Bible Discovery Groups

Discipling pre-believers toward encounter with the Lord

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 start leading someone toward a relationship with the Lord, which could very well be from the moment you meet them! *

     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 isn’t merely 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. Because of their simplicity, Bible Discovery Groups are effective in any context, easy to learn, and easy to replicate.

* The DMM model calls a person you have begun discipling but who is not yet a disciple of Jesus a “person of peace.” Check out our info on the DMM model on our website.

The Power of Stories

       Where do you start when trying to share the Bible with new disciples? As always, we find our example in Jesus:

When Jesus taught, he told stories!
 
     And the scientific literature backs him up. Studies show that 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.

      There are two ways to share these stories:
 
1) Read the story directly from scripture. 
2)  “Story the story” or recount the events of the story as they occur without reading it directly. This is a learned skill that can be practiced.

        Either way, sharing biblical stories is a time-tested path to make spiritual truths accessible to your disciples. 

Telling 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.

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.

Step 3  

Tell the story.
Read the story directly from the scripture or share the events of the story. 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. 

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. 

Resources:

God's Story - 10 Story Track : 10 Points to sharing the overarching story of scripture.
this teaching track is a good choice when leading new disciples to a decision to follow Christ.


7-7-7 Track :  Detailed lesson guides that cover the 7 "I Am" statements of Christ, 7 miracles Christ, and 7 commands of Christ.
This TEaching track is best used after your disciples have already chosen to become believers.

"I Am" Statements
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4
Story 5
Story 6
Story 7
7 Miracles
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4
Story 5
Story 6
Story 7
7 Commands
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4
Story 5
Story 6
Story 7

Storying the Story - Examples

Sharing Your Testimony Training

Share Anywhere Training

DMM Model

The Disciple Making Movement (DMM) is a strategy for rapidly multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that disciples make other disciples, leading to exponential growth and the formation of simple, reproducible churches. This approach focuses on empowering ordinary believers to share the gospel and lead others to faith and obedience, emphasizing prayer, scripture, and simple obedience to God's word.

1) Go to the people with…
Prayer
Love
Truth

2 ) Looking for a person of peace who will be…
Open to me
Open to my message
Willing to open their relationships to me

3) When I find them, I will gather them into a Bible Discovery Group where I will…
Share my life
Share the gospel
Share bible stories

4) I will lead them to be obedient followers of Jesus through…
Baptism
Christian fellowship
Sharing their faith

5) I will plant house churches with these believers using the handy guide…

6) As I have gone to them, I will send them to others



The Handy Guide


1) There is one head of the church: Jesus (not the pastor)

2) There are 2 tracks of authority: Holy Spirit and the Word of God (these will never conflict with each other)

3) There are 3 things a shepherd does:  teaches the church, corrects the church, and leads the church

4) There are four things a healthy church community does:  teaches its own, corrects its own, supports its own, and multiplies from its own

5) There are five questions to get you started: Where, when, what, how, & who

Remember: KEEP IT SIMPLE, SAINTS
and have fun!

"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. " Acts 13:52  NASB