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When you are beginning to start a family bible study and looking for ideas of what to study in the Bible, it’s important to find a flexible reading plan to follow.
In this post, I aim to share with you three reading plans and their accompanying resources to get you going! Any resources I share will be linked below.
The One-Year Chronological Plan
This plan was created by Iva and Stan May and is a full 365-day plan through the entire Bible. The unique thing about this plan is that the daily readings are arranged in chronological order. So you are reading the story of the Bible as it happened.
Pros and Cons of this Reading Plan
Pros:
- It has an accompanying Study Bible that includes daily commentary, discovery questions, and articles explaining Biblical themes, times, etc.
- It has an accompanying app, the CBT -chronological Bible teaching app, that includes daily podcasts, daily devotionals that go along with the readings, etc.
- When completed, your family will have read through the entire Bible together, which is an AMAZING feat!
Cons:
- Because it is a daily reading plan with no breaks, it is very easy to get overwhelmed and behind. And when you get behind it’s easy to get discouraged and quit.
The Foundations 260 (F-260) Reading Plans
This group of plans was created by Robby Gallaty, pastor of Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, TN. It focuses on 260 essential Bible passages, which are spread out over 52 weeks. Each week, you will read five passages and spend time discussing and reflecting on the meaning and significance of each one.
Pros and Cons of this Reading Plan
Pros
- There is a full bible plan, an Old Testament plan, and a New Testament plan, adding some other options to the table.
- This plan is focused on hearing from God. They have created workbooks that walk you through the plan and allow you to document as you go. These workbooks are by age level, adult, teen, and kids!
- There is also an accompanying journal that can be used with this plan or just used in general Bible study.
- It’s a 260-day reading plan and is meant to be read 5 days a week. It leaves the room if you need to catch up on days.
Cons
- Like any plan, without accountability, it’s easy to get behind and quit.
The “Yes! You Can Discover God!” Plan
This is a plan being actively created by me! I believe the main goal in a family bible reading plan is quality over quantity! It isn’t about creating a religious duty for yourself, or burdening yourself with a daily box to check! So I am taking the best parts of the above plans, along with other resources, and creating something extremely flexible, that your family can engage with weekly.
Pros and Cons of this Reading Plan
Pros
- No long drawn-out readings. You focus on one passage or set of passages each week!
- Time is not an issue. We go slowly through the story of the Bible. You aren’t stressed to have it finished in a certain time frame.
- You have an online support system from me as your family walks through the plan! I’m your pastor by proxy. A pastor in your pocket!
- This plan has an accompanying workbook that can be used in your study time of the passage, your group time, and even go to the extent of preparing you for your church gathering time!
Cons
- This is not a daily Bible reading plan. It’s not the plan for you if you are looking to create daily habits.
- It is a plan in development, so you will be notified of new passages at the beginning of each week.
- Like any plan, without accountability, it’s easy to quit!
So there you have it. Pick a plan. That’s the most important thing here. Your family needs a flexible plan that they can use and hold each other accountable to. Having a plan in place helps each member of the family truly discover God!
Speaking of discovering God and asking discovery questions, check out this post on “How Can I Help My Family Understand the Bible?”
Resources Mentioned in This Post
BONUS! To download a PDF that includes all these resources AND the Bible reading plans themselves, enter your email below!
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