Bible Clusters

Read. Talk. Pray. That’s all there is to it. Here at Engage Art we are passionate about Engaging Scripture. A Bible Cluster is a way to deepen Scripture engagement in a small group of peers.

A Bible Cluster follows a simple flow: read ~ talk ~ pray. 

• Read a passage of Scripture together. 
• Talk about the passage together. Everyone should feel free to share their perspective and insights.
• Pray with each other. 

A Bible Cluster is not:

• A Sermon
• A Study
• For Christians only 

Yes! Engage Art hosts open Bible Clusters throughout the month in our EAC Artist Community Facebook Group HERE. These gatherings feature uplifting conversation about Scripture along with original artwork inspired by the passage that we will be discussing. This artwork might be visual art, a live performance, or in video form. The artists join the call and present their work to everyone who has gathered. We would love for you to join in! Find the details on our Events page.

Yes! We have found Bible Clusters to be very powerful, and we want to equip you to start your own Bible Cluster right in your community. Anyone can start a Bible Cluster. All it takes is a facilitator and a few friends who want to gather together to read Scripture, talk about it, and pray. See below for how to do it!

1. Start with those you know. Would your friends, family or someone else you know be interested in having a conversation with you around Scripture? Remember: Bible Clusters are not just for religious people. Everyone is welcome—all backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives.
2. It’s ok to start small. If you have 3 people, then that’s great! More? Great as well, but the optimal size is 6-8 people. Great conversation can happen in groups of every size. Remember, your main goal is to read the Scripture, talk about it and pray.
3. Choose a passage of Scripture to read and discuss. There are no right or wrong Scripture passages to choose from, and there are thousands of verses in the Bible. Do consider choosing a section of several verses that work together. If you plan to read a story that has a lot of names, dates and places in it, consider creating a reference tool like a slide show or pdf document you can share.
4. Choose a time and place that works best for your group. That may be a house, a reserved room in a library, a coffee shop, or restaurant. Because of the nature of working with artists around the world, Engage Art meets virtually through Zoom, and this may be an option for you, as well. Plan on meeting for about an hour.
5. Open in prayer. When you gather, feel free to open in prayer to set the tone, calm hearts, and prepare to read. Then remind everyone of the ground rules: (1) be respectful of what others have to say, (2) all perspectives are welcome, and (3) have fun!
6. READ. Have someone read the Scripture out loud. Do not coerce people—many are not comfortable reading aloud. We recommend each person have the Scripture in front of them, either on their phones, a physical Bible, or a print out of the verses, because they will want to refer to the passage throughout the conversation.
7. TALK. Some good starting questions are: What stands out to you as you read this passage? What do you think God is saying in this Scripture? What do you feel when you read this passage?
8. Create space for everyone to speak. As the conversation continues, the goal is to have each person feel free to speak openly. Any points they’d like to discuss or any aspect of the Scripture they want to highlight is fair game. Be sure no one person dominates the conversation—this is part of your job as the facilitator. (See more about facilitators below.) Be sure to equally welcome those who have studied the Bible for decades and those who are totally new to Scripture.
9. PRAY. Be mindful of timing. We recommend that Bible Clusters last 1 hour. Once the discussion comes to a close, pray. You should begin with a short, casual, heartfelt prayer referencing the Scripture, the conversation, and asking God for help to understand Him and His Word better. It is important for you to model how to talk with God, because for some people, this will be the first time they’ve heard a prayer that doesn’t include Thee and Thou. NOTE: This prayer is not about prayer requests from the group, world events, or individual concerns.
10. Meet again. Choose another time and date to meet. Ideally, choose a consistent time and place to make scheduling easier for everyone. Engage Art Bible Clusters are currently the last Tuesday of each month at 9pm EDT on our Artist Facebook Group.
11. Have fun. Be sure to have fun! Sometimes there’s a misconception that when we gather around God’s Word we have to be boring and solemn. Respectful of God and one another, yes! But not boring. We are reading about the Creator of all creators, and so there’s nothing boring there! Enjoy the time of connecting with others, hearing them, sharing your thoughts and learning.

We highly recommend that you watch the simple step-by-step videos about how to start your own Bible Cluster here. These videos were produced by Pastor David Ingrassia (the creator of Bible Clusters) and his team at Charlotte Awake.

• Don’t feel undue pressure. Your role is to help guide the discussion. Lead with gentleness and humility. You are not expected to be a Biblical scholar nor to interpret the Scripture (kudos to you if you are or can!). 
• You will want to do some preparation beforehand: praying for the upcoming time together and the people who will gather, reading the Scripture and reflecting on it, and printing out copies of the Scripture for those who may need it. 
• If anyone is new to the group, be sure to introduce everyone at the beginning of your Bible Cluster.
• Keep the discussion on track. Be sure to guide the conversation back to the Scripture. You want to have a conversation about God, not the latest movie or a binge-worthy show. It’s fine to talk about anything if the group is relating it to the Scripture, which should be the focus of your time together.
• Do not force anyone to speak or pray. A Bible Cluster should feel safe and comfortable for everyone. No coercion here!

Depending on where you live, how dispersed your group is, or how comfortable you feel with technology, having a virtual Bible Cluster may be a more practical option for your group. If so, there are many video web conferencing platforms available so your group can see each other face-to-face.  

Zoom

StreamYard

Skype

Google Meet 

Facebook Messenger

Facetime

Even more choices: 10 Best Video Calling Software