Young Men’s Bible Study (YMBS) has been a huge part of my life. The Columbus RP youth organized YMBS quite a while ago—and Young Women’s Bible study (YWBS)—and it has been active for around 10 years. Currently, YMBS meets every other Wednesday. We normally gather at a church family’s house, such as the McCracken’s, Planalp’s, or Gobles’. In this hour-long study, we pray, read God’s Word, discuss, pray again, and then join the YWBS to sing the Psalms. It is led by and made up entirely of teenagers, give or take the occasional college student.

I was first exposed to YMBS when my older brothers made friends with the Gobles, a family who participated in it. My brothers and I started going and, at first, it was just a time of fellowship for me. I didn’t seriously consider what I was learning or listening to as Noah Goble or Josh Erney (my older brother) led. As I grew older, I started to appreciate the advice and input the other guys would give during the study more and more; I became more intent on what was being said and how God’s Word affected me. There’s something special about a study where the people experience the same setbacks and sins, help each other deal with them, and pray for each other. We can share prayer requests and questions we might have while being deep in God’s Word, trying to understand and work out what God’s will is for us. It has helped me to grow in my friendships with other believers who attended the study, most of who will be good friends for life. It also prepared me to lead a study group.

When the study lost a lot of members because college students were going away, we needed a new leader. I thought “how hard could it be to lead?” I finally came to the decision to do it by the fact that I thought it would at the least be a good experience for me, and, at the best, be a blessing to all of us in the study. When my friend P.J. Deaton volunteered to do it with me, I thought that would lighten the load. We started leading it together, alternating weeks.

To prepare to lead a study I read a book on how to lead a small group Bible study. Going in I had no idea where to start, but the book helped to get my study in order. For the study, I chose a book of the Bible to go through. I started with the first chapter, read it all, and spent 1–3 days picking the passage apart to find the main themes, ideas, and points of application.

Leading a study is very different from being in a study. As the leader your main job is to bring up questions, direct the flow of conversation, and stimulate thought. Sometimes this means nipping a conversation in its bud, because it has nothing to do with the passage, or following a rabbit trail even though it’s not the main theme.

Responsibility is another huge factor of being a leader, and it is one thing I struggled with most. It was hard to tell some of my friends to be quiet when they were talking while another person was sharing a thought they had on the passage (something I have been guilty of many times). When I came as a participant, I was relaxed, ready to have fun and to learn. But when I was a leader, I was nervous, uptight, focused, and afraid I might say something biblically incorrect and get struck down by lightning.

However, I know that being a leader has helped me in my walk with God. It helped me to stay in the Word and to be focused and intent to learn more and to share what I learned with the group. It helped me to grow more passionate for the gospel and for Christ, making me want to evangelize and be a light to this dark world. It encouraged me to take a more active role in the church.

The most prominent blessings of participating in YMBS are growing in faith and in our love for Jesus Christ; when we are together, we encourage, have fun, laugh, praise God, and pray for and teach one another, and I am very thankful for this.

Tim Erney | Columbus, Ind., RPC