What is Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)?

from the old testament

• In Deuteronomy 6:6–9, God commanded His people to meditate on His Word, to teach it diligently to their children, and to keep it constantly in mind.
• The psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). We must know and reflect on God’s Word.
• God’s Word is described as a lamp to guide us (Psalm 119:105, 130); understanding it comes from studying and meditating on it.
• Joshua 1:8 indicates that success and blessing are tied to keeping the Word in our hearts and meditating on it continually.

from the new testament

• The Bereans were commended in Acts 17:11 for examining the Scriptures daily to verify the teachings they received. They serve as a model of diligent study.
• Paul’s exhortation to Timothy applies to all believers: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). These words imply the need for careful study, interpretation, and application of God’s Word.
• Believers are instructed to let the Word dwell richly in them (Colossians 3:16). God’s Word, through the power of His Spirit, in community.
• James 1:22 shows us that we should be “be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” BSF’s in-depth Bible study helps participants know God’s Word and challenges them to apply it.

implications for today

BSF International began in the early 1950s when Audrey Wetherell Johnson, a former missionary, was asked by five women to teach them the book of Colossians in her home. She agreed but said that she would not spoon-feed them. The transformative experience of in-depth Bible study among those women laid the foundation for the ministry that would later become Bible Study Fellowship International.

From that first small group, the ministry grew organically, and in 1959 BSF was officially launched in Oakland, California, with its first board meeting and structured Bible study program. Over the 1960s and 1970s, BSF expanded rapidly in the United States and internationally, adding classes in multiple states and countries, and launching children’s and young adult programs as participation grew into the tens of thousands. In 1980, after more than two decades of growth, BSF moved its headquarters to San Antonio, Texas, and continued expanding globally, eventually becoming known as BSF International as its reach extended across continents. Today, BSF serves more than 430,000 men and women along with students and children worldwide, in over 120 countries, through in‑person classes, online groups, and digital resources, reflecting decades of commitment to in‑depth Bible study and discipleship.

BSF’s four-fold approach of in-depth study, discussion, lecture, and notes provides a comprehensive framework for participants to observe, interpret, internalize, and apply God’s Word both individually and in community. Combining careful Scripture examination with heart-felt questions, guided teaching, and group interaction, BSF equips believers to not only understand God’s Word but to live it out in daily life, reflecting the ministry’s mission to magnify God and mature God’s people across all ages and cultures.