Casket Empty has two main Bible studies, one in Old Testament (18 weeks) and one in the New Testament (14 weeks). When done together, they provide a 32-week study through the entire Bible, tracing the story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical books are introduced and studied in chronological order so that participants begin to see how the Bible fits together into one coherent narrative. Although the Bible studies are longer than what one might expect, congregants will gain an in-depth knowledge of the whole Bible, and they will be able to trace God’s covenants and promises through the entire canon. The Old Testament Bible also includes select New Testament readings, and the New Testament Bible also includes select Old Testament readings. This communicates powerfully that the Bible is one redemptive story with Jesus at the center. Depending on your church calendar, some churches offer the Bible studies in smaller blocks (breaking up the Old Testament study into three blocks of 6 weeks and the New Testament study into two blocks of 7 weeks). Most importantly, when done one after the other, the two Bible studies will take congregants through the entire Bible, with a focus on the centrality of Jesus for the biblical story. This study will change the way people read the Bible.  

Yes! You may be familiar with Bible studies hosted by an organization, such as Bible Study Fellowship, but Casket Empty Bible studies are designed to be done in the local church and led by pastors, ministry leaders, and lay Bible study leaders. We have resources available for leaders to equip people to lead a Casket Empty Bible study, but they are designed to be offered organically in the local church context. This is why Casket Empty does not offer a Bible study video series taught by our authors, as we are committed to our Bible studies being led by local church leaders. We do have videos on our website that are intended as a (optional) resource for Bible study leaders and those wanting to gain an overview of each study.

Yes! The only thing we request is that you give credit to Casket Empty (citing the website is the best way to do this) and give credit to our authors. Casket Empty® is registered as a trademark, so material cannot be produced by any person or group other than Casket Empty, but we are happy for you to use our Casket Empty Bible studies, timelines, maps, study guides, and PowerPoints for your ministry. This also means that every person in the small group will need their own copy of the Bible study, since print outs or photocopies of the bible studies are not allowed due to copyright issues.

Each Bible study leader will need their own copy of the Bible Study, Timeline, (fold out) Maps, and Study Guide (these resources are available in Old and New Testament). A Leader’s Guide is located at the back of both Bible studies, and this should be read by every leader before starting the Bible study. In addition to the Leader’s Guide, it will be extremely helpful for a small group leader to read the relevant sections in the Study Guide (relevant page numbers are given at the end of each weekly Bible study lesson). This is vital as the Study Guide provides further background information about key periods in the Old or New Testament. Companion Bible study videos are also available on the Casket Empty website. It will be helpful for a Bible study leader to watch these videos ahead of time, as they provide an overview of key sections in the Old and New Testament, and the central topics are highlighted for each weekly lesson. Videos by Pastor John Moser are available on the same webpage for those interested in hearing from a pastor who has taught Casket Empty Bible studies in his church for many years. For those leading an Old Testament Bible study, Dr. Kaminski’s online course is another helpful resource for those wanting to dive deeper into the Old Testament. Our experience is that people never feel fully prepared to lead a Bible study on the entire storyline of the Bible, but we encourage people to prepare well, and then just get started. You’ll be amazed to see how people’s eyes will light up as they start to see the storyline of the Bible.

Each person will need their own copy of either the Old or New Testament Bible Study, along with the companion Old or New Testament Timeline. We also recommend that each person has the Old or New Testament Maps, and you can save on these three products if you buy the Old or New Testament “Bible Study Bundle.” At the end of each weekly lesson, suggested Further Readings from the Old or New Testament Study Guide are given. This is not required, but our experience is that some people in your Bible Study will want to do these additional readings, so they will need to buy either the Old or New Testament Study Guide. We also recommend participants use a hard copy Bible, as it is helpful to underline key passages and use the same Bible each week.

Each weekly lesson begins with a short overview of the period (2-3 pages, 6x9 inches book), which provides a helpful orientation to key people and events that will be studied during the week. There are 4-5 chapters of Bible readings assigned each week, along with 6-8 discussion questions based on the readings, and 3-4 application questions. Participants are expected to write out their answers in the space provided, and these are the basis for the weekly small group discussions. Rather than attempt to do all the questions in one session (this will quickly become burdensome and unworkable), participants should plan on reading one chapter from the Bible and answer 1-2 questions. This daily routine can be done in 15 minutes each day. Each week participants are encouraged to review the timeline and maps, and additional readings from the Study Guide are recommended but not required. Participants can also watch the companion videos on our website (one per week, approximately 15 minutes per video), but this is not required.

Companion Bible Study videos are available on our website by Carol Kaminski (Old Testament), David Palmer (New Testament), and by Rev. John Moser (on how to lead a Bible study in your church). There are 18 Old Testament videos and 14 New Testament videos that are approximately 15 minutes each. These videos are not required as part of the Bible study, but some people find them helpful, especially if participants are new to the Bible, and they are helpful for leaders.

Absolutely! But this will require more work from the Bible study leader to explain key sections carefully. These Bible studies have been used by new Christians and by those with minimal Bible knowledge. The leader’s role is key when people in the group are unfamiliar with the Bible, ensuring that difficult concepts are clearly explained—but what a blessing for a new Christian to learn the storyline of the Bible!

People have done the Bible studies in different ways, but small groups that begin with a short time of teaching (introducing people to the lesson and key aspects of the week’s study) have found to be very effective. Some churches meet as a large group for the first 10-15 minutes. They use this time for the ministry leader to provide introductory teaching on the lesson, and then everyone breaks up into their small group with a designated person who leads the discussion. Other churches have small groups meeting in homes, and the leader may choose to do a short introduction at the start or simply begin by reading some excerpts from the lesson’s introduction. There is high flexibility, and the pedagogy you choose will depend on your group, the church context, and your own teaching style. The less familiar participants are with the Bible the more guidance will be needed by the small group leader. It will be important (especially for the Old Testament study) that people constantly see the “big picture” of where they are in the biblical narrative. A leader has a key role in keeping this larger redemptive story before the group each week, and the timeline will be vital so that people don’t get lost in the details.

Yes! Some churches have adopted the Casket Empty Bible studies as a church-wide and yearlong study with a companion preaching series. The weekly Bible studies “map out” nicely the preaching topics and they provide possible biblical texts for a sermon series. For example, Week 4 of the Old Testament Bible study is entitled “God’s Faith Family.” The Old Testament Bible readings assigned for Week 4 are on the Abrahamic promises and covenant (Gen. 12:1-7; 15:1-21; 17:1-8; 18:1-14), and Abraham’s offering up of Isaac (Gen. 22). The title for the sermon could simply be “God’s Faith Family,” and any of the assigned passages would be ideal for a sermon. Since several passages are part of the weekly lesson, this gives a high level of flexibility for a pastor, and there may be times where a different passage on the same topic is chosen instead. This gives the pastor flexibility, and full control of the preaching series, while also allowing the series to follow the Casket Empty outline. Assuming breaks during Christmas, Easter, and the summer, the Bible studies (together) provide a 32-week outline for the sermon series, ensuring that a preaching series beginning in the fall can be completed before the summer begins.

This has proven to be a great way to get people excited about the Bible study and enthusiastic about studying the Bible. If your church is interested in hosting a Casket Empty Bible Seminar, see the FAQ page devoted to the topic How to Host a Casket Empty Bible Seminar at your Church.