How to Start Your Own Just Show Up Book Club:
1. Pick a book.
You can jump in to our current book club, fill out the form below to receive our list of suggestions, or choose a book of your own.
2. Purchase the audiobook.
Determine how many book club sessions you’ll need to listen to the entire book.
3. Obtain permission from book copyright holders.
You will need permission from the audiobook publisher to play their audio production in a group setting. If you would like to display text for the group (such as from eBook), you will also need permission from the book publisher.
4. Schedule a regular time to meet and invite people to join.
We suggest having at least four people in your group. Encourage members to purchase a digital or print copy of the book to read along.
5. Get the equipment.
Before your first meeting, make sure you have the technology you need to listen to the book together.
6. Host the book club.
Spend time listening to and discussing the book together. Find a good balance of your reading/listening time with the discussion time. Generally, try to keep your reading time about 20-30 minutes and your discussion time 20-30 minutes.
Guidelines to Create a Good Environment for Sharing
Lead introductions.
Encourage each participant to share their name and where they are from.
Everyone speaks.
Participants share what they have learned or what they disagreed with. Your guidance is helpful to make sure that no participant dominates the conversation. Consider using a timer if necessary.
Use the book as a reference.
Use quotes and stories found in the book to guide conversation.
Share your experience.
Encourage participants to use “I, me, and my” instead of “we, us, our, you, your” when they share.
Be curious.
Keep the conversation moving by asking open-ended questions.
Start a Group
Use these helpful slides to set up your book club discussion.
Suggested Books for Your First Book Club
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
By E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien
Biblical scholars Brandon O’Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O’Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways.
Audiobook length: 8 hours 27 minutes
Suggested length of book club: 16 weeks
Knowing God
By J.I. Packer
Knowing God brings together two key facets of the Christian faith―knowing about God and knowing God through a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Written in an engaging and practical tone, this thought-provoking work seeks to renew and enrich our understanding of God.
Audiobook length: 10 hours
Suggested length of book club: 20 weeks
The Good and Beautiful God
By James Bryan Smith
We all have ideas that we tell ourselves about God and how he works in our lives. Some are true―but many are false. James Bryan Smith believes those thoughts determine not only who we are, but how we live. In fact, Smith declares, the most important thing about a person is what they think about God.
Turning to the Gospels, Smith invites you to put your ideas to the test to see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God. Once you’ve discovered the truth in Scripture, Smith leads you through a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities aimed at making these new narratives real in your body and soul as well as your mind.
Audiobook length: 6 hours
Suggested length of book club: 12 weeks