Where Can Discipleship Ministers Find Good Bible Study Questions for Adults?
Updated: Sep 15
Adult discipleship thrives on thoughtful conversation rooted in Scripture. Whether you're equipping Sunday School teachers, helping a small-group leader, or preparing to lead a discussion yourself, the right resources can make a big difference.
Many Discipleship Ministers and Sunday School teachers I talk with are asking essentially the same question: “Where can I find good Bible study questions for adults?” That's a good question - but the answer depends partly on what you need.
Perhaps you're looking for a complete curriculum. Or maybe your church has already adopted a curriculum but needs better discussion questions. Some teachers may need help understanding the passage before they teach it. Others need resources they can adapt around a particular topic or sermon series.
So rather than pretending all Bible study resources do the same thing, here are several I think are worth knowing about - and what each one does particularly well.
1. Lifeway's Adult Bible Study Curriculum
Best for: Churches that want a complete, structured Bible study
curriculum
Lifeway offers three major adult Bible study curriculum lines: Explore the Bible®, Bible Studies for Life®, and The Gospel Project®. Each takes a somewhat different approach. Explore the Bible works systematically through books of the Bible. Bible Studies for Life focuses more on life-related biblical themes. The Gospel Project traces the Bible's larger story and emphasizes how Scripture points to the gospel - and specifically to Jesus Christ himself.
All three provide churches with an organized study plan and resources for teachers, rather than requiring leaders to build lessons from scratch. Which one fits best depends on what your church is trying to accomplish and how you want adults to move through Scripture.
And if your teachers like the curriculum you're using but want more opportunities for class participation, you don't necessarily need a different curriculum. Sometimes you simply need to supplement it with additional discussion questions.
2. Bible Study Resources from The Gospel Coalition
Best for: Leaders looking for individual Bible studies and gospel-centered resources
The Gospel Coalition offers Bible study resources covering biblical books and Christian-life topics, including materials designed for personal study and group discussion. It's less of a standardized weekly curriculum system and more a place to look for individual studies and resources that fit a particular need.
That can make it especially useful for small groups or churches that aren't committed to following the same curriculum throughout the year.
3. Steve's Bible Questions
Best for: Teachers who already have a passage or curriculum and want ready-to-use discussion questions
(You didn’t think we weren’t going to mention ourselves, did you?)
But seriously - Steve’s Bible Questions is designed for a somewhat different need. Rather than providing a complete curriculum, our worksheets supplement the Scripture passage or curriculum your group is already studying. Each lesson includes 10 discussion questions, supporting Scripture references, and a Life Application section designed to help adults move from understanding toward obedience.
For churches using Lifeway curriculum, Explorations follows the weekly Scripture passages used in Explore the Bible®, Life Lessons supplements Bible Studies for Life®, and Gospel Connections supports The Gospel Project®. We also offer topical discussion series for groups studying subjects such as anxiety, forgiveness, and Christian living.
The idea is simple: keep the curriculum or teaching approach you already like, and add questions that help adults participate in the conversation.
Video Lesson Previews from Sunday School University
Best for: Lifeway teachers who want free video help preparing to teach the weekly lesson
Sunday School University takes a different approach. Rather than providing another set of discussion questions, its free weekly video presentations help teachers prepare for lessons from Lifeway’s Explore the Bible®, Bible Studies for Life®, and The Gospel Project®.
Each video walks through the weekly lesson with Scripture insights, teaching ideas, and Bible-to-life application. For teachers who learn well by watching another experienced teacher work through the material, that can be especially helpful.
Some teachers use the video early in their preparation, then adapt what they’ve learned to fit their own class and teaching style. The videos are free with registration.
5. Smallgroup.com by Lifeway
Best for: Churches that want flexibility to build studies around particular texts or topics
Lifeway’s smallgroup.com is useful when you don’t want to follow a single quarterly curriculum. It provides customizable Bible study material that leaders can adapt around a biblical passage, topic, or ministry need.
That flexibility can be particularly useful for sermon-aligned groups, short-term studies, or churches where different groups are studying different subjects.
6. Bible Project Group Studies
Best for: Groups that benefit from visual, thematic, and big-picture approaches to Scripture
BibleProject offers free videos, study guides, and other resources that help people understand biblical books and themes in the context of the Bible’s larger story. Many of its resources include discussion questions or materials that can be used by groups.
This can be especially helpful when adults need help seeing how a passage, theme, or biblical book fits into the larger story of Scripture. Because the approach is often visual and conceptual, a teacher may still want to add questions that bring the discussion more directly into the group’s particular circumstances.
Choosing the Right Bible Study Questions for Adults - and the Right Resources
There’s no shortage of Bible study content. The harder question is figuring out what will actually help your teachers and your people.
A church that needs a complete curriculum has a different need from a teacher who already has a curriculum but wants better discussion questions. A new teacher who needs help understanding Sunday’s passage may benefit from something entirely different from an experienced leader building a six-week topical study.
And sometimes the best approach is a combination. A curriculum can establish the direction. A video can help the teacher prepare. A discussion worksheet can help turn that preparation into conversation.
The goal isn’t to accumulate more resources. It’s to give teachers the right resources to help adults engage God’s Word together.
As always, pray through your choices. Know your people. And don't underestimate how God can use a single Spirit-led question to open someone's heart.
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If your teachers already have a passage or curriculum but could use ready-to-use questions, you can try a free sample lesson before deciding whether Steve’s Bible Questions would be useful for your church.
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