I have always liked our pastor.  We’ve felt comfortable in our new church since the very first day we visited.  The pastor is a solid Bible teacher, he doesn’t add anything, and doesn’t remove anything, he just teaches straight from God’s Word, gives us historical references, Hebrew and Greek word definitions, etc.  All as it should be.  The pastor and his wife are homeschoolers--another plus in my book! 

Now, we have yet another reason to admire his teaching style.  He has always wanted to promote small groups at the church, but struggled as to how to implement it without making people feel like they had “yet another book to study, more homework to do, blah, blah, blah” (people can be so lazy, can’t they?).  So, the pastor decided to start a classical style bible fellowship. 

Here’s how it goes:  On Sunday, the pastor teaches his message.  Let’s say it’s from Luke, chapter 11, verses 1-13.  We are expected to take notes, and encouraged to underline, highlight, and write in our Bibles.  On Monday evening, small groups of 3-4 couples will get together to discuss the passage, the pastor’s message, the notes we took, lessons learned, etc. 

Now, this is not meant to be a touchy-feely, “what does this passage mean to you” type discussion.  Those discussions tend to drift away from Bible Truth very quickly and gravitate toward what’s comfortable and easy for people, and they don’t lead to any meaningful type of growth.  In fact, I have personally witnessed a person falling into 'race supremacy' thought when one tries to interpret the Bible alone.  But that's another story. 

These discussions are meant to be between very mature Christians (mentors) and less mature Christians, for the spiritual growth of all.  If things drift off toward feelings or amateur interpretation, things can quickly be brought back to task by the leading couple. 

We are currently being taught along with 11 other couples to become small group leaders.   I’m already thinking about introducing The Well Educated Mind principles to the group.  In fact, I just stepped away to pour another cup of coffee, and had a brainstorm—I will write a brochure entitled Reading Your Bible Classically:  How To Get The Most From The Word.  It will be based on my notes taken from The Well Educated Mind, and How To Read A Book. 

Tell me your thoughts.