Covenant Bible Study Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)

This Covenant experience will guide participants in a comprehensive, in-depth study of the Bible over twenty-four weeks. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this in-depth study of the whole Bible emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying pattern through all the books in the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God’s people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God’s love and on our ongoing commitment to stay in love with God while we share signs of that love with others. The Leader Guide contains comprehensive and detailed direction for each meeting experience. While each group’s chemistry will vary, the Leader Guide contains the following elements: The Group Meeting Experience – Each Covenant Bible Study episode follows the same essential structure by balancing conversational teaching from biblical experts with engaging discussion among the participants. Covenant is designed so that the meaning of the Bible isn’t found in just listening to a biblical scholar or listening to one’s own inner voice. Only through conversation in community, in the Covenant Group Meeting Experience, can we discover the Bible’s transformative power. During some weeks the group might be so full of energy and questions that conversation leaves less time for the video. That’s okay. The spiritual energy that wakes up and transforms a life is the most important result from this kind of Bible study. Gathering Together (10 min) – The opening questions of this segment in each episode are designed to prompt conversation on a general topic that connects to the main theme of the episode. Begin by reading the scriptures in the Covenant Prayer section for the episode. Have one person say the phrase, “For those who . . .” and then the whole group responds by reading the scripture passage aloud. Reflecting Together (10 min) – This segment guides participants to share what they learned from the week’s scripture readings with questions that tie their discoveries into a central theme. The study also encourages participants to memorize and share verses from the readings that they found particularly meaningful. Video Segment (25 min) – Play the video for the current episode. The cohosts for this opening conversation are Reverend Shane Stanford, senior pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and Reverend Christine Chakoian, seni