Small Group Material

© Freeimages, space cadett

Are you looking for material for a lent course, home group or special-interest group? Here are some suggestions that will help adult small groups to dig into the science-faith discussion – especially those without any science background.

Faraday Churches monthly resources

At the beginning of every month we release a new set of bite-sized biblical resources: 3 min video, discussion questions and short article. Later in the month we record a podcast with an expert on the same topic. All the resources are collected together on our Patreon platform and available from free.

General Introductions

Wonders of the Living World is a series of up to six free sessions that use videos to introduce working scientists, looking at the big questions raised by their research in the context of their Christian faith. Topics include beauty, curiosity, hope, creation and purpose. This material accompanies a colour illustrated coffee table book of the same title.

Science for the Church has produced two high quality small group study series that are well worth taking a look at ($10 each).

God Saw That It Was Good – weaves stunning visual imagery with a narrative entwining science and faith, taking people deeper in the wonder, mystery and meaning of the world. Looking in fresh ways at our rich, full, and yet fragile world.

Where Science Meet Faith: a resource for small groups produced by the Durham-based Engaging Christian Leaders in an Age of Science (ECLAS) project.

Science and Faith in the second city: a Birmingham-based project that hosted some excellent talks and has produced study material to go with them.

Not specifically targeted at Christians, so may work well for more missed groups: the Faraday Institute Science and Eternity video series, the Why Are We Here? TV series or Science: the wide angle.

Test of FAITH includes a set of three to six sessions accompanying a the part broadcast-quality documentary. Topics covered include: science and faith, the Big Bang, creation/evolution, creation care, bioethics and neuroscience. The videos are now free on YouTube in a number of languages. Small group material can be purchased at a discount from the Faraday shop. (The leader’s guide contains all the information you need to run the course, including answers to questions. The study guide could be given to each member of the group for note-taking or handout information).

The Penultimate Curiosity is a documentary (now on YouTube) about how science develops in the wake of ultimate questions about the meaning and purpose of life. It’s accompanied by a book and a free six-session study guide.

Special topics

We are blessed with a rich diversity of small group material on creation care, so please explore our hot topics section on this issue to find more details.

Several sets of  small group material are recommended on our Artificial Intelligence resource hub.

The Character Course was produced by the Christian psychologist Roger Bretherton and his team at the University of Lincoln, bringing together the psychology of character development with ancient biblical wisdom. In eight free sessions it covers key themes of Christian discipleship: learning, hope, love, forgiveness, gratitude, humour, persistence and curiosity.

Jesus, Beginnings & Science: a guide for group conversation is a series of 12 sessions written by a science professor and a campus minister (print edition £9.95). This would work well for a very Bible-oriented church that had been exposed to some of the debate about creation and evolution. The guide helps diffuse the tension, exploring the full breadth of biblical passages on creation, and looking at the nature of science and how it complements Christian faith. Other small group resources on this topic are recommended on our Creation & Evolution Hot Topics page.

Engaging Theology​ – if you’re looking for something a bit deeper, take a look at this free small group material produced by the Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology for the Christian student movement Fusion. Includes a fascinating unit on Creation that engages some of the most important points from the doctrine of creation, that have implications for our faith and action in the world.

A Catechism of Creation: A Episcopal Understanding​, Prepared for Study in Congregations by The Committee on Science, Technology and Faith of The Executive Council The Episcopal Church in the United States of America, including extensive bibliography.