Bible Discovery Groups
Discipling pre-believers toward encounter
When does discipleship begin?
Most people would say that discipleship begins when the person chooses to follow Jesus, but that’s usually not where the journey of making a disciple truly begins. Discipleship actually begins as soon as you begin leading someone toward a relationship with the Lord, which could very well be from the moment you meet them! And yes, that means you can have a disciple who is not yet a believer.
Bible Discovery groups are meant to help your disciples discover biblical truth and to pave the way toward an encounter with the Lord, because it’s not saying a specific prayer that saves someone. Salvation is about relationship, and relationship begins with encounter.
In a Bible Discovery Group, you will share your life, share bible stories, and share the gospel using simple oral teaching techniques that are effective in any context, easy to learn, and easy to replicate.
Bible Discovery groups are meant to help your disciples discover biblical truth and to pave the way toward an encounter with the Lord, because it’s not saying a specific prayer that saves someone. Salvation is about relationship, and relationship begins with encounter.
In a Bible Discovery Group, you will share your life, share bible stories, and share the gospel using simple oral teaching techniques that are effective in any context, easy to learn, and easy to replicate.
Why orality works!
In our Western context, our education is mostly based in written language, but there are many factors that might limit a person’s ability to learn from a written text - like culture, education, disability, and even poverty.
Thankfully we can solve this problem by looking to Jesus’s example:
When Jesus taught, he told stories!
And the scientific literature backs him up. Studies show using simple storytelling as a tool for teaching improves engagement, promotes deeper understanding, fosters empathy, and strengthens memory by making complex concepts relatable and memorable. Pretty much everyone is an oral learner.
So instead of simply reading scripture, we use a technique called “storying the story.” Using this method, you become the textbook as you guide your disciples to discover biblical truth and invite them to become part of God’s story.
Thankfully we can solve this problem by looking to Jesus’s example:
When Jesus taught, he told stories!
And the scientific literature backs him up. Studies show using simple storytelling as a tool for teaching improves engagement, promotes deeper understanding, fosters empathy, and strengthens memory by making complex concepts relatable and memorable. Pretty much everyone is an oral learner.
So instead of simply reading scripture, we use a technique called “storying the story.” Using this method, you become the textbook as you guide your disciples to discover biblical truth and invite them to become part of God’s story.
Storying the Story
Step 1
Setting the context of the story.
Before you begin, give any relevant background information needed to understand what’s going on.
Before you begin, give any relevant background information needed to understand what’s going on.
Step 2
Give listening assignments.
These are simple questions that you want your disciples to be listening for as you tell the story. This increases engagement and information retention.
These are simple questions that you want your disciples to be listening for as you tell the story. This increases engagement and information retention.
Step 3
Story the story.
Rather than reading the story, share the events of the story using your own words. Be sure to avoid “churchy” terms that rely on a Christian context to understand. DO NOT add your interpretation or commentary at this stage. Simply tell the story.
Rather than reading the story, share the events of the story using your own words. Be sure to avoid “churchy” terms that rely on a Christian context to understand. DO NOT add your interpretation or commentary at this stage. Simply tell the story.
Step 4
Ask the questions & discuss.
Ask the listening assignment questions again and have your disciples share their answers. Then discuss the passage, invite questions, and share insights from your own walk with the Lord.
Ask the listening assignment questions again and have your disciples share their answers. Then discuss the passage, invite questions, and share insights from your own walk with the Lord.
Next Steps:
The goal of a Bible Discovery group is to take pre-believers and disciple them toward encounter with Jesus and the decision to follow Him. This means there won’t be a set timetable. We recommend starting with the “God’s Story” teaching track which shares the overarching story of scripture in 10 stories. You can find this as a bookmark in our church lobby or on our website, along with other tools like the 7-7-7 track.
While in this discovery stage, you will be sharing three of the five elements of church with your pre-believing disciples: prayer, fellowship, and teaching. Once your disciples have made the decision to follow Jesus, you can add the last two: worship and communion.
Congratulations! You have planted a church. For more help on what to do now, check out our material on Family Church.
While in this discovery stage, you will be sharing three of the five elements of church with your pre-believing disciples: prayer, fellowship, and teaching. Once your disciples have made the decision to follow Jesus, you can add the last two: worship and communion.
Congratulations! You have planted a church. For more help on what to do now, check out our material on Family Church.