Book Review: “Unleash the Word” (Karen Soole)

(This is my review of the book by Karen Soole "Unleash the Word" published by 10 Publishing. You can read selected quotes from the book here, and to purchase you own copy, click this link.)

So less is more.

In a Bible study setting?

When we want to dig into the Word we ask lots of questions among our small groups to better understand what God is teaching us in a particular passage. We might be accustomed to this approach. However, there are lots of pitfalls that are accompanied by this type of method.

That’s what this book about. There is another way of engaging the small group with God’s Word: less is more. Karen Soole in Unleash the Word strikes two balls that are essential to the leader of a small group. One is that they need to remember that while the biblical stuff is important,   the relational side of the small group should also matter. This book aims to strike a balance between those two. Then two, it's important to handle the Word of God with utmost respect and care. Both of these have pitfalls that a Bible teacher must avoid.

What I like about Unleash the Word is how Soole explains hermeneutics and other things that comprise the Bible study method. It’s something outside the box and she nailed it good. The main cake of the book is the three question approach of the Bible study. It’s excellently explained here with a chart to help you track the progress of the Bible study using the book’s method. She ends the book with some sample Bible studies which serve as templates for us. No more excuses that we didn't understand the goal of this book for small groups.

For those who are struggling in their small group (like me!), Karen Soole wrote something that is not just practical but will make you eager to put her lessons into action. This small volume doesn’t pack all the stuff but has a simple serving of the essential things to get you going in a Bible study group. Are you ready for a small group upgrade? Pick this book up whether your a novice or seasoned in handling a small group. Unleash the Word is gold!

My verdict:

5 out of 5