How to Start a New Testament Reading Group

Start with one short passage, a clear finish time and a small set of questions. Ask everyone to bring a readable copy of the New Testament, but do not require a purchase. Agree that people can listen without reading aloud or sharing personal experiences.

Choose the passage before the meeting

Send the book, chapter and verse range rather than a page number. Page numbers differ between editions. For a first meeting, Luke 10:25–37 is one possible choice: it contains a conversation and a story that the group can read together in a single sitting.

Tell people whether advance reading is optional. If your group belongs to a church or course, use its guidance on translation and discussion. Otherwise, choose one translation for the opening reading and let people consult their own copies. Different wording can be a question to investigate rather than a competition over who has the right book.

A suggested 45-minute meeting

Use the first five minutes to welcome people, name the passage and explain that passing on a question is fine. Spend the next ten minutes reading the passage and allowing a little quiet time to look at it again.

Use minutes 15–30 for observations: who speaks, what happens and what changes? Use minutes 30–40 for questions and possible applications. In the final five minutes, summarize one thing the group noticed and agree on the next passage. This is a suggested schedule; shorten the reading or allow more time if your group needs it.

Ask questions people can answer from the page

Begin with “What do you notice?” and ask the speaker to point to the relevant verse. Follow with “What question does that raise?” A third question might be “Did the ending change how you understood the beginning?”

If you use Luke 10:25–37, ask how the question before the story relates to the question after it. Let the group reread before responding. You do not need a prepared speech for every pause.

Make participation easier

Share the passage in advance in a format people can access. Ask whether anyone needs larger text, a slower reading pace or an alternative to reading aloud. A printed edition is one option; a phone, audio version or an existing Bible may work better for someone.

Invite quieter participants without putting them on the spot. If one person dominates, return to the agreed question and invite another observation. Do not treat a personal disclosure as permission to repeat it outside the group.

End with a manageable next step

Write down an unresolved question and agree who, if anyone, will look into it. Choose a source before treating a confident explanation as a fact. It is reasonable to leave something open until the next meeting.

After two meetings, ask whether the passage length and timing work. Adjust them together. If people later want a matching print edition, check the translation, contents and reading sample first. Our Black and White editions contain the 27-book English WEB New Testament; they do not include the Old Testament.