Separate Me: How to Trust the Lord to Prepare, Pray & Go for a Bible Study Split
By Hannah Hatton
“We had to decide that it was worth more meeting that one person who came to know Christ by splitting our group than it would’ve been if we stayed stagnant and content where we were at.”
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
In Acts 13, we have the first missionary journey recorded in the New Testament, which allows us to gain insight into what that entailed. Those within the church were ministering unto the Lord, and through fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit made it clear that Barnabas and Saul (Paul) were being called to separate and be sent away to do the same work somewhere else. As the verses in Acts 13 continue, we see that they departed unto Seleucia, then to Cyprus, then to Salamis, and then to the isle unto Paphos. And what did they do there? Acts 13:5 tell us that “they preached the word of God.” Even though we may not view the act of splitting our Bible studies to go and reach new territory and new souls the same as what Barnabas and Paul were doing, it all has to do with the same thing. We are trusting God to reach those souls to be able to share the gospel with them. We are trusting God to become more desperate and challenged in our own faith and our dependence on the Lord as our Bible study is lessened and our faith must be increased. We are trusting the Lord to grow in our own understanding of his word through study and personal application and then be able to teach others also. It is critical that we view Bible study as an important work within the local church that God can use to save souls, make disciples, equip leaders, and send people to go do the same!
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
“The room was bursting at the seams and God was clearly at work!”
Back in late 2017, I joined a Grandview Bible study that was led by Amanda Allen. It didn’t take me too long to notice that the nature of this Bible study was different from any other Bible study I had ever been a part of. The girls were extremely hospitable and God’s word was alive and real to those studying it. These two things caused my heart to be pricked to know God’s word for myself and to have the charitable love those girls possessed. As time went on, more girls joined the study, got saved, and learned God’s word for themselves. I learned so much being a part of that study, and I am so grateful for the impact it had on my personal walk. Over the next couple of years, our study reached up to almost 18 girls. The room was bursting at the seams and God was clearly at work! Our Pastor Brandon Briscoe was already seeing a need to split studies once they were reaching about 10-12 people, so it was clear it was time for our group to separate. Pastor Brandon saw the need to divide and conquer, to take new land and meet new souls in different parts of KC. I mean if we are hoping to reach KC with Christ, we can’t just stay in one spot, right? So, we split. And then that group split again. And then our group split again. And then our group split again. God was at work mightily, and we wanted to trust him with these new endeavors.
I personally had never witnessed this firsthand, so at the time I didn’t fully grasp the need to split, especially because it came with a lot of tears. We had become a family — a group that wept for souls together, shared our personal convictions from God’s word, got saved in that very room, sought counsel, worked through difficult circumstances, and so much more. So why break up a good thing? Well because souls are worth it, even as we grieve the loss of something good that God had done. We had to decide that it was worth more meeting that one person who came to know Christ by splitting our group than it would’ve been if we stayed stagnant and content where we were at.
“It had nothing to do with who we were or what we said in study. It is about God pursuing the hearts of men, saving them, and conforming them to His image.”
By God’s grace, I was able to take one of those splits from Grandview and planted a study in South Kansas City in the Spring of 2021. I had no idea what I was doing but I, along with three other girls, desired to be obedient and chose to trust the Lord. It was exciting, nerve-wracking, unknown, and definitely caused us to be desperate. That first week as a new group, my cousin who had strayed from the Lord for some time attended. I remember all of us being so excited to have her visit on that first night, and it was incredible. Since that first study, she has become a member at MBT, been discipled, apprenticed under a discipleship relationship, enrolled in LFBI, and so much more. God has been at work in her life in so many ways, and it has been amazing to witness. Now, who knows if she could’ve been reached out in the OG Grandview study! We know with God all things are possible and He is the one at work in all of these situations. But it is strategic to split and reach new territory as the group is smaller (less intimidating for newcomers), the people are more desperate for souls (not as many people to fill the space & group), and God desires to use weak and foolish people to accomplish his mission (1 Cor 1:27; Mat 28:18-20). It had nothing to do with who we were or what we said in study. It is about God pursuing the hearts of men, saving them, and conforming them to His image. There are countless testimonies of God doing this in the Bible study setting, and it is so great that God wants to use us in this way.
Now, there is a lot to be said of this philosophy of ministry of “splitting Bible studies” and a lot of questions regarding how to best go about it. How does one know when to split? How do you know where to go? How many people should go? Who goes and who stays? How do I not compare my new, small study to ones that are growing? How do I train the people that come with me? What do I even do? My hope and prayer is that this blog post can answer some of those questions and encourage those preparing for a split either now or in the future.
HOW TO PREPARE
When to Split
Is your study fruitful? Do the current members seek to evangelize personally and confrontationally? Do they have a heart for the lost? Are they friendly? Do the people that visit study feel loved and cared for? Do those that visit remain and become apart? These are all critical questions to consider when approaching a split because this will help determine the nature and character of your current group and whether or not they are mature enough and ready to endure a transition.
Can you send a split in strength? Psalms 84: 5-7 says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Do you have people in study that find their strength in the Lord rather than themselves? Can the study that splits go from strength to strength?
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Are those that are going to go willing to wait on the Lord for new souls? Do they believe that the Lord will renew their strength and that their strength only comes from the Lord? Starting a new work can be daunting and often discouraging, but we can’t grow weary in well-doing (Gal 6:9).
Do you have a clear right-hand? Have you been diligent to train up the next potential Bible study leader? Have you taken the time to invest into someone so they can be ready for a split when it does come? Do you have peace with sending part of your group with that new leader like Paul did with Timothy?
A lot could be said about training up a right-hand and that is probably a whole separate blog post, but some things to consider when training up leaders include:
Pray with them. Share your heart! At the end of the day, all of this is in vain if we aren’t first going to the Lord and trusting him with all areas of our studies.
Spend time with them, like intentional time. I suggest meeting with them at least once a month to live life together and help them get envisioned.
Share with them what you are envisioned for, how you are trusting God with the group, concerns you have, areas of personal weakness, the joys of study, the celebratory parts of study, how they can support you, etc.
Share with them your preparation for study.
How do you prepare? How do you balance quiet time and prep for Bible study? How do you pray leading up to study?
Let them lead. Give them opportunities!!! Allow them to facilitate often, especially as you approach a potential split. Ask them to spend time with the newcomers, to own parts of Bible study (snack schedule, hangout schedule, etc.). A lot of this is learned through experience and the more they have before a split, the better off they will be.
Last thing: maybe you have more than one right-hand. That is even better. Not all right-hands will become Bible study leaders and that is okay. The more people you have invested in on a leadership level will make a Bible study split smoother as you can send the new group in strength, while also keeping support for the original group. Bible study is a great place to invest in people and equip leaders for the work of the ministry.
HOW TO PRAY
Pray for unity.
The enemy hates when he sees people coming to Christ and learning His word for themselves, which means the enemy hates to see the work of Bible studies multiplying! He wants nothing more than to see a new study falling for his antics and traps. 2 Cor 2:11 says, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” This verse tells us that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices; although, we often act as if we are. Throughout scripture, the word “devices” is translated to “imaginations” in certain verses, and Satan is great at making us think on and begin to believe our vain imaginations, but all that leads to is disunity and a disgruntled heart. Don’t let Satan have an advantage over the work that God has done in your Bible study. You need to pray for unity and be predetermined to work as a team in your new group.
Pray for fruit and fruit that remains.
A reality of Bible study is that as visitors come, some will hear the word and believe and some will hear the word and not believe. The latter can oftentimes be discouraging to a group and cause them to feel as if they’ve failed, but Acts 28:23-24 says, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. 24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” Just as this was a reality for Paul and the other ministers in Acts, it is for us too. This doesn’t mean that we give up and grow discouraged; instead, we should have faith and trust that the Lord is at work — and He is the one that DOES the work!
Looking at Acts 13 again, we see an example of God being at work shortly after Paul and Barnabas are separated for the work. In the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain man, a deputy, named Barjesus. He called for them because he desired to hear the word of God. Right after he makes this request, Elymas the sorcerer sought to turn the deputy away from the faith. (Interesting to see how Satan was immediately at work when he saw a soul recognizing his need for Christ!) Paul immediately spoke after being filled with the Holy Ghost and said in Acts 13:10-11, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.” Verse 12 then tells us that, “Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” Was Barjesus astonished at Paul and how he stood up against Elymas? No, he was astonished at the doctrine of the Lord because it was only God that could stand against the wiles of the devil and draw Barjesus into right fellowship with his Creator (Eph 6:11-12). Again, we must believe that, at the end of the day, God is at work if we are praying for fruit and fruit that remains and if we can wholeheartedly confess that we need him because he is the only one that draws people from the darkness to the light.
Pray against the temptation to compare or grow weary.
It is very normal (and unfortunate) that when a Bible study splits, people find themselves looking to compare their group to another group that may be thriving. Or to just compare in any way. This should cause us to check our hearts and intentions, because what that means is that we are more focused on what we can do in our flesh and our own ways than believing that God can be at work in our group.
2 Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
Can you be predetermined to believe that God has counted you faithful already and that he can use you? Would your Bible study be worth it if you only saw one soul saved over the course of one year? Over two years?
1 Timothy 1:12-14 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
If you are sowing to the Spirit, you shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. When we don’t grow weary in well doing, we shall reap if we faint not. Do you believe what God’s word says about this?
Galatians 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
HOW TO GO
Get on the ground. Is there a location that isn’t already being reached? Is there a location that may need more laborers? In the case of CAYA, campuses are one of the most needful places for us to go so we can continue to reach young people. Determine the place where your group will meet regularly and take time to evangelize around that area on a regular basis.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
GO and share the gospel! This is our commission and the gospel that saved our own souls should propel us to share it with anyone we come into contact with.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Get your Bibles out and ready. Let the sword of the Spirit do the work that only it can do!
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Get hospitable. Go get some home baked goods and hot tea and coffee. Make sure the space you’re meeting in is clean and welcoming. Be servant minded and prefer others over yourself!
Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Get ready to show yourselves friendly and welcome those new souls that God is already preparing. Be intentional to befriend visitors and spend time with them outside of study. Love them like Christ loves them.
Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Pray for God to be at work in your Bible studies. Be obedient to where God has you and press into the work. And be ready for a potential split in the future!
Hannah is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. She has been a part of many women’s Bible studies and serves on the MBT discipleship team.