1. Opening

Opening questions are sometimes called “ice-breakers.” They’re asked at the very beginning of a meeting to help everyone warm up to each other and get them used to the sound of their own voice as they share. They should be very non-threatening questions that everyone can answer. Opening each discussion time with this kind of question is especially helpful if you frequently have newcomers visit the group. 

They can be: 

History-giving questions

• “Describe your spiritual journey.” 

• “What do you do?” 

• “What is your family like?” 

• “What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?” 

Set-up questions

• These are questions that help to prepare everyone’s hearts and minds for the topic that will be discussed. For example, if you’re doing a study on Esther and you know you’ll be talking about the Jewish community learning of their imminent destruction, you can ask a question like, “How do you think communities typically respond to disaster?” Or, “What are some images from 9/11 that stand out most to you?” 

2. Launching

The purpose of launching questions is to get the discussion going, so these questions, too, should be answerable by anyone. The most common kind of launching question is one that asks for the “who, what, when, where” kind of information that can be directly found in the passage you’re reading. 

• “So, what do we know about Esther after reading this?” 

• “How did Esther prepare for approaching the king?” 

• “Who was Paul writing to?” 

3. Discovery

The purpose of discovery questions is to discover or draw out the principles of a passage or whatever topic you’re studying. This is where the questions get deeper and a little more difficult to answer. A typical discovery question many leaders revert to is, “What do you think this means?” But you really want to try to avoid going around and asking everyone, “What do you think this means?” because that can end up having the effect of just pooling the ignorance. You need to be very purposeful and guiding with your discovery questions. 

• “How are the officials at the gate sometimes like people in our lives?” 

• “How do you think a person can come to a point in their life where they’re willing and able to make a decision like Esther’s?” 

• “How do you see the providence of God at work here?”

4. Application

These, of course, are questions that help us to apply the principles that we’ve discovered to our everyday lives. 

• “What are some things that God is asking of you right now that seem a little risky?” 

• “What will your response be?” 

• “How does Esther’s story help you to see difficult seasons or situations in a different light?” 

• “How can you determine whether to accept or try to change difficult circumstances?” 

• “What are some things that you can begin doing now to help you to be ready for your ‘time such as this?’” 

You’ll probably cycle through the last three question types several times in the course of a Bible study as you look at each new passage of scripture. Depending on the topic, you may choose to ask all the application questions at the end of the study.