How to Engage Your Neighbor in Bible Study

There are people interested in exploring the Bible who don’t share your beliefs. They may not share your faith background, political views, or lifestyle. They may even exist inside your church, or in your home. In fact, 71% of Americans express some curiosity to know more about the Bible.* We call these people our neighbors.

We believe that we should be open to exploring the Bible together with them. Yet, it seems a trend has crept in, that to study the Bible together we must already agree about what it says - that only like-minded people can be in the room. Why is it that we hold back from entering into Bible study with our neighbors?

It is often based in fear, and we’ve experienced firsthand many of the fears, pitfalls, ups, and downs as we’ve studied the Bible with people from different faith backgrounds. For 10 remarkable years, God has graciously opened our hearts and our homes to many new friends from a variety of backgrounds.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus challenges His followers, then and today, to reconsider who their neighbor is and how to love them well, regardless of their differences. We can love God and love our neighbor well when we study the Bible together - no matter where they are in their faith journey.

The 10 tips below will help you study the Bible alongside your neighbor and equip you to engage in conversations with those who believe differently than you. Trust us, the experience is worth it!

Download a printable/digital version of the Neighbor Guide, with exclusive Reflection Questions to consider how to engage your neighbor well.

Get Printable Guide

The Benefits

REASONS TO STUDY THE BIBLE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR

We have experienced great joy opening our Bibles and learning alongside our neighbors. It’s not quite like any other Bible study we’ve been in. We’ve gained community and accountability, as one would with any Bible study, but it’s also been uniquely challenging, purposeful, and rewarding. When doing Bible study with your neighbor you can expect to gain :

FRESH PERSPECTIVE. Groups with diversity in beliefs, age, worldviews, backgrounds, or experiences create rich and purposeful conversations. They also encourage everyone to take a fresh look at the message of the Bible and understand what they believe and why.

DESIRE TO GROW. Walking alongside others as the Bible comes to life for them can fuel a personal desire to better know and understand God’s Word ourselves. It’s this journey that helps all of us find joy and hope in Jesus.

BIBLICAL LITERACY. Studying the Bible with people who bring different interpretations and applications to the same text challenges us to learn how to truly study the Bible on our own. We can begin to recognize our own biases and assumptions that we bring to the text and everyone is encouraged to learn how to study and read the Bible on its own terms.

DEEPENED RELATIONSHIPS. It’s difficult to love someone you don't know. By engaging in relationships through Bible study and centering the conversation around Jesus, love for our neighbors will deepen as we begin to understand them better.

Getting Started

BEFORE ENGAGING YOUR NEIGHBOR IN BIBLE STUDY

Entering into faith conversations and Bible study with people who don’t share your beliefs should be handled with care. We realize this may look different for everyone.

If you’re newer to the Bible, focus first on equipping yourself to know and understand God’s Word. But if you have experience studying the Bible, our hope is that you would be open to exploring the Bible with anyone interested in studying the Bible, whether that’s one-on-one or in a group.

This is the heartbeat behind The Chara Project’s mission: to build confidence in studying the Bible on your own and with your neighbor. Holding true to our mission, we offer the following resources to help you along the way:

CHARA Bible Study Guide - Helps you build confidence in studying the Bible on your own. It equips you to read the Bible’s Context, understand the History and culture of its day, the Author’s purpose & style, and Research the original language before we Apply it to our lives.
The Neighbor Guide - Helps you build confidence in studying the Bible with your neighbor by equipping you to enter into conversations with people who believe differently than you, all while allowing everyone to explore and grow on their own timelines.
Loving Your Neighbor Bible Study - This Bible Study is a companion to the Neighbor Guide that looks at 3 passages where we learn from Jesus on how to engage with our neighbor. For this and other neighbor-friendly Bible studies click here.
The Bible Study Leader Guide - Provides tips to leaders as they start, host, and lead a group Bible study with neighbors from a variety of faith backgrounds.

How to Engage Your Neighbor in Bible Study

The Benefits

REASONS TO STUDY THE BIBLE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR

Getting Started

BEFORE ENGAGING YOUR NEIGHBOR IN BIBLE STUDY

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