Successful Bible Study
Giving God the Reigns

Gail Buckley
From the Nov/Dec 2005 Issue of Lay Witness Magazine

Recently while out running errands, I pulled up behind another car at the stoplight. I’m always interested in reading bumper stickers and I immediately noticed that this one had the word “Catholic” in it. Easing my car up a little closer, I read, “I once was blind but now I’m no longer Catholic.” My heart sank. Well, actually, my initial reaction was anger. Not anger at the person driving the car, because she’s a victim of ignorance. No, I was angry that the devil had deceived another person into leaving the pillar and foundation of truth, which, of course, is the Catholic Church (1 Tim. 3:15).

As a convert to the Church, I thank God every day for bringing my husband and me “home.” We both feel so blessed to call ourselves Catholic and to be part of His Church! I know many other converts share my concern that so many Catholics are leaving “home.” It also weighs heavily on our hearts that we have many friends and relatives who have not yet discovered the “pearl of great price” (Mt. 13:45–46). I want everyone to know about and experience the same blessing we have been given. How discouraging it is, then, that almost weekly I hear someone say, “I used to be Catholic.” And of course, it’s even worse when they add, “But now I’m Christian.”

It wasn’t long after entering the Church that I felt God leading me to do something about this. God showed me that many of the Catholics who were leaving the Church had left because they had attended certain Protestant Bible studies. I too had attended of one of these well-known Protestant Bible study programs and so I understood the attraction. The studies are wonderful, considering that they don’t have the fullness of truth, but it is the fellowship that I believe initially hooks most Catholics. How many times have you heard Catholics complain about not feeling welcome at their parish. “No one even knows my name” or “We go to Mass every Sunday and never see anyone we know” are two common complaints. Yet when they attend one of these Protestant Bible study programs, they are met at the doorway by a “greeter” and given a smile and a warm welcome.

What a great start! They then enter a large auditorium or “sanctuary” filled with smiling people who are obviously filled with the joy of the Lord. Next, they are introduced to those with whom they will be spending the next several months in their small discussion groups. These people will become their good friends, their brothers and sisters in Christ with whom they share their innermost feelings and for whom they pray. Before long, the Catholic becomes convinced that this is truth—this is where Christ is—not in the Eucharist in the Catholic Church where they never felt welcomed. So often I’ve heard Catholics say, “In the Catholic Church we weren’t allowed to read the Bible.” (Lord, zip my lips—I’m going to scream!) Of course, if any of these people really knew their faith they would have never left the Catholic Church. They could have never walked away from Jesus truly present in the tabernacle.

Even though the Lord convicted me of the problem, I wasn’t convinced that I was supposed to start my own Bible study. No, that couldn’t be what He wanted me to do. Who was I to come into the Catholic Church and lead a Bible study? After all, I was a new Catholic. I was still wet behind the ears.

So, I started searching for a Bible study to join. I figured as a member, I could maybe suggest some ideas on how to run their study program, but not actually be the leader. There weren’t any Bible studies being taught in my own parish so I checked out some in other nearby parishes.

Unfortunately, none compared to the kind of studies I had experienced as a Protestant. In fact, I was dismayed to discover that some Catholic groups were using Protestant study materials. Still others were not doing what I considered a “study,” but rather the people were just reading Scripture and then exchanging opinions—opinions not based on Scripture or Church teachings, but based on their personal feelings. Worse of all, I attended one popular Bible study in a large parish that was actually heretical!

In the one class I attended, the “teacher” stated that, according to Scripture, the Blessed Mother really wasn’t a perpetual virgin. She went on to say that the Bible was mostly myth and filled with contradictions. That was it for me. I knew I had to start my own Bible study class, even if I didn’t feel ready. I felt that if the Lord was truly calling me to this, He would equip me—so I started praying for Him to lead me step by step.

After much prayer and discernment, I stepped out in faith and said, “OK, Lord, let’s do it!” And that was truly a leap of faith. I started by asking six women that I knew to be interested in doing a Bible study to come to my home. One of them insisted on getting a room at the parish, though, to save me having to clean my house every week before they came. And so we started at the parish with six women.

We’ve all had this experience where the Lord has you show your trust in Him by waiting on Him to reveal something, right? I was literally kneeling in the pew two minutes before the first meeting, begging the Lord to reveal to me at least what book of the Bible I was going to study. I was relying on Him, but I couldn’t help being concerned that I had to face those women and I didn’t even know what we were going to study. I had not prepared anything as yet!

When I got in the room, the Holy Spirit took over. I opened my mouth and heard myself confidently state, “Good morning, ladies. We’re going to be studying the Gospel of Matthew.” (Thank you, Jesus!) He didn’t leave me hanging, and He truly did prepare me and equip me.

I soon found out that was just the beginning. The Lord had much more in store for me. Our ladies’ Bible study started to grow until we had to move into a larger room. It continued to grow and, before long, we had men joining us.

Then one day the Lord led me to www.CatholicExchange.com, where they had free online Bible studies written by Dr. Scott Hahn, Mark Shea, and Jeff Cavins. Since I was already preparing my studies based on Scott Hahn’s tapes, I was delighted to have found this website. Now I could use these studies instead of preparing my own. “But how do I convert these online studies into a format I can use in my Bible study group?” I asked myself. I spoke with a friend, who encouraged me to use the format I was already using. She said, “It’s obviously working for you. Your class is growing.”

The people at Catholic Exchange asked me if I would be willing to take calls and emails from others who wanted to start a Bible study program in their parishes. Three years later— after answering thousands of emails and phone calls—I knew what was needed. Almost everyone I spoke with felt unequipped to lead a Bible study in their parish. I decided that what was required was a turnkey Bible study program that would equip the leader with everything he or she would need—the study, the commentary, the study questions and suggested responses, and the lectures. All they would have to add was their willingness to serve the Lord.

Again, I felt propelled to take a step that I really wasn’t prepared to do, but I knew the Lord wasn’t going to let me rest until I did it. I picked up the phone and called Tom Allen, president of Catholic Exchange, and made a proposal to write and develop a Catholic Bible study program.

He enthusiastically agreed to support me in my endeavor and Catholic Scripture Study International was launched in August of 2003. It has had great success: In just two years, we’ve grown to almost 400 groups in 35 countries around the world. Catholics are not only learning more about Scripture and their faith, but they’re developing friendships, praying for one another, and growing spiritually together. And they’re staying “home.” Many who had strayed to the Protestant Bible study programs are returning to study God’s Word in a truly Catholic Bible study program.

As my friend and CSS lecturer Fr. Patrick Winslow once said, “You can’t ‘create’ community or fellowship anymore than you can ‘create’ an apple.” When you bring people together to learn Scripture and to understand the teachings of the Church, the fullness of truth, then they become fervent and faithful Catholics. And out of that faith grows the fruit of fellowship.

Gail Buckley is the Executive Director of Catholic Scripture Study International. To learn more about CSS, please visit www.catholicscripturestudy.com.

Associated PDF File:
This article is available as a PDF download

You may need to obtain a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to use this PDF file.