Women’s Bible Study Format

In a previous post, I recommended Nancy Guthrie’s Hoping for Something Better as a good Bible study for women through Hebrews.  With both Nancy’s book and Practical Theology for Women, I’ve heard consistent requests for help to transition these books to use in a small or large group Bible study.  I am now writing a Leader’s Guide for Practical Theology for Women, and I have several questions for which I’m hoping that you, the reader, will offer feedback. 

The big question is simply what are you looking for in a Leader’s Guide?  I have always envisioned a fairly simple format for group study of my work — maybe 15 minutes where a leader reviews the big ideas from any assigned chapter and then 45 minutes for ladies to sit around tables and discuss the ideas that struck them.  In a Leader’s Guide, do you need guidance in what you should review with everyone?  Do you prefer videos where the author actually presents the review?  Do you need reproducible worksheets to hand out?

I am thinking through the best way to format the upcoming manuscript on Ephesians that I hope to publish in March.  I loved the old Experiencing God Workbook .  It had the text of the book with plenty of space to write my interactions with the text and Scripture presented.  Is that a format you would prefer for a group study?  Would you use that format in private study? 

The big question is what format will facilitate study by both individuals and groups?  There are many different learning styles.  What is helpful to your personal learning style?  What does not help and actually makes it harder to hear and process the material?  Thanks for any feedback you can give.