. Physical bible study groups are of course different and easy to realize. Digital bible study groups are not much different than physical ones. The difference is only the more complicated communication. For example this funny 2-5 second delay between what people say and respond.
I have no experience with a forum-based style. Actually, there is one nice advantage of such a group: one can read and respond whenever one has time.

But what is the difference to a regular forum like this one? I think the main difference is the way one participates and how one feels about it.
In a forum like CFS the communication is more like a market place or a conference or a trade fair. One participates at one booth, goes to the next one, participates 5 seconds there, says hello to another one, writes something here and then there. It is not a group (unless one thinks of the whole CFS forum as one big group.)

A forum-based bible study group would be basically like a physical or digital group, only the with difference that all the communication is done via threads in this forum. Everything else would be similar to a regular bible study group.

One might wonder, why not start a digital group via video conference? If enough trust is build up, then on can think about such a step. But such a step is huge and must wisely be considered. Because, as in any web forum everyone(!) can participate. There are probably 1 billion people who could join this forum if they want and there are many who do that in wrong or evil intentions. You definitely know that. (I am personally not a forum guy. I participated two or three in the past.)

But enough theory and thinking. OK, let's start and give it a try. Of course we can pray about it first. I have already prayed about it.

I suggest that every week, for example every Monday we start a new chapter of a book of the bible. We read through through this chapter "together". This must be done individually, unfortunately.
And then we discuss this chapter in a regular thread. After one week we stop this thread (somehow) and open a new thread for the next chapter, etc.

The next step is to choose a book. What do you think? I personally would suggest one of the following:
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- Job
- Romans
- Ephesians
- Phillipians
- 1 Timothy

alxb
Click to expand...
I'm with you on studying Job and Romans, plus I'd also put forth Ecclesiastes.
 
OK, great. Then let us start with Job.
I will make a new thread. "Start day" (the day we change to the next chapter) would be every Monday I would suggest.

alxb
 
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