Biblical literacy and community
Learning together strengthens faith and relationships.
When we think about becoming biblically literate, we often imagine personal study—flipping through footnotes or referencing commentaries. But what if true biblical literacy requires something deeper?
Cam Campbell, a seasoned teacher and group leader at First Presbyterian Church, believes that while personal study is valuable, engaging in group study is equally essential.
For Cam, biblical literacy thrives through community, where discussions and shared insights foster a richer understanding of scripture. This approach reflects a long-standing tradition of the church, where learning together strengthens faith and relationships.
A leader of a K Group and frequent teacher of the Sojourners Sunday School Class, Cam recommends many useful study resources to make the most of time in scripture including Barclay’s commentaries, the Apologetics Study Bible, Bethel lesson series, and Eugene Peterson’s The Message.
While independent study of scripture is important and not to be neglected, Cam is quick to point out that study in groups is just as crucial for understanding God’s Word. There are many opportunities to develop and strengthen biblical literacy with the aid of others in a group, including worship services, small groups, and Bible classes.
Group Bible classes and small study groups have a long, rich history at First Presbyterian Church. For over a century, these groups provided a space to talk, share perspectives, and learn more about the historical, cultural, and geographical context of scripture.
Cam’s jocular claim for his qualification to teach Bible classes is his diploma from First Presbyterian Muscogee’s kindergarten Sunday school. Despite his early academic success, Cam did not rest on his laurels when it came to understanding scripture. When he had questions, he sought answers through study aids and Bible curricula.
In 1982, Cam completed the Bethel lesson series, which included recorded lectures on video and audio cassette tape, memorizing concepts, tests and essay writing. Since then, Cam has innovated many creative means to “do what you have to do to learn it.” For example, Cam recommends taking a service’s bulletin, available online, and considering the words of preparation, the Old Testament reading, the sermon text, and the sermon title, and asking yourself, “If I were preparing the sermon on this, what would it be like?” Notes generated from this exercise may be kept in a sermon notebook along with any notes from the sermon as it is delivered by the pastor.
“Conversations about scripture, along with fostering the relationships in which to have these conversations, are indispensable parts of growing in biblical literacy.”
– Cam Campbell
Another approach is taking one’s own Bible to the worship service so that you can make notes directly in it, including the date when a text is preached on and by which pastor.
At the same time, biblical literacy to Cam means talking about the Word and the sermon with others, talking through its concepts, context, and implications as a group, and sharing and hearing different perspectives.
For over 25 years, Cam has led a K Group that meets on Monday evenings to discuss the previous day’s sermon. Responses to the question, “What did you hear?” are like describing sports replays seen from different angles. “Different people hear different things,” Cam says, “People will bring up points that resonate with them.”
Importantly, these Monday evening gatherings start with eating together. “It’s good to have dinner first to have conversations,” Cam maintains.
A contemporary Bible scholar and teacher at First Church, John Shelton, sees involving others in one’s study of scripture as imperative.
As he elaborates, “Scripture is not just about you and God. It’s never just ‘me, God, and the Bible.’ People have been involved in the production of the Bible. The production was by people.”
“We are commanded to be together. In a group, you belong to one body; it provides accountability.”
– John Shelton
For John, biblical study is best done by approaching the text humbly and seeking to understand context. He believes that “a text without context is a pretext for whatever you want it to mean.” His method is inductive, meaning he reads the text to understand what is important to God. He treats the text with respect and seeks its plain meaning.
John also recognizes the personal nature of scripture and the role of relationships in understanding it. He remembers that “the text is inspired, and people were inspired to write it ... It isn’t just a text. It is how God communicated to us; it is a love letter to us.”
John emphasizes the importance of community in developing biblical literacy. God places people in our lives to help us grow in Christ together. As John often says, “a life of faith is one of growth, deepening relationships, and lifelong learning.”
First Church's rich history of Bible study groups
Bible study groups have been part of ministry at First Presbyterian Church throughout its history. Recognizing the need to develop biblical literacy beyond sermons and private study, First Presbyterian Church started one of its longest-running Bible studies, The Brotherhood Class. It was formed in February 1907 and had a constitution, by-laws, and a clear purpose. Among its goals was the commitment “to study regularly the lessons of the Bible as the Word of God.”
In addition to study, the class promoted the application of the Bible’s teaching in daily life, work on projects helpful to the church, and civic engagement. The Brotherhood Class was once the longest-running Bible class in Oklahoma. However, it disbanded in 1982, shortly after its seventy-fifth anniversary. The group struggled to attract new members to its men-only format. Additionally, most of the remaining members, due to advanced age and ill health, were unable to attend.
Along with studying the Word, the purpose of the group was to “help build lasting friendly relationships,” the type which readily facilitates conversation and understanding of the Bible’s message.
Concurrent with the Brotherhood class, the Queen Esther Class was a women’s Bible study that met from 1921 to 1967. Its members, understanding as well the importance of relationships for providing a study forum and the means to cultivate them, began their Class with luncheons hosted at a member’s house on the third Tuesday of each month. The class supported the missional work of the church, living a life of faith grounded in and strengthened by biblical literacy.
Prior to 1921, women’s Bible study groups at First Church Tulsa were called guilds or societies, and were formed for both works and study, including the Hattie Graybill Missionary Society, formed in 1889. While forms of incorporation and the missional focus of these groups vary, they provide, then as now, meaningful context and relationships.
