4 Excuses, 4 Responses: Leading People Who Didn’t Study

“No one in my group studies before they come.”

When we detect that someone did not study before a group meeting, we have a choice: to bemoan their lack of effort or to find out why. We may be tempted to make a snap judgment with a smug response, which may only add to the problem. We need a principled response that can help them move forward in their spiritual journey.

Of all the excuses given for not studying, we will typically hear four different reasons expressed. Each category requires a different response.

Regardless of the initial excuse shared, we need to engage before offering any solutions. Ask follow-up questions to understand what’s really going on: What got in the way this week? When is your best time to think? Do you feel like studying beforehand helps you?

These conversations may need to take place during an unhurried time and not at the end of the group time. Also, what a person says today may be different next week or overlap, which is why an ongoing conversation may be needed. Once we have a sense of which category is really being expressed, we can then move to address the issue.

Category 1: “I don’t have time.”

Life always seems to get in the way. People get pulled and tugged, with each task taking another slice out of a day or week with little margin left to give. But everyone is given the same amount of hours in a week, and we leaders find a way to prepare for the group time. This may impact our empathy or lack of it when we hear this excuse. Our temptation is to point to our expectations as the leader to guilt them into action. We may even single them out in a half-kidding way to soften the punishment we are doling out.

Instead of punishing them, we should encourage them. Since we are finding the time to prepare, we can share with them how we find that time. (Now this assumes that we are finding the time to prepare.) We could suggest that they schedule their preparation time early in the week before things start to stack up or study a little bit each day. Either way, the point is to help them find a time that works for them and to stick with it.

Category 2: “I don’t know how.”

People cannot be expected to do what they don’t know how to do. A car salesman may direct you to check your cabin air filter periodically, but that doesn’t mean you know how to access it. We can be surprised by a person’s lack of knowledge, or we can realize that there was a day when we didn’t know the same thing. Instead of belittling the people in our group who don’t know how to study, we can show them how.

A good first step is providing them with a Personal Study Guide or Daily Discipleship Guide. We can show them the features and give them a plan for study. We can point to the included questions and directives that will guide their study. This will help them see how their personal study prepares them for what takes place in the group meeting. We may even choose to use some of the group time to show everyone how to use the study guide, inviting volunteers to share tips and tools they have found helpful.

They may also need to be trained in some basic Bible skills and shown how to do basic observation, interpret a passage, and put it into practice. Hopefully the group time mirrors general Bible study guidelines, which should give them a general picture of how to do Bible study when doing it on their own.

Category 3: ”I don’t see the need.”

This third excuse may be more about you than them. The temptation is to see these people as lazy or disrespectful toward the goals of the group. But instead of accusing them or getting defensive, we must examine the merit of their excuse.

Do we teach (or lecture) in such a way that they don’t need to do anything before or after? The excuse may be a symptom of an unholy codependency. Do we deliver a well-thought-out presentation flawlessly? Do we never reference the provided resources nor expect them to study using the resources? Do we then collect a couple of prayer requests and share an announcement before dismissing with a prayer? If so, the expectation could be for them to simply sit and absorb.

Does this sound familiar? The group seems happy to soak in our wisdom, and a few tell us how impressed they were with our presentation. As a group, they’re content to sit and listen, and we’re content with the pats on the back. They depend on us to present facts so they can feel good about their “study” while we depend on them to affirm us for the work we did. In short, it’s a codependency that fuels our egos while eliminating any critical thinking that might take place within the group. This temptation is real and seen in the Hebrews calling on Moses to approach God in their stead so they would not have to (see Ex. 20:18-21).

The initial solution is to reshape the group time to 50/50, with us doing only 50 percent of the talking and the group doing the rest. They can talk while doing an activity or discuss some reflective questions on the passage and content examined. It may also help to use the provided study resources to illustrate or foster the discussion.

The second solution is to retrain the group about what’s expected. The person who voiced the concern can help you figure out how. They can tell you exactly what they want and need from the group and from you as the leader.

Category 4: “I don’t want to.”

The honesty of this excuse needs to be recognized and commended. Several factors contribute to a sense of dread over studying the Bible, including distancing, dryness, guilt, and doubts. Most of us have been there at some point in our lives—even some of the heroes of the faith, like Asaph who wrote twelve of the Psalms. (Look at Psalm 73.)

We don’t want to abandon this person; they’re the reason we teach in the first place. Instead, they need some careful nurturing. Their dread or resistance may not subside right away, which is why it’s so important to keep the door open through regular contact. Praying with and for them specifically may encourage more conversations. Being honest about our own struggles and how we grew and continue to grow through those will also be important. This person needs others to walk with them, which is one of the benefits of being part of a Bible study group. To dive deeper into the reasons they may feel distant from God, consider initiating a low-stakes conversation outside the group (if they are of the same gender) or connecting them with a mentor or prayer partner.

In the room

These four conversations happen between sessions, but the group time itself raises its own issue. On any given week, a leader faces all four types at once and can't sort out who's who in the moment. We can bridge that gap by including a brief recap of the passage or calling attention to the main idea. This approach affirms those who prepare since the discussion still goes deeper than the recap, while helping others catch up without singling anyone out.