Bible Study Groups in Nepal: Where They Meet and How to Join One
Bible study in Nepal usually happens in small groups that meet in homes on a weekday evening, or in classes held at the church before or after the Saturday worship service.
When Bible studies meet
There are two common rhythms. The first is the home group, sometimes called a cell group, which gathers on a weekday evening after work — often between six and eight — in a member’s flat or house, rotating between homes or staying put wherever there is space. The second sits alongside the main worship service: because Saturday is Nepal’s weekly holiday and the day congregations gather, many churches run a study or teaching class immediately before or after Saturday worship, while everyone is already there.
The Saturday arrangement is worth understanding if you are new to the country. Nepal’s weekend only became two days in April 2026, and church life was built around a single free day, so Saturday still carries most of the week’s Christian activity — worship, study, youth meetings and shared food, often back to back.
Groups aimed at particular people tend to have their own slot: women’s studies frequently meet on a weekday morning, student and youth groups in the late afternoon or evening, and men’s groups early in the morning before work. A church will usually run several of these at once rather than one study for everybody.
What actually happens in a Nepali Bible study
A typical session opens with a song or two and a short prayer, works through a passage together, and closes with everyone praying aloud — often for the specific needs raised in the room, which in Nepal commonly means health, work abroad, family members who are unwell, and exams. Somewhere in there, tea appears.
The style is conversational rather than lecture-shaped. The leader is frequently not a pastor but an ordinary member, the passage is read out and then discussed verse by verse, and questions from the group drive most of the hour. Many groups work steadily through one book of the Bible over months rather than jumping between topics.
Groups are small — a living room’s worth of people is the usual size — and that is deliberate. In a country where many congregations meet in rented halls with little room to talk, the home group is where members actually know one another, and it is where a newcomer stops being a stranger fastest.
Language and Bibles
Most groups study in Nepali. Nepali-language Bibles are readily available through churches and Christian bookshops in Kathmandu, and a great many people simply read from a Bible app on their phone, which is also the easiest way for a visitor to follow along in a second language — you can have the same passage open in English while the discussion runs in Nepali.
In Kathmandu and Lalitpur you will also find groups that study in English, generally connected to congregations serving international residents and students. Elsewhere, English-language study is uncommon, though it is worth asking: in many groups at least one member speaks enough English to translate the gist, and they will usually offer without being asked.
Where a congregation worships in a mother tongue — Nepal Bhasa, Tamang, Magar, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu and others — its study groups tend to follow the same language, which for many older members is the language they read most comfortably.
Joining a group as a newcomer
You do not need to be invited, and you do not need to know anything. Turning up to a Saturday service and saying to whoever hands you tea that you would like to join a Bible study is the entire process in most churches; someone will either take you to their own group or put you in touch with the person who organises them.
Expect to be asked where you live. Home groups in Nepal are organised geographically, because evening travel across Kathmandu or Pokhara is slow and people join the group nearest them. If you say which neighbourhood you are in, you will usually be pointed at a specific group rather than a general invitation.
Bring nothing. If you are visiting a home, you will take your shoes off at the door and you may well sit on the floor, and if the group has any warning at all that a guest is coming there will be more food than you expected. Coming empty-handed is entirely normal.
Where to look for a Bible study near you
Studies are almost never advertised. They run inside churches, in homes, on university campuses and in workplace lunch breaks, and none of that shows up on a map — which is why the practical route to a Bible study is nearly always through a congregation rather than a search.
The Church Nepal directory is the place to start: find a church near you in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Chitwan, Biratnagar, Dharan, Butwal or wherever you are, then contact it and ask what studies it runs and when. The directory is new and still filling out, so it does not yet cover every town, and no directory will ever list the individual home groups themselves.
If you are outside a city, ask locally. In smaller towns and villages, a study group and the congregation itself are often nearly the same set of people meeting in the same room on a different evening, and one conversation will get you both.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I find Bible study in Nepal?
- Bible studies in Nepal run through local churches rather than as standalone groups, so the way to find one is to contact a congregation near you and ask. Most churches run several — home groups by neighbourhood, plus women’s, men’s, youth and student studies. The Church Nepal directory can help you find the church; the church will tell you where its groups meet.
- What day and time do Bible study groups meet in Nepal?
- Weekday evenings, commonly between six and eight, are the usual slot for home-based Bible study groups. Many churches also hold a study or teaching class immediately before or after the Saturday worship service, since Saturday is Nepal’s main day of gathering. Women’s and men’s groups often meet on weekday mornings instead.
- Are Bible studies in Nepal held in English?
- Most Bible study in Nepal is in Nepali. English-language groups exist mainly in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, usually attached to congregations that serve international residents and students. Elsewhere you can often still follow along by reading the passage in English on your phone while the discussion runs in Nepali.
- Can I join a Bible study if I am not a Christian?
- Yes. Groups in Nepal are generally open to anyone who wants to come and read, including people exploring the faith and visitors who are simply curious. You will not be put on the spot to pray, speak or explain your beliefs. Nepali law prohibits attempts to convert people, and groups are conscious of that boundary.
- What happens at a Bible study in Nepal?
- A session typically opens with singing and prayer, reads through a Bible passage with open discussion, and ends with members praying aloud together for needs raised in the room. Tea is almost always served. Groups are small, usually meet in someone’s home, and often work through one book of the Bible over several months.
- Do I need to bring a Bible?
- No. There will be spare Bibles, or someone will share theirs, and most groups have members reading from a phone app. If you would like your own, Nepali-language Bibles are available through churches and Christian bookshops in Kathmandu and other cities.
- How do I find a Bible study near me if my town has no listed church?
- Ask in the nearest town that does have one — congregations in Nepal usually know the fellowships and home groups in the districts around them. Many rural groups meet in homes with no building, sign or online presence at all, so a local introduction is far more effective than searching. The Church Nepal directory is still growing and does not yet reach every district.
Find a church in Nepal
Browse the Church Nepal directory, or jump straight to a city. The directory is new and still growing — if your church is missing, get in touch.