BWGI’s spiritual growth online Bible study can be taken by small groups with two different plans.  The most effective plan is for each student to use his or her own personal copy of the course materials and on-line interaction.  The lowest cost plan uses a single copy of the course as supplemental material at group meetings.

Plan 1:  Most Effective Plan

The more expensive and more effective approach is for each group member to purchase their own copy of the online Bible study course, and use the full mentoring and on-line distance education interaction capabilities between group meetings.  Group meetings are for sharing what has been learned and for exercises and group discussion questions provided in the Facilitator's Guide.

Plan 2:  Low Cost Plan

The group leader has two options available:

• Take the Interactive Course all the way through Module 12 in Applications and then start a group.

• Take the Basic Course and only stay a week ahead of the group.  This is the lowest cost option.

The advantage of the Interactive Course for the leader is access to more content, the Student Forum, and interaction with your mentor, to help you answer questions and issues from your group.  Also, you can "preload" a lecture on your computer, carry it to the meeting, and play it without being connected to the Internet.  You cannot do this with the Enrichment Course.
 

Our standard small group package contains:

• One Becoming What God Intended workbook per student

• One Becoming What God Intended audio tape set

• One Facilitator's Guide
   

We recommend a total of 13 weekly meetings, a week of introduction and 12 “content” meetings.  The leader may optionally use media components from the course during the group meetings.  Material from modules 13-15 may be shared with the group for additional content after the 13 weeks, if desired, and if the time limits for the course are not exceeded.

In addition to the Becoming What God Intended workbook and audio tape set, one or more of the Supplementary Readings booklets on sexual, food, and drug addiction may be used in conjunction with workbook chapters 7 through 11.  Each of these booklets includes an additional section for five key workbook chapters.  Typically, the food addiction booklet is especially useful for women, while the sexual addiction booklet is especially useful for men.  These materials can be purchased in our on-line bookstore.

Course Outline

• Buy the course materials as described above.  Plan your leader preparation and group meeting schedule to conform to the course time limits.  The course "clock" starts ticking at your first course login.

• Read the Introduction to the Facilitator's Guide to help you plan your group meetings.  Set up meeting location so that a computer can be connected to the Internet to play the course media components for the group (not required if you purchase the Interactive Course).

• Introduction Meeting:  Use the plan in the Facilitator's Guide, and get acquainted.  Hand out course materials.  Play Course Introduction video and Corey's Testimony video from the course Introductory Module.  Set up a plan to share the audio tapes, and schedule assignments and meeting times.

• Chapter 1-12 Meetings:  Use the Facilitator's Guide chapter reviews and hand out the chapter outline page.  Play the chapter lecture from the course.  Discuss questions in workbook and Facilitator's Guide.  Use Supplements with chapters 7-11 if desired.

• Optional Module 13-15 Meetings:  Play the module lecture and discuss.

The cohort versions of the course include an intensive 3-day weekend training session at a location provided by the cohort.  The training sessions are presented by the course professor, Dr. David Eckman.  The pricing for the cohort courses depends on the size of the group.  A minimum of 12 students is required for a cohort course. 

There are two versions of the cohort courses, as follows:

Standard Cohort Course:  Includes the Interactive Course plus the intensive weekend.

Credit Cohort Course:  Includes the Credit Course plus the intensive weekend.