About Us
The History
The ministry of Community Bible Study began as an answer to the heartfelt prayer of a group of women who prayed that the Lord would provide many effective Bible Studies for people in the Washington, D.C. area. As a result of those prayers, the first Community Bible Study class began in the Fall of 1975 at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Over 500 women, from many different churches, registered to study the Gospel of John. Lee Campbell, along with her husband Floyd (Corky), were used by God to found Community Bible Study and she taught that first class.
One year later, another day class began in Alexandria, Virginia, and the first co-ed evening class started in Tysons Corner, Virginia. In 1977 classes began in California, Colorado, and Tennessee. 1978 found classes opening in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois, and in 1979 Texas and London, England birthed classes. Without any advertising, publicity, or human planning, classes spread throughout the United States. The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, birthplace of the first class, now has 19 classes. The Gospel of John, which was the first course written for CBS, has been supplemented by many other 30-week courses.
The Lord has truly blessed this ministry, and with grateful hearts we desire to love, to serve, and to honor Him in all that we do. Prayer gave birth to the ministry and prayer will always be a vital part of CBS. As we journey through the 21st century the mission of Community Bible Study remains:
"To make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through
caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all."
The Philosophy
The first Community Bible Study started as a result of prayer, and the ministry continues to undergird everything it does with the same emphasis on prayer. This is God's ministry, and we seek to do everything for His glory!
Since its inception the philosophy of Community Bible Study has always been that it is every person's Bible study, available to all. Each man, woman, youth, and child will be so cared for and loved that all will feel comfortable in their class regardless of background, education, church involvement, ethnicity, or economic status. Our desire is to build unity in the midst of diversity in our community.
Community Bible Study makes every effort to stand in the center of the mainstream of historic Christianity. We concentrate on the essentials of the Christian faith, not on denominational distinctives. As we grow in our love and respect for one another we learn that Christians can hold differing views on matters that are not essential to salvation. Regardless of these differences, we learn to love and care for each other as we grow in our knowledge of the Bible and in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The focus of Community Bible Study is to glorify God. Leaders are volunteers who are called by God to their roles, and give of their time and talents out of love for Him. Shepherding occurs at every level so that each individual feels connected and cared for and does not operate in isolation. Each leader is trained for his/her role. Regional and Area Directors, Teaching Directors, Associate Teaching Directors, Coordinators, and Children's Directors must attend National Training. Local class leaders are trained by their Servant's Team at the beginning of each class year.
In addition, continual training takes place at weekly Leadership Councils as well as in workshops and local and area retreats. The goal is spiritual enrichment as well as role training. Each year a Teaching Directors Conference is held to thank our teachers for their service and commitment to the Lord. While attending this conference, additional equipping and encouraging also take place both for Teaching Directors and Area Directors.
A Servants Team manual has been written to assist classes in operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. In it are guidelines that have been developed and found to be successful over the years. The ministry is constantly striving for excellence in all areas.
