An effective Bible study plan is guided by a set of concrete objectives. What do you want to gain during your course of study? Perhaps you want to better understand the theological underpinnings of the book of Ruth, or examine the turmoils of the early Christian church as articulated in the letters of Paul. Perhaps your quest is more personal: you want to know what the Bible has to say about family conflict or wealth as you think about those issues in your own life. If you are a religious instructor or church leader, your Bible study plan may include the objective of increasing community solidarity or church morale. Be intentional and explicit in articulating your Bible study objectives; they will guide the structure and content of your entire course of study.
An effective learning experience is structured, not chaotic or confusing. Human resources training experts Ruth R. Middleman and Gale Goldberg of Southern Nazarene University note that structure allows the brain to integrate key concepts and information. If you are creating a Bible study plan from scratch, consider the schedule and timing of your study. What is the most pedagogically sound method of marching through the material? Do you want to read the texts based on where they appear in the Bible, when they are said to have been written or based on some thematic idea? Consider how much Biblical text you or your group can digest and be sure not to attempt to cover too much ground in a single session.
You'll need more than just the text for an in-depth understanding of your content. You may want to consult a concordance, ancient language dictionary or various commentaries as you grapple with the historical and linguistic nuances of your chosen text. Many interactive software programs contain each of those resources, plus many more. Leave sufficient time for reading secondary texts, talking with religious authorities and considering the analysis of Biblical scholars as you make your way through your own course of study.
Assess yourself or your group regularly to ascertain your degree of progress in learning. Devise quizzes, paper topics or reflection questions to facilitate an accurate assessment. Pedagogy researcher Marilyn Lombardi notes that "[e]ducators who strive to bring authentic learning experiences to their students must devise appropriate and meaningful measures to assess student learning and mastery of concepts." Whether you are leading a group, or acting as both teacher and student in a personalized course of study, be sure to keep an eye on student progress along the way.